The CIP family of fieldbus protocols and its newest member - Ethernet/IP

DeviceNet and ControlNet are two well known members of the same family of protocols - the CIP family (CIP=Control an Information Protocol). Both protocols have been developed by Rockwell Automation, but are now owned and maintained by the two manufacturers organizations ODVA (Open DeviceNet Vendors Association, see http://www.odva.org) and ControlNet International (see http://www.controlnet.org/). ODVA and ControlNet International have recently introduced the newest member of this family - Ethernet/IP ("IP" stands for "Industrial Protocol"). This paper describes the basics of CIP and gives an overview over the newest member of this family of protocols - Ethernet/IP.