The term Internet of Things (IoT) is often associated with embedded machine-to-machine (M2M) network communication between “smart objects” in commercial, industrial, and governmental environments.
With its ability to provide real-time visibility and control over connected objects, the Internet of Things (IoT) is destined to bring unparalleled transparency and efficiency to our lives. Industry is a key application area for IoT. Smart industrial models based on IoT represent a new trend in industrial development, leading to the continuous development and improvement of industrial IoT networks.
Currently, although proprietary communication protocols have long dominated network communication in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications, the increasing connectivity and high bandwidth requirements of IoT networks have made Ethernet the least resistant upgrade path to replace traditional communication protocols. Ethernet and TCP/IP communication technologies have achieved great success in the IT industry, becoming the preferred network communication technologies for IT applications.
In recent years, as the international fieldbus technology standardization efforts have not achieved the desired results, Ethernet and TCP/IP technologies have been gradually applied in industrial automation and have developed into a technological trend.
The application of Ethernet in industrial automation should be divided into two aspects, or two levels. First, the integration of factory automation technology with IT technology and the Internet is forming the prototype of future e-commerce and network manufacturing technologies in the manufacturing industry. Most experts have given a positive evaluation of this development trend in automation technology.
On another front, can Ethernet be widely used at the lower level of industrial process control, namely the device layer or field layer? Can it become or even replace existing fieldbus technologies as a unified industrial Internet of Things network standard? These questions are currently hot topics of debate among automation industry experts.
To fully meet these requirements, next-generation Ethernet technology must evolve and provide native support for the following three key functions:
1) Reliability and deterministic performance
2) Precise timekeeping and synchronization
3) Security We will focus on why these features are essential and how they will help Ethernet address some of the key challenges that future industrial IoT networks will face.
A risky game: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks demand reliability and deterministic performance. The autonomous, peer-to-peer distributed control employed in the IIoT demands far more than any consumer IoT. Data acquisition, recording, and analysis occur continuously and in real time. Reliable and secure operation without human intervention, utilizing systems capable of processing tasks faster than humans, is crucial.
For example, material handling equipment in a warehouse can sense packages moving along a conveyor belt. It identifies the materials via RFID tags or barcodes and guides them to the next conveyor belt based on that information. Communication failures can potentially lead to increased costs or risks to personnel safety.
Now imagine a network that monitors the structural health of a nuclear power plant.
Error detection and reliability come at a higher cost, as communication failures in such environments can have catastrophic consequences, including substation collapses, environmental pollution, and death.
In these environments, industrial IoT networks have stringent performance and reliability requirements, including:
(1) Fault tolerance
(2) Safety
(3) Low latency
(4) Low power consumption
The ubiquitous coverage of IoT networks is accelerating their transition to Ethernet, allowing them to leverage standardized, carrier-grade service definitions established by the MetroEthernet Forum (MEF) to define "carrier-grade Ethernet." These standards are particularly important because IoT networks cannot afford to compromise on network performance, stability, or service reliability. We will see more IoT networks adopting Ethernet, seeking to deploy cost-effective, carrier-grade equipment to meet these real-time, high-performance networking needs.
Time synchronization is crucial for industrial IoT networks. The IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (1588 or PTP) will play a vital role in various next-generation networks, including wired IoT networks. Originating in industrial automation , 1588 provides highly accurate time synchronization, offering precise time-of-day (ToD) information for real-time applications, as well as timestamp inputs, scheduling, and synchronization outputs.
This capability will minimize the performance limitations of traditional control networks, such as "response time jitter," enabling real-time communication and interaction between disparate and distributed intelligent objects collaborating on time-sensitive tasks, ranging from automated traffic management systems and autonomous vehicles to smart grid management. Take automated traffic management as an example. The 1588 can provide visibility and dynamic control for traffic management systems interconnected with highways and railways, allowing operators to flexibly adjust timetables based on passenger flow.
Similarly, in the field of autonomous vehicles, 1588 can provide real-time road traffic and congestion data and communicate with autonomous vehicles to achieve smooth traffic flow.
Looking at smart grids, utilities can use the 1588 to manage distributed energy sources, such as wind turbines or solar systems. A smart grid with 1588 functionality also allows utilities to access real-time load data and helps them stabilize their grids for sudden demand spikes by quickly controlling existing power rationing systems in commercial, industrial, and residential environments.
Looking ahead, we expect chip solutions with 1588 timing support to see wider adoption in order to meet these stringent accuracy requirements, as well as the specific needs of IoT environments, such as smaller size and lower power consumption, and support for extended temperature ranges.
Security is paramount for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks. Awareness of information security and protecting business and industrial infrastructure from cyberattacks is growing. As previously closed IoT networks and smart devices now connect to the outside world, robust and reliable security strategies are essential. While numerous network and data security models exist, our focus in this field remains on encryption, as it is one of the most effective means of ensuring secure connectivity.
One commonly used network-based security protocol today is IPsec. IPsec operates at Layer 3 (L3) of the Internet Protocol (IP) hierarchy and works well in routed networks. However, it is costly to implement because it typically requires an embedded or dedicated standalone encryption engine. An alternative that operates at Layer 2 (L2) of the IPC hierarchy is the IEEE 802.1AE "MACSec" security standard, which is used in conjunction with the "KeySec" authentication key negotiation protocol 1802.1af.
While not widely adopted today, it offers a simpler, more efficient, and scalable option due to its ease of implementation at Layer 2. Like other Ethernet-based networks, strong encryption to protect its multiple access points will be crucial for the Internet of Things (IoT). Since any device with a single IP address is theoretically vulnerable, the more "things" connected, the greater the number of points of access available to hackers.
As the Internet of Things (IoT) and our interconnected world expand further, everything from factory networks to single home appliances will be included in the projected 75 billion IoT connections, making scalable, cost-effective security technologies even more critical. Fortunately, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created a set of best practices that have become the de facto standard for protecting systems from cyberattacks.
We anticipate that adhering to principles such as AES encryption as described in NIST's FIPS 197 will become a fundamental minimum requirement for Ethernet-based IoT networks. Furthermore, considering the synchronization requirements of IoT, we can further expect that the "secure 1588" series of technologies—where encryption methods do not affect network synchronization—will be crucial for the long-term success of these networks. The advantages of Industrial Ethernet: Compared to existing communication protocols, Ethernet possesses unique advantages in industrial applications.
(1) Ethernet is a fully open and fully digital network, and devices from different manufacturers can easily interconnect in accordance with network protocols.
(2) Ethernet can achieve seamless connection between industrial control networks and enterprise information networks, forming a fully open network for integrated enterprise-level management and control.
(3) Low cost of software and hardware. Since Ethernet technology is very mature, software and hardware that support Ethernet are highly valued and widely supported by manufacturers, and there are a variety of software development environments and hardware devices for users to choose from.
(4) High communication speed. As the scale and complexity of enterprise information systems expand, the demand for information is also increasing. Sometimes, even the transmission of audio and video data is required. Currently, the communication speed of Ethernet is 10M and 100M. Fast Ethernet is widely used, Gigabit Ethernet technology is gradually maturing, and 10G Ethernet is also under research. Its speed is much faster than the current fieldbus.
(5) Great potential for sustainable development in this era of rapid information change. The survival and development of enterprises will largely depend on a fast and effective communication management network. The development of information technology and communication technology will be faster and more mature, thus ensuring the continuous development of Ethernet technology.
The Development Prospects of Industrial Ethernet: With the maturity of technology, the application of switching technology, and the development of high-speed Ethernet, Ethernet is rapidly growing in the field of industrial automation . Almost all fieldbus systems can eventually connect to Ethernet. With the development of integrated circuits, the conditions for high-end microprocessors as I/O processors and controller cores are gradually maturing. Real-time embedded operating systems running on controllers make it easier to implement TCP/IP protocols, and Ethernet networks are more readily accessible to the field. Industrial Ethernet has become the main direction of control system network development and has great potential.
The process control and automation industries, from embedded systems to fieldbus control systems, have recognized the importance of Ethernet and TCP/IP. As the world's most widely used network protocols, Ethernet and TCP/IP are poised to become the primary transmission technologies at both the process and control levels. Standard Ethernet interfaces with TCP/IP are already in use in smart devices and I/O modules. They enable direct and seamless connectivity with factory information management systems without the need for any dedicated equipment.
Therefore, it can be said that the use of industrial Ethernet in industrial communication networks will build a comprehensive automation network platform from the underlying field devices to the advanced and optimized control layer and the enterprise management decision-making layer, thereby eliminating various automation silos within the enterprise.
Ethernet, as the preferred choice for future industrial networks in the 21st century, will become the standard high-speed industrial network at the control and field device levels, with broad application and development prospects. The direct application of Industrial Ethernet technology to communication between industrial field devices has become an inevitable trend. Undoubtedly, Ethernet will only further integrate into the industrial field with the rapid increase in Internet technology and industrial demands, promoting the continuous improvement and development of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
However, this is also a long and arduous road, full of opportunities and challenges. In any case, we will see that as Ethernet evolves into the foundation of the Industrial Internet of Things network, as long as we grasp the three requirements of determinism, synchronization and security, we will see a long-awaited "industrial revolution storm" in the near future.
