How To Quickly Commission Industrial Ethernet Switches
The drive for productivity and high-availability manufacturing means you likely don't have the time you would like to learn new things—even if doing so would ultimately save you time. If you're relatively new to industrial Ethernet networking and the equipment that comes with it, you might be surprised to learn of the time-saving capabilities available in managed switches today. With the right background and knowledge, you can get your network switches up and running fast and easy.
Below, we take you through how to use built-in switch features to accelerate the commissioning and deployment process. By the time you've finished this article, you'll be able to make switches operational in a much faster time frame.
Configuring Switches Without a Serial Cable
The traditional method for configuring a switch starts with connecting via the serial port and cable. Many times however, the correct serial cable and RS232 terminal program for connecting the laptop to the switch are not handy.
It's possible to proceed without these items with a software program for the configuration. Some online configuration tools are available at no cost. The example noted here, is the Hirschmann HiDiscovery program. Configuration steps follow.
- Daisy chain switches together, connect your laptop to one of them using an Ethernet cable & start up HiDiscovery. The program generates a list of switches, even if they do not have an IP address.
- Identify & label the switches by assigning them an IP address & setting other parameters, including subnet mask & default gateway.
An added benefit of some online configuration tools (HiDiscovery included) is the detection of devices with duplicate IP addresses. Keep an eye out for this feature as it will alert you to network issues before they become operational issues.
Online configuration tools make it easy to communicate with switches and assign an IP address, subnet mask and default gateway.
Ethernet Switch Documentation
When configuring a switch, it's useful to have the documentation available-to check configuration settings or determine the impact of a particular setting. Printed documentation however, is rarely handy. Rather than hunt it down, configuration tools, such as HiDiscovery, include a web interface designed to provide context-sensitive information and expedite setup tasks.
Selecting the Right Switch—Six Must-Have Features
Install industrial Ethernet switches quickly and efficiently with the following configuration features:
- The ability to communicate over Ethernet vs RS232
- Availability of a simple software tool to configure IP addresses & other attributes
- Functionality to easily identify switches & label devices
- Auto detection of duplicate IP addresses
- Integrated documentation & context-sensitive user support
- Integrated file configuration for industrial protocols
If saving time and doing it right the first time are important to you, be sure to look for managed switches with these capabilities. After all, it could free up some time for you to learn even more about industrial Ethernet networking!
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