Gateways play a crucial role in the industrial sector by serving as pivotal points of connectivity, translation, and security within various industrial communication systems. These devices are essential for enabling communication between different networks and applications, often translating data from one protocol to another to ensure seamless interaction between disparate systems. In modern industrial settings, gateways are often deployed on the plant floor, close to manufacturing devices and sensors, to ingest data produced on-site and forward it for further processing upstream.
In the context of Industrial Ethernet, gateways are pivotal in ensuring robust connectivity and interoperability across industrial settings. They are specifically designed to accommodate industrial protocols such as Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, and Modbus TCP, showcasing their adaptability to a wide range of network protocols. By leveraging advanced processing capabilities, these gateways adeptly manage data flows, facilitating the efficient transmission and processing of data packets among various industrial communication standards. Moreover, industrial gateways are engineered to withstand the harsh conditions typical of industrial environments. As traffic controllers between isolated networks and subnetworks, they maintain seamless operation even under adverse conditions, thus guaranteeing continuous communication and data exchange.
Beyond their contributions to Industrial Ethernet, gateways also play a significant role in supporting Fieldbus systems. Gateways that cater to Fieldbus networks excel in protocol translation, enabling seamless interoperability between Fieldbus and Ethernet-based systems. This functionality is crucial for integrating legacy Fieldbus devices into contemporary industrial networks, thereby preserving the value and extending the lifespan of existing infrastructure.
Before the advent of industrial gateways, the landscape of industrial communication was fraught with significant challenges. These challenges stemmed from the diverse array of devices, protocols, and systems employed across industrial settings, leading to issues such as protocol incompatibility, limited interoperability between systems, data fragmentation, and security vulnerabilities. Industrial gateways emerged as a pivotal solution to these problems, serving as intermediaries that facilitate communication and data translation between different communication protocols.
Industrial gateways addressed these challenges by translating and standardizing data formats, they have enabled interoperability and integration across diverse systems, allowing legacy systems to communicate seamlessly with modern equipment. This capability has not only enhanced operational efficiency but also ensured the integrity and confidentiality of data within industrial networks by implementing robust security measures to protect against unauthorized access and cyber threats.
Moreover, industrial gateways have been crucial in aggregating and processing data in real-time. This functionality supports efficient management and analysis, enabling industries to unlock the full economic value of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). They have also facilitated the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), allowing for secure and efficient data exchange between OT equipment on the factory floor and IT infrastructure or the cloud.
Industrial gateways – communication mechanism
The basic communication procedure for data exchange in classic industrial gateways encompasses several steps, ensuring the reliable and efficient transmission of data between devices:
- Initialization and handshaking: The Devices establish a connection or session, often involving handshaking protocols to negotiate essential parameters such as communication speed, data format, and error detection methods. During this phase, devices exchange control messages to synchronize their communication and establish the necessary channels.
- Data Request: This request is specific to the type of data to be exchanged and may include additional parameters required for the exchange.
- Data Transmission: The transmitting device then prepares the requested data for transmission, which may involve reading data from sensors, processing data from internal memory, or retrieving data from connected devices. The data is formatted according to the specifications of the communication protocol and transmitted over the established channel to the receiving device.
- Data Reception and Processing: Upon receiving the data, the recipient verifies its integrity using error detection mechanisms such as checksums or cyclic redundancy checks (CRC). After confirming the data's integrity, the receiving device processes the received data according to its requirements, which could involve storing the data, performing calculations or analysis, or triggering control actions based on the received information.
- Error Handling and Recovery: Throughout the communication process, both devices continuously monitor for errors and anomalies. If errors are detected, appropriate error handling mechanisms are invoked to mitigate the impact on data integrity and system operation. These mechanisms may include retransmission of lost or corrupted data packets, error correction codes, or triggering fault recovery procedures.
- Termination: Finally, once the data exchange is complete, the communication session may be terminated to release resources and free up communication channels for other transactions.
Variants of gateways in industrial communication
There are several types of gateways used in industry, each serving specific functions. In the context of industrial communication, two types are particularly relevant:
- Network gateways: They provide protocol translation and interoperability, enabling seamless data exchange across heterogeneous networks by routing data packets based on predefined rules, network gateways optimize traffic flow and reduce latency, supporting a variety of communication protocols, from fieldbuses to industrial Ethernet and standard Ethernet.
- Edge gateways: They facilitate the aggregation, processing, and communication of data near its source, such as sensors and actuators. By processing data locally, edge gateways significantly reduce latency and bandwidth usage, which is essential for real-time decision-making and minimizes reliance on centralized systems. They are equipped to support a broad spectrum of industrial communication protocols, like EtherCAT or PROFIBUS, ensuring seamless interoperability between diverse devices within industrial networks.
Key components
The core components of gateways are essential for their functionality and performance in various applications, as follow:
- Processor/Central Processing Unit (CPU): The CPU is responsible for executing instructions and handling data processing tasks.
- Memory (RAM and Flash): RAM (Random Access Memory) provides temporary storage for actively used data, while Flash Memory serves as non-volatile storage for firmware and configuration settings.
- Network Interfaces: Such as Ethernet ports and wireless modules (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), enable communication with other devices and networks. These interfaces facilitate the gateways data transfer and connectivity.
- Input/Output (I/O) Ports includes serial ports (RS-232, RS-485) and digital/analogue inputs/outputs. These ports allow the gateway to interact with sensors, actuators, and other external devices, making them crucial for industrial applications.
- Power Supply: The power supply provides the necessary electrical energy for the gateway to function.
- Security Modules: Security modules, including firewalls, VPN support, and encryption/decryption modules, protect the gateway and connected devices from unauthorized access and ensure secure data transmission.
- Operating System (OS) and Firmware: Manages software and hardware resources, and firmware is embedded software in the gateway's hardware. The choice of an OS and firmware version impacts stability, security, and performance.
- Management and Configuration Interfaces: Interfaces like web-based interfaces and command-line interfaces (CLI) provide means for users to configure and manage the gateway. Remote management capabilities enhance accessibility and monitoring.
- Protocols and Protocol Conversion Modules: Support for various industrial communication protocols (Modbus, PROFINET, MQTT) is essential for interoperability. Protocol conversion modules enable the gateway to bridge between devices using different protocols.
Gateways offer a number of transformative benefits for industrial communication networks:
Security enhancement
Modern Gateways incorporate robust features such as firewalls, data encryption, and secure authentication procedures. This includes role-based access control and secure authentication methods that verify the identity of users and enforce appropriate permissions. These measures protect sensitive data and critical infrastructure from unauthorized access and cyber threats, maintaining the integrity and availability of information transmitted through the gateway.
Reduced Downtime
Gateways play an important role in directing the flow of data within the network. For example, in the case of edge gateways, they handle outbound traffic for sending IoT data to the cloud and inbound traffic for device management and configuration. This ensures that network resources are optimally utilised, bottlenecks are avoided, and the overall performance of the network is improved.
Centralized management
Logging and monitoring capabilities of gateways allow for the tracking of network activity and performance and enable administrators to configure, monitor, and manage multiple gateways from a single point, streamlining network management tasks and enabling quick responses to issues or anomalies.
Gateways serve as critical nodes that facilitate the seamless transfer and translation of data across diverse networks and protocols. An industrial gateway, typically situated on the plant floor, is instrumental in collecting data from manufacturing devices and sensors at the edge and relaying it for further upstream processing. These gateways are adept at interfacing with various industrial control system protocols which enable connectivity between heterogeneous devices and systems from different vendors.
In the domain of legacy systems, gateways play a pivotal role. They act as a bridge between outdated industrial communication protocols and modern network infrastructures. For example, the transition from fieldbus networks to Ethernet is a significant shift within industrial settings, driven by the need for higher speed and greater bandwidth. Gateways facilitate this migration by converting fieldbus protocols to Ethernet, maintaining operational continuity during the upgrade process. This ensures that industrial operations can leverage the benefits of Ethernet without the disruption that might accompany a full-scale network overhaul.
In the context of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), gateways collect vast amounts of data from connected devices and sensors, pre-processing this information before sending it to cloud platforms for further analysis. This pre-processing is vital for transforming raw data into actionable intelligence, which can then be used to make informed decisions.
In the domain of automation, industrial gateways facilitate the integration of PLCs and HMI systems, ensuring seamless communication between control systems and field devices. They are essential in robotics and motion control, connecting robotic arms and actuators to control systems for precise operation. The connectivity to IIoT devices enabled by edge gateways allows for the collection and transmission of data from sensors and edge devices to cloud platforms or servers for comprehensive analysis and control. Real-time monitoring and alerting capabilities ensure timely intervention and preventive maintenance by generating alerts for abnormal conditions or safety hazards.
As a leading company in the field of industrial communication, Hilscher offers a comprehensive gateway portfolio to improve the connectivity and efficiency of industrial networks. Hilscher's solutions are tailored to the different requirements of the industrial sector and ensure seamless integration and optimal performance in various applications.
The different gateways of the netTAP series provide users with maximum flexibility for protocol conversions in communication networks. netTAP 50 is a protocol converter for simple conversions. netTAP 50 converts 1-port Real-Time Ethernet, fieldbus and serial automation protocols. Device to device or device to controller conversions are supported. This makes it easy to integrate a single field device into any higher-level network. netTAP 100 is the protocol converter for sophisticated conversions and supports 2-port Real-Time Ethernet to serial, Fieldbus to Fieldbus, Real-Time Ethernet to Fieldbus and Real-Time Ethernet to Ethernet automation protocols. It supports device and controller functionality in any combination.
The netHOST LAN gateways are used to control fieldbus or Real-Time Ethernet systems using conventional Ethernet. The devices are used in conjunction with industrial PCs and embedded systems that only have Ethernet connections as an interface rather than PC card slots. Connected to the LAN port, netHOST functions as an autonomous, fully-fledged fieldbus or Real-Time Ethernet controller, supporting both cyclical and acyclical communication services.
The SmartWire-DT gateways connect SmartWire-DT devices and components to higher-level Real-Time Ethernet networks and save time thanks to their flexible, modular design. On-site commissioning takes place at the touch of a button. This intelligent wired SmartWire-DT solution saves companies considerable development costs.
In addition to classic network gateways, Hilscher also offers intelligent edge gateways that act as data intermediaries between the automation level and the information technology. These aggregate, process or transmit additional IoT information from the production process completely autonomously and run containerized applications at the edge – either locally or in combination with a cloud.
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