Energy Specification and other updates
ODVA has announced new editions to its specifications, in which is included a defined energy object that will help manufacturers aggregate and view energy usage at various levels of the enterprise.
The updated specifications feature work completed by ODVA’s Energy Applications Special Interest Group in defining an energy object that will be used to report energy for all energy and resource types. This energy reporting methodology is harmonized with energy reporting standards defined by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), whose mission is to create conditions for the transparent and reliable exchange of sustainability information. ODVA’s energy object aligns with the Environmental Indicator Protocol EN3 of the G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, which is the foundation of the GRI reporting framework.
The energy object will enable manufacturers to build a virtual “Energy Usage Tree” representing energy consumption throughout an enterprise. An electrical energy object is also defined to provide electrical energy-specific data reporting capabilities and diagnostics for the electrical energy consumers and producers found within the various levels of an industrial facility. A non-electrical energy object is also defined to provide unified reporting of energy consumption and production of non-electrical energy data such as natural gas, fuel oil, and steam.
“For manufacturers who want to see how energy objects are implemented, ODVA created an at-a-glance summary of the energy specifications. This summary will help nonmembers and members easily see how they can adopt the objects into new products,” said Katherine Voss, executive director, ODVA.
The new editions of the ODVA specifications include 26 updates, such as:
– A Target Connection List Object: This defines a new object that reports a device’s connection parameter values, reports the default connection targets to improve a device’s “plug and play” capability, and reports any additional connection targets for the dynamic creation of devices.
– EtherNet/IP Switch Device Profile: Defines a Managed EtherNet/IP switch device profile. The objective of this profile is to foster interoperability and promote interchangeability of similar switch device types. This configuration and diagnostic information will be used by industrial controls users, Field Device Tools and Device Type Managers (FDT/DTM) and Operations Managers to provide “Plug-and-Work” capabilities within Distributed Control Systems.
The specifications are organized as a group of publications in The CIP Networks Library. Each specification is made up of one or more volumes of The CIP Networks Library. The latest editions of the specifications are:
The EtherNet/IP Specification
Comprised of The CIP Networks Library:
Volumes One (Edition 3.11), Two (Edition 1.12) and Seven (Edition 1.5)
The DeviceNet Specification
Comprised of The CIP Networks Library:
Volumes One (Edition 3.11), Three (Edition 1.12) and Seven (Edition 1.5)
The ControlNet Specification
Comprised of The CIP Networks Library:
Volumes One (Edition 3.11), Four (Edition 1.7) and Seven (Edition 1.5)
The CompoNet Specification
Comprised of The CIP Networks Library:
Volumes One (Edition 3.11), Six (Edition 1.7) and Seven (Edition 1.5)
The CIP Safety Specification
Comprised of The CIP Networks Library:
Volume Five (Edition 2.5)
Security Guidelines
ODVA also announced the availability of a new guidelines document, “Securing EtherNet/IP Networks,” which discusses cyber-security recommendations for automation networks, including how to determine and deploy security strategies for various network types.
Numerous ODVA member companies collaborated on the new security guidelines. “As one of the major global suppliers of network and Internet business solutions, Cisco has a long history of helping companies develop and deploy security strategies at the enterprise level. Our collaboration on these security guidelines document demonstrate this commitment,” said Chet Namboodri, managing director, Global Manufacturing Industry, Cisco. “We are focused on securing EtherNet/IP networks because this network is fully compatible with Cisco’s commercial networking technologies and is the most developed, proven and complete industrial Ethernet network available today.
ODVA recognizes the complexity manufacturers face when trying to identify and contain security issues in their businesses, and does not attempt to provide an exhaustive list of security risks, precautions or mitigation steps. Rather, this document aims to provide users with a starting point for thinking about what cyber-security means for industrial networks, what a security strategy looks like and direct readers to additional resources and information.
In the guidelines, ODVA outlines key security concerns in industrial automation, and provide guidance and resources for processes changes to mitigate risk, including information on:
Risk analysis;
Collaboration between IT and industrial departments;
Best practices for different types of industrial networks; and
Emerging industrial security technologies
