Ethernet Comes with a Brand New Easy Solution: Single Pair Ethernet (SPE)

Ethernet is well known globally as solution for communication. Ethernet was hated and liked for the last 40 years or so ... there have been alternative solutions developed that were marketed as much easier, faster, deterministic, ... think of Tokenbus (IEEE 804), Profibus, ... and many others.

Now we see a new version: Single Pair Ethernet (SPE). SPE can bring fast Ethernet (up to 1 GBit/s) and power to the field level using just one twisted wire pair ... enabling application of protocols using TCP/IP.

Click HERE for a general description.

Click HERE for a nice presentation by IEEE experts (January 2019)

SPE is a new technology to replace CANbus in automobiles (cars, trucks, busses, ... trains) and fieldbusses. SPE is a layer 1 standard ... so it can be used for Profinet, Ethercat, ... and it could run TCP/IP.

SPE is more intended to replace fieldbus systems ... here my dream of the late 80s becomes true:

Fieldbus Standardization - Another Way to Go

http://blog.nettedautomation.com/2017/05/tsn-fieldbus-standardization-another.html

additional posts related to the topic:

http://blog.nettedautomation.com/search?q=another+way

The use of SPE for connecting sensors to the cloud is to follow a trend ... it may increase the sales of component manufacturers.

When I wrote my Diploma Thesis in 1982 (at Siemens) I was asked to analyze Ethernet ... the idea was cancelled because of the very very expensive MAU ... needed two ... each for 23,000 USD ... total of 46,000 USD ... no way to get approval to spend that amount for a "standard" Diploma Thesis ... 

It took some 40 years to get to SPE - likely the real Ethernet ... ;-)

Too late for me ... just retired this year with 67 ... 

One crucial challenge is here: HOW to SECURE a huge number of end nodes (sensors, actuators ...) directly connected to the clouds or data lakes? Compare the situation with Smart(er) Grids: In Smart(er) Grids it is intended to connect millions of smart meters to the entities (clouds!?) that use the data for billing and further applications like controlling millions of inverters or power users. 

In the German power system there is a requirement to use the so-called Smart Meter Gateway (SMG) to provide highly secure communication channels! 

Click HERE to check what has to be implemented ... many published Megabyte pdf documentation of the required specification like: "Protection Profile for the Gateway of a Smart Metering System (Smart-Meter-Gateway PP)" ... by the German BSI.

It took many years before we have seen the first certified Smart Meter Gateway offered at the market. And be aware: The Administration of this infrastructure is very complex and ... far away from cheap and affordable by "everyone".

Many similar huge "security systems" would be required to connect the billions of smart sensors and actuators through Single Pair Ethernet to some centralized entities ... 

SPE is nice - BUT to build secure distributed systems it is required to develop also new security solutions that are as simple as Single Pair Ethernet!!

We have to look at the complete SYSTEM COST - not just at the possibilities of a new physical layers ... the SPE increases the problems of implementing secure systems, because it is easier and cheap to build a huge mashed network of millions of end nodes ... that may not perfectly secured!

OPC-UA@TSN, Profinet@TSN or CC-Link@TSN - and IEC 61850

Automation and industrial communication are buzzwords for decades. They mean something quite different when you look at the 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, today ... Where are we today? Not really far away from the 80s.

In February 1985 I attended the first time the GM MAP Team in Detroit (MI) - it was a cold week:



This was my first trip to the USA. At that time I did not expect to come back to the US for more than 130 times ... almost all trips related to standardization: MAP, MMS, UCA, IEC, IEEE, ...
The MAP (Manufacturing Application Protocol) project and especially the MMS (Manufacturing Message Specification) standard where the first combined attempt to define a single set of  international standards for manufacturing automation systems. As you may know: they failed - because they were far too early.
MMS (ISO 9506) defines many services that have been smiled at. But if you read today (2019-02-23) what experts in the OPC/UA World are looking at - then you wonder how it was possible in the 80s to define most of the basic services the industry is looking for TODAY:

• Client/Server
• Selfdescription
• Read/Write/Report
• Two-Way-DataExchange (like RPC)
• Standard Configuration
• Semaphore
• Event Management
• Journaling (Logging)
• ...

It really took 30+ years before the industry understood what is really needed besides the myriad of Fieldbusses!!

Since the MAP days we have learned some crucial lessons:

• In addition to Client/Server we need Publisher/Subscriber (as defined some 15 years after the MAP project in IEC 61850; GOOSE and Sampled Values)
• In addition to ISO/OSI Transport we need TCP/IP ... done in IEC 61850.
• We need many semantic models ... as the many Hundred Logical Nodes in IEC 61850, e.g., for electrical measurements MMXU or Temperature Supervision STMP, ...
• Standardized system configuration is key for any future automation system ... as defined in SCL (IEC 61850-6) for energy systems.

Fieldbusses are understood today as the "maximum credible accident". Heinrich Munz (Lead Architect Industry 4.0 at KUKA) says in the just published special issue ot the magazine "tsn & opc ua 2019" (www.computer-automation.de) on page 12: "Jeder Gerätehersteller muss die Anschaltung und das Engineering jedes seiner Produkte an mehr als zehn unterschiedliche Feldbusse entwickeln und pflegen - ein betriebs- und volkswirtschaftlicher Super-GAU." [Each vendor has to develop and maintain hardware and engineering tools for each of his products to be compliant with more than 10 different fieldbusses - economically a maximum credible accident.]
My personal resume after reading through the special magazine is this:

• The third fieldbus war started some years ago and is expected to go on for many years. 
• The standard series IEC 61850, IEC 62351, IEC 61968/70 (CIM), IEC 61400-25, ... provide most of what OPC-UA and TSN are looking for.
• It is likely that the providers of traditional and Ethernet-based Fieldbusses will migrate during the next years to OPC UA and TSN.
• OPC UA and TSN will be implemented and used - why not?
• In the meantime the energy domain is already using and extending the semantic models, applying the needed services and feeling happy with the standardized configuration language.
• What else do you need?

The French novelist Andre Gide nailed it when he wrote, "Everything that can be said has been said, but we have to say it again because no one was listening."

According to my 50 years of experience as a technician, the most crucial challenge in automation is this: People of different application domains (control center, RTU, protection, PLC programming, robot controlling, communication, security, engineering, maintenance, ... telecomms, internet, web, ...) DO NOT LISTEN TO EACH OTHER!!! If one expert of a specific domain talks - no one from the other domains is listening!
Talk together and have a look at what people have said and done even decades ago! It may be better than what you were told. It may save you hours and days and weeks ... of struggling.

Difference between IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850

There seems to be a growing interest to understand what the difference is between IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850. There have been many discussions, complaints, and frustrations ... no wonder.Here is what I have answered to somebody this week:

Dear xxx,

I guess I got it ... you are analyzing the communication inside a station ... to the IEDs (protection, control, ...).

The IEC 60870-5-104 plus a lot of utility or project specific (signal) engineering will do the job – has done it for decades.

The engineering is the key issue when comparing the two standards … if you can compare them at all!!

IEC 61850 offers a lot more than 104 or DNP3 …

From a message overhead point of view, you can say, that both are more or less the same ... because they use both Ethernet and TCP/IP. There is no benefit to use one or the other.

It is likely that IED vendors will mainly focus on IEC 61850 ... and may get rid of 104 in the long run.

I have always said that utilities using 104 in all substations should continue to use it – until they build new substations or do major refurbishments. There is no need to replace a running 104 solution with IEC 61850 ...

Another issue is: To use GOOSE for interlocking … to get rid of copper … or use it for tripping … and use sampled values some time down the road.

Finally there is an issue with manpower: If the utility has senior experts in 104 close to retirement … they should wait until they have retired. Yes! I have seen many old engineers not willing to learn something completely new!!
Click HERE for a detailed comparison written by domain experts.
Hope that helps a bit more.
Best Regards,

Karlheinz

How many employees will drive an electric vehicle?

A German manager recently said that 500 employees of his company drive by car to the company every workday. He expects that in the future 250 will use electric cars and will charge their cars within the first hour after they arrived. The company would need 10 times more power than today!
Ok! Hm!?
What do you think about these assumptions? 250 EVs charging in the first hour!?
As an engineer I am wondering that experts come up with such examples. First of all, I do not expect that 50 per cent of the car owners will buy an electric car in the next years. Even if they would do, why do 250 car drivers want to charge at the companies car park in the morning when they arrive?
He concludes that "we engineers have not yet thought through to the end".
I guess a lot of engineers have thought through to the end - but not many engineers or politicians are listening!

Click HERE for the report "Netzstabilität braucht Digitalisierung und Automatisierung" in the vdi nachrichten (German).

These discussions remind me of the situation in the early 80s when we had the discussion on CSMA/CD (Ethernet, IEEE 802.3) versus Token Passing (IEEE 802.4). Under the assumption that we have a shower of messages to be sent by all attached devices at the same time, we found that Ethernet could not efficiently manage the communication due to many collisions. Token Passing was understood to manage such a situation very well. Ok.
Another assumption, high load from one device only, could easily be managed by CSMA/CD - but Token Passing would end up in very low throughput ... many other assumptions could be made.
So, what is the realistic assumption for communication? Nobody knows - it all depends.
Finally Switched Ethernet (a major new development) solved the collision problem ... and Token Passing more or less became obsolete in the automation world.

In the energy domain we need first to find the future new mix of power generation and how to store, transmit, distribute, and use the power - then we can think about automation and communication. The most crucial issue may be: Who is paying for all the changes?

By the way: We (many engineers) know how to communicate: IEC 61850 is one of the most crucial solution ... and how (not yet what) to automate.

TSN: Fieldbus Standardization - Another Way to Go

Fieldbus standardization has a very long history - resulting in tens of solutions in ONE single standard series IEC 61158. This has been discussed several times on this blog.
The latest decisions in the industrial automation domain could change the direction to go: To get one or two or three ... solutions - based on TSN (Time-sensitive Networking).
It took more than 25 years to implement in principle what I have written in a paper on Fieldbus and Ethernet. When I worked for Siemens Industry in the early 90s, I recommended to use native Ethernet instead of fieldbusses … now we write 2017 – 26 years later:
Click HERE for the paper “Bridging MAP to Ethernet” [PDF, 720 KB, 1991]
Click HERE for the paper “Fieldbus standardization: Another way to go” [PDF, 720 KB, 1991].

25 years of fieldbus wars are likely to end in the near future.
Even the Profibus International Users Group (PI) published the other day in the PI Profinews:
"TSN (Time-sensitive Networking) is a promising new IEEE technology for Ethernet that combines ... PI will expand PROFINET with the mechanisms of TSN in layer 2, retaining the application layer on the higher levels. This makes it possible to migrate the applications to the new technology simply and incrementally and to take advantage of the benefits of an open, globally standardized IT technology.”
Clicke HERE for the full announcement in the Profinews.

It's a pity that it took 25 years to understand that Ethernet is THE solution for the future.

TSN is just another link layer solution - what's about the upper layers? Huuch ... there is still the old fight of various groups that belief that their solution is the best!
PROFINET will keep their higher layers and add the option of OPC UA for higher automation levels to the cloud. So, they are recommending a compromise - which ends up in many higher layer solutions on TSN.

ABB, Bosch Rexroth, B&R, Cisco, GE, Kuka, NI, Schneider Electric, Belden/Hirschmann and Phoenix Contact are fighting for a SINGLE combination: TSN and OPC UA.

In the meantime we have - for more than 20 years - a SINGLE combination for the electric power (and energy) market: IEC 61850 with Ethernet and MMS (for client/server communication) supported by hundreds of vendors and users worldwide. AND: IEC 61850 has a huge basket of object models and a configuration language! What is being communicated through OPC UA TSN?

A finished solution (Ethernet/MMS some 25 years ago) is better than a perfect one that will never be accomplished - even not with TSN plus XX, YY, ZZ, ...!

This lets IEC 61850 look very good!

If you need your Profibus or Profinet data being communicated by IEC 61850, check HERE for Gateways.

IEC 61850 Applications Outside Power Utilities

IEC 61850 is often applied in non-utility application domains. Three examples are documented in the following papers:

1. Refinary in North America
"Integrating SCADA, Load Shedding, and High-Speed Controls on an Ethernet Network at a North American Refinery"
This paper discusses the implementation of an Ethernet communications network in a ring that connects substations in a closed communications loop at a large industrial facility. Data are transmitted at protection speeds and must be dependable for industrial power system operation and maintenance applications. The redundant electric power system Ethernet communications network is used for a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system that automates industrial electric power system operations.
Click HERE for the complete paper [pdf]

2. Petrochemical Plant
"SACE Emax 2 -- IEC 61850 integration with MV systems"
PVC plant in Jemeppe needed to upgrade the LV side of the electrical plant, so that it could be fully integrated into IEC 61850 protocol used in MV switchboards. Not only customer needed to monitor status and parameters from air circuit breakers installed in the LV switchboards, but also to control them remotely and to interlock them with MV ones.
Jemeppe plant was aiming at a higher system productivity, by avoiding protocol converters, and an increase of safety for technicians thanks to remote control for air circuit breakers.
Click HERE for the complete paper [pdf]

3. Siemens helps Solvay
Solvay Group: International Chemical and Pharmaceutical Company
Solvay uses IEC 61850 for the Operation of high, medium and low voltage systems.
Worldwide systems in use with IEC 61850 up to the network control level, others being planned
Click HERE for more information [pdf]

Does IEC 61850 Add Complexity for Technicians in Power Utilities?

This week I was asked the question in the title during an introduction of IEC 61850 to some 15 utility experts. My response was not just yes or no. Initiated by that question I thought it would be of interest to discuss this issue on the blog.

We have to understand that the expected complexity in power system information exchange has at least the following three crucial aspects:

1. Complexity of the network infrastructure (independent of protocols defined and used by standards like IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, …). The infrastructure used and discussed these days seems to explode! Compared to dial-up-links and and fixed land lines used usually for remote access of something, the application of Switched Ethernet, Ethertype, VPN, VLAN, TCP/IP, UDP/IP, GSM, UMTS, LTE, … requires a good understanding of your needs and the various solutions that could be used.
2. Complexity of standards (like IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, …) that use the above infrastructure.
3. Complexity of communication software and application interfaces between applications and communication software, and complexity of engineering and configuration tools.

In many cases I have experienced that users do have little understanding what they really need! And may even have lesser knowledge about the various solutions, how to use them for their systems, and to understand how they impact the dynamics of the whole system!

I have talked to many people that have complained about the complexity of protocols … but usually we figured out that the complexity was caused by a bit of everything … and mainly by the fact that people tend to NOT TRUST the chain of solutions from, e.g., a control system application to an API of a front-end, front-end application, protocol API, protocol IEC 60870-5-104, TCP/IP, VPN, GPRS, RTU, interface between RTU and remote application, and remote application.

Here is an example I have experienced recently (with the topology based on GPRS as listed above):

1. The control system does not trust that the information exchange with the RTU is reliable and available. Therefore the control system sends Pings every 2 seconds.
2. The front-end application does not trust that the RTU is reliable and available. Therefore the front-end applications issues a 104 control command (toggle bit) every 10 seconds … just to see if the 104 protocol is still alive.
3. The front-end application does not trust (even it figures out that the RTU is available) that the remote application is really receiving a parameter setting for a function in the remote application. Therefore the remote application copies a received setting value to another 104 information object and sends a spontaneous message with the just received setting value.
4. The protocol IEC 60870-5-104 exchanges flow control messages to acknowledge the received messages (in both directions).
5. TCP uses flow control messages and keep alive messages …

So, what do you think about such a bunch of deep mistrusts? Do you think that such a system would work properly and reliable?

I guess that there are many huge GAPS: in the understanding of the NEEDs, the various links in the chain like the dynamics of a system using, e.g., GPRS, … the APIs, the applications …

I recommended to the audience that there is a crucial need for: MORE EDUCATION !! 

A screw driver is not sufficient for future power delivery systems. And: Ignoring IEC 61850 is not sufficient to get the job done! IEC 61850 solutions can be very easy for simple needs.

You can experience it – if you want! Let me know!

Siemens reported using IEC 60870-5-104 for DEMS

Siemens DEMS 3.0 stands for third version of their “Decentralized Energy Management System”. It uses IEC 60870-5-104 for communication with power generators, storage devices or loads. The use of open communication and other solutions built-in reduce the engineering cost for virtual power plants by 60 percent – according to Siemens.

What could you do to apply the same cost reduction – or more – if you have to integrate IEDs that provide IEC 61850 information, information exchange and configuration language? Or how to connect a DEMS 3.0 system to IEC 61850?

Here is – I guess – the easiest and shortest time-to-market solution … without writing a single line of program code: The gateway using a so-called com.tom (communication to machine). The topology of an example is shown in the following figure. The gateway is implemented in the upper box.

All WEB PLC objects (inputs and outputs) related to IEC 61850 models are automatically generated from the corresponding SCL files. There is no need to do any manual configuration as long as you have the ICD files of the devices. The object names of the WEB PLC are derived from the object references of the IED/LD/LN.DO.DOA and so on. You see the path names in the I/O list.

All WEB PLC objects can be used to build applications like linking any input with any output (applying the same type – of course): single point input to single point output. The following diagram shows a simple gateway functionality to receive a command via IEC 60870-5-104, route it through an IEC 61850 client to an underlying IEC 61850 server that switches a fan on or off. The status of the FAN LN (using an extended Data Object OpSt) reports the status of the fan. This status is received from the underlying IED via an IEC 61850 report and routed to an IEC 61850 server and an IEC 60870-5-104 server in the gateway.

After “drawing” this diagram, all you need to do is to store the diagram to the gateway (com.tom Basic 3.1 S) and start the program. That’s it.

You may also have figured out the the com.tom Basic 3.1 S integrates an 5-port Ethernet Switch and another independent Ethernet port. This allows to build secure proxy servers/gateways.

The WEB PLC with IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, Modbus, IEC 61850, … is a very easy, low cost and fast-to-market product that can be applied for many applications running on these communication solutions and for gateways. The application is freely configurable by drawing lines.

If you need complex functions, you can write them in C/C++ or IEC 61131-3 (CoDeSys) and wrap them for immediate use at the WEB PLC. For more complex applications you can program the application in C/C++ or CoDeSys and use the same communication.

Whatever protocol standard is used for a system (IEC 60870-5-104 for Siemens DEMS 3.0) you can easily integrate other devices that run DNP3, Modbus, IEC 61850, … with the com.tom WEB PLC gateway.

You want to learn more about the gateway, please contact us.

Click HERE for information about the com.tom family. The com.tom Basic 3.1, for example, costs 368 Euro plus some license costs for IEC 60870-5-104 and IEC 61850 – this includes already the 5-port Ethernet Switch!

Hirschmann Switches provide integrated IEC 61850 Server

The new 8.0 release (The Classic Switch Software) increases again the feature range for managed switches from the MACH, MICE, Rail and OCTOPUS families from Hirschmann™.
Depending on the switch family, these include an integrated IEC61850 server for seamless integration into data networks for power generation and distribution. A PTP power profile according to IEEE C37.238 also allows to accurately synchronizing these networks. Thanks to support for Jumbo frames, which ensure optimum utilization of user data, high-resolution video applications are also possible.
Furthermore, in addition to extensions for PROFINET and Ethernet/IP, the new release for all four switch families offers additional mechanisms for detecting overload situations as well as improved diagnostic and encryption mechanisms.

Click HERE to get more information on the new release providing an IEC 61850 Server.

To my knowledge, they were the first manufacturer that supported an IEC 61850 Server in their Ethernet Switches.

Next Public Training Frankfurt, 16.-18. October 2013

The next public training conducted by Karlheinz Schwarz (NettedAutomation) will take place at the NH Hotel in

Frankfurt-Mörfelden (Germany), 16.-18. October 2013

3 day IEC 61850/61400-25 Seminar/Hands-on Training (NettedAutomation) with with several embedded Controller Development Kits (RTOS, ...), Starter Kit (Windows DLL), and several other demo software.

Details for the event in Frankfurt (Germany) can be found here

For the last two years almost all training events are conducted as customized courses. This is the most efficient way to get your hands on the subject.

A list of training courses and other information could be downloaded:

http://www.nettedautomation.com/download/dt2013/IEC61850_Schwarz_EN-Training_2013-01-25_p.pdf

Get a FREE IEC 61850 Development Kit (HW and SW)- worth 1,290 Euro; as a special GIFT we offer you a free IEC 61850/61400-25 Development Kit, with an ready to go API and example application source code in C/C++ (the kit is included in the regular attendance fee).

The Kit may be used during the course.

Or receive a deep discounted fee (without a Development Kit).

The hands-on training will also comprise use of IEC 61850 to IEC 60870-5-104 Gateway:

For the training we will use DLLs, com.toms, DK61, ... several other tools.

http://com-tom.de/products.php?l=en

IEC 61850-90-4 Network Engineering – Just Published

IEC just published a crucial document on network engineering:

IEC/TR 61850-90-4 ed1.0
Communication networks and systems for power utility automation -
Part 90-4: Network engineering guidelines

Congratulation to the editors of this great technical report – worth to study in detail!

IEC/TR 61850-90-4:2013 is intended for an audience familiar with network communication and/or IEC 61850-based systems and particularly for substation protection and control equipment vendors, network equipment vendors and system integrators. This Technical Report focuses on engineering a local area network focused on the requirements of IEC 61850-based substation automation. It outlines the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to network topology, redundancy, clock synchronization, etc. so that the network designer can make educated decisions. In addition, this report outlines possible improvements to both substation automation and networking equipment. This Technical Report addresses the most critical aspects of IEC 61850, such as protection related to tripping over the network. This Technical Report addresses in particular the multicast data transfer of large volumes of sampled values from merging units. It also considers the high precision clock synchronization and "seamless" guaranteed transport of data across the network under failure conditions that is central to the process bus concept.

This 250+ page report could be used as a compendium of solutions for the various applications found in power automation systems. The communication infrastructure is one of the crucial aspects of the future energy delivery system – in the electric power world, gas delivery, heating and cooling systems as well as in E-Mobility. The recommendations given in this new part of IEC 61850 could be applied in many application domains even outside the energy world.

As you may have seen, network infrastructure vendors like MOXA and Kyland have integrated IEC 61850/MMS in their infrastructure.

Click HERE to download the preview of IEC/TR 61850-90-4 ed1.0
Click HERE if you want to buy the report.

MOXA’s Dual Protocol Approach: MMS and SNMP

MOXA has announced to support a dual protocol approach in their communication infrastructure: IEC 61850/MMS and SNMP.

This is no surprise: already in the first year of standardization of IEC61850 EdF (France) proposed to use SNMP (simple network management protocol) to carry IEC 61850 payload modeled in a specialized MIB. There was very little support for SNMP.

It is natural that the communication infrastructure also provides IEC 61850/MMS access to the many data objects used in switches, routers and other equipment. IEC 61850-7-4 Edition 2 has a lot of new – communication related – logical nodes that are linked directly to network management like “Physical communication channel supervision” logical node (LCCH):

RxCnt - Number of received messages
RedRxCnt - Number of received messages on redundant channel
TxCnt - Number of sent messages

This is related to the communication infrastructure … Or?

Click HERE for details from MOXA.

MOXA concludes in a White paper:

“Moxa’s new line of PowerTrans IEC 61850 switches now come with full MMS compatibility, with a complete implementation of IEC 61850 data modeling and a built-in MMS server. Our entire line of substation computers, switches, and other associated hardware all still feature our own enhanced SNMP support (with custom MIB files), but Moxa welcomes any inquiry into further customizing our switches, embedded computers, and other substation IT hardware with full or enhanced MMS support, made to your order.”

Aging Infrastructure drives Use of IEC 61850

The aging infrastructure in the electric power delivery system drives the application of IEC 61850 conformant products. One example is the the application of optical sensors in Mexico: “ … the last decade, over two hundred failures of conventional instrument transformers occurred in the Mexican Transmission Electric System. … Since 2004, four projects were developed about optical current transformers (OCT´s) to identify its advantages and shortcoming … demonstrating that it is now a reality a protection scheme using optical instrument transformers and Digital relays interconnected using a network according to IEC 61850-9-2.”

The project was also presented at the DistribuTECH 2013 last week in San Diego:

Lessons learned from first multivendor 400 kV transmission line protection scheme using optical CTs and IEC 61850-9-2 process bus protection relays

by James Ariza - Megger
Carlos Melendez - CFE
Nicolas Juarez – CFE
Rodolfo Colon – IIE

The presentation concludes:
The first multivendor 400 kV transmission line protection scheme using an
IEC 61850-9-2 digital network for optical CT´s and digital protection has
been successfully installed and is in operation since May 2011.
Correct operation and interoperability have been demonstrated during the
commissioning tests as well as real fault on the line.

A paper on the same project was presented at Cigre 2012 it could be downloaded [pdf, 586 KB]

29 Different Ethernet Solutions for Real-time Communication! – What about IEC 61850?

The industrial automation market intended in the mid 90s to get a single Ethernet based international standard for the factory floor. Until today the industry is struggling to keep the number of solutions smaller than 30 (!). 29 solutions are listed at the following site (as of September 2008): Real-Time-Ethernet

One of the most prominent experts in real-time communication (Dr. Karl Weber) came recently (after many tests and investigations) to the conclusion that IEC 61850 is a good candidate for hctp: (Hyper Control Transfer Protocol): Read his presentation on IEC 61850 for htcp

A suggestion to use Ethernet as a fieldbus published in 1991 could be found in the paper “Bridging MAP to Ethernet” [PDF, 720 KB]

The wait for MMS on Ethernet is over (as stated at the end of the paper) – Native Ethernet and MMS are well accepted standard (!) solutions in power systems (generations, transmission, distribution, …): IEC 60870-6 TASE.2 (ICCP), IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, IEC 61869-9, …

IEC 61850 (not only Ethernet) could be used in almost all application domains that need to exchange information in real-time. Will IEC 61850 replace any of the 29 solutions? IEC 61850 will be used at least in applications that have a close relation to electric power – this is a lot! Think about motor control and protection systems or electric cars … electricity is all over – so will IEC 61850 be in a few years.

Draft IEC 61850-90-4 – Network engineering guidelines

IEC has published the following draft for ballot (57/1238/DTR):

IEC 61850-90-4 TR Ed.1:
Communication networks and systems for power utility automation –
Part 90-4: Network engineering guidelines for substations

The ballot closes on 2012-06-22.

Please contact your national committee to get a copy of this crucial document.

This 192 page Technical Report provides definitions, guidelines, and specifications for the network engineering of IEC 61850 based (substation and other) automation.
It addresses issues such as Ethernet technology, network topology, redundancy, traffic latency and quality of service, traffic management by multicast and VLAN, network-based clock synchronization and testing of the network.

Video with brief Introduction to IEC 61850 and IEC 61400-25

IEC 61850 and IEC 61400-25 comprise some 25 documents. Part IEC 61850-7-1 contains some basic modeling concepts that may help to get a few ideas what IEC 61850 is about. I guess that just a few people have read that part. In my training courses with almost 3.000 attendees I have gained a lot of experience on how to explain the basic concepts. In 2011 I have conducted more than 30 training sessions (from one to 12 days). Today I am starting a new service to the industry: providing videos that explain basics with animated up-to-date slides.

The first video is a brief presentation of the key concepts of IEC 61850 (one slide): modeling methods, models, configuration language, communication, and mappings. The demonstration shows how these concepts are used to compose a system. Of course, this slide is just showing the basics of a “small system”. This slide is part of the introduction of my commercial training curses.

Please click on the start button to see the video – in order to see it in the full screen, click again on the video and select the full screen button.

I hope you will enjoy this video!
Your feedback to Karlheinz Schwarz would be appreciated.

Siemens Industry offers PRP Ethernet Redundancy Products

Ethernet is obviously to become the number ONE solution for almost all automation domains – just a few experts expected this success some 20 years ago. Even one of the serious supporters of Fieldbusses (Siemens) is supporting this trend by offering new Ethernet products.

High Availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) and Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) are the latest additions to the IEC 62439 Standard for High Availability Industrial Ethernet Networks. Designed for mission critical and time sensitive applications such as those found in Electric Utility protection and control applications (referenced by IEC 61850-8-1). Below is an excerpt of the TCP/IP Profile (PRP1 and HSR are also contained in the GOOSE and SV profiles):

Siemens offers IEC 62439-3 PRP compliant Ethernet products (SCALANCE X204RNA).

Click HERE for information on SCALANCE X204RNA in English
Click HERE for information on SCALANCE X204RNA in German
Click HERE for Manuals and further information

Click HERE for further information on the concepts [ppt presentation]
Click HERE for other IEC 62439 products [Hirschmann]

Ethernet for Real-Time Applications – IEEE Symposium in Munich

On January 17, 2012 TUEV SUED (Munich, Germany) held a symposium on real-time Ethernet. Ethernet is not fit for real-time – that is what has been said from the very beginning. But: time and technology has changed. “Deterministic Ethernet & Unified Networking - Never bet against Ethernet …”, this is the opening statement of one of the 11 presentations of the symposium. Ethernet seems to be THE backbone of all automation systems in the near future.

The 11 presentations can be downloaded:

1. Opening by TÜV SÜD
2. IEEE 802.1 AVB standards status (audio video bridging, Broadcom)
3. Real-time networks and preemption (Cisco)
4. Latency Scenarios of Bridged Networks (Deggendorf University)
5. Real-time Ethernet Requirements for Automation Applications (iniT)
6. Ultra Low Latency Traffic Class @ Industry (Siemens)
7. Adaptive Scheduling of Streams in RT (Czech TU Prague)
8. AVB and Fault Tolerant Networking (Belden/Hirschmann) – Ethernet everywhere!
9. Robustness Requirement in Industry and Energy (ZHAW, CH)
10. Deterministic Ethernet & Unified Networking (TTTech)
11. IEEE 1588v2 Time Synchronization in Energy Automation Applications – Case Studies from China (RuggedCom) – Huge substation with more than 160 Ethernet Switches!

When I was about to do my diploma thesis at Siemens in Karlsruhe in 1981, my topic was to do some practical analysis of Ethernet. Due to the high cost of two (2) Ethernet MAUs (40.000 DM / 20.000 Euro) it was decided not to purchase the hardware – people did not believe that Ethernet would be an option at all … and forever. Many experts believed in Token Passing.

I did not agree (I was still a student). So, I decided to look for an answer of making shared Ethernet deterministic … it ended up in a patent Siemens got.

More to come … in China and all over. Ethernet and IEC 61850 (based on Ethernet) are providing real standard solutions.

IEEE Standards for free download

Did you know that many IEEE 802 and other standards are available for free of charge download? IEEE provides these documents for free six months after their publication.

Click HERE for the list of free standards.

Siemens Industry to take over RuggedCom

The Siemens division Industry (not Energy!) announced yesterday (2012-01-30) that they agreed with RuggedCom to acquire Canadian network supplier RuggedCom Inc. The other day it was reported that Belden was trying to take over RuggedCom.

Click HERE for the Siemens press release from 2012-01-30.

It is quite interesting to see how long it took to make Ethernet an enjoyable solution:

Excerpt from the press release: “Siemens’ portfolio of industrial Ethernet networking components is enjoying above-average growth rates compared to the competition. Until now, the main emphasis of Siemens’ installed base in this segment has been in Europe. “RuggedCom’s portfolio would be an ideal addition to our range of industrial Ethernet communication products, improving our industrial-quality router and switch offering. In addition, the acquisition would improve our footprint in the North America and the Asia-Pacific region,” said Anton S. Huber, CEO of the Siemens Industry Automation Division. Huber also indicated that all of RuggedCom’s and Siemens’ product lines would be developed further in the next few years.”

What is meant by “competition” in the statement “industrial Ethernet networking components is enjoying above-average growth rates compared to the competition”? Is Ethernet competing with the “Profi”- and many other Fieldbusses … Profibus and ProfiNet … FF fieldbus …?

For me this deal indicates that the native Ethernet solution as provided by RuggedCom and used in IEC 61850 is the most “enjoyable” and successful network solution in the next 20 years or so! RuggedCom is (as Belden/Hirschmann) quite active in the IEC 61850 standardization.

When I worked for Siemens Industry in the early 90s, I recommended to use native Ethernet instead of fieldbusses … now we write 2012 – 20 years later.

Click HERE for the paper “Bridging MAP to Ethernet” [PDF, 720 KB, 1991]

Click HERE for the paper “Fieldbus standardization: Another way to go” [PDF, 720 KB, 1991].