IT in Manufacturing


Moxa Turbo Chain

January 2010 IT in Manufacturing

Enable multiple redundant networks flexibly and reliably.

At this year´s SPS/IPC/Drives show in Nuremberg, Moxa presented its new redundancy solution for Industrial Ethernet networks – Turbo Chain.

Turbo Chain is a layer 2 protocol that provides recovery of the network communication in case of a single switch failure or a single link failure between switches. Recovery time is less than 20 milliseconds (with up to 250 switches in one chain) are in a system that offers flexible network topologies and co-works with RSTP.

The Turbo Chain concept

A linear network of switches, a so-called chain, contains a head switch and a tail switch. Each end switch on the chain connects to another network. When all links in the chain are operational, the tail switch blocks the port connected to the other network.

In case of inter-switch link failure, the nodes adjacent to the failed link block the affected ports and report the failure to the chain. The tail switch port then transitions from blocked to forwarding to keep the network communication available.

Inter-switch link recovery works as follows: when the failed link recovers, the connected ports of the adjacent nodes keep blocking traffic. The adjacent nodes report the link recovery to the chain. Then the tail port transitions to blocked state and notifies the adjacent nodes to transition their ports to forwarding again.

The main benefits of Turbo Chain are the high availability through a fast recovery time and the flexibility of the possible network topologies. In addition, the standard interoperability approach protects existing investments. Sub-system expansion becomes easy and reduces installation costs while increasing redundancy without any network modification. Turbo chain also provides a scalable solution for I/O device redundancy as it eliminates switch single point of failure, increases I/O device network redundancy, reduces cabling costs and offers a unified device switch design.

Moxa Turbo Pack

Moxa has packed Turbo Chain redundancy along managed Ethernet switch functions and new Ethernet protocols into a new firmware called Turbo Pack with which customers can directly upgrade the firmware into existing switches without any hardware modification. Turbo Pack offers LLDP technology, allows flexible network topologies, time synchronisation (IEEE 1588), easy network extensions, DHCP Opt 82, standard interoperability and fast recovery times.

The main benefits of Turbo Pack are:

* Redundant network:

1. Moxa Turbo Ring protocol with <20 ms recovery time.

2. STP/RSTP

3. Port trunking

4. Turbo Chain

* Reliable management:

1. HTTPS/SSL

2. IEEE 802.1X

3. Port lock

4. SNMP Inform

5. SSH

* Optimised performance:

1. IPv6 (& IPv4 = dual stack)

2. QoS

3. Rate limiting

4. VLAN

5. IGMP snooping

6. DHCP option 82

7. IEEE 1588 PTP

8. Modbus/TCP

9. SSH

10. Firefox Web browser

* Easy maintenance:

1. SNMP

2. RMON

3. Auto e-mail warning

4. LLDP

5. User friendly GUI

Moxa Turbo Chain and Turbo Pack are ideal for large network deployments and applications that require numerous rings and network extensions, including: intelligent transportation systems; railway infrastructure; power distribution; factory automation; power plants; telecommunications and robotic control.



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

PC-based control regulates innovative dehumidifiers
Beckhoff Automation IT in Manufacturing
The Swedish company Airwatergreen AB is breaking new ground in the dehumidification of air in industrial buildings and warehouses. PC-based control from Beckhoff regulates the innovative process.

Read more...
Harnessing AI and satellite imagery to estimate water levels in dams
IT in Manufacturing
Farmers and water managers often struggle to accurately estimate and monitor the available water in dams. To address the challenge, International Water Management Institute researchers have worked with Digital Earth Africa to create an innovation that uses satellite images and AI to get timely and accurate dam volume measurements.

Read more...
Poor heat management in data centre design
IT in Manufacturing
Designing a world-class data centre goes beyond simply keeping servers on during load shedding; it is about ensuring they run efficiently, reliably, and within the precise environmental conditions they were built and designed for.

Read more...
Time-sensitive networking
RJ Connect Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
In this article, we will explore what is driving the rise of time-sensitive networking, how it is reshaping industrial efficiency, the challenges when deploying this technology, and ways to tackle these challenges.

Read more...
It’s time to fight AI with AI in the battle for cyber resilience
IT in Manufacturing
Cybercrime is evolving rapidly, and the nature of cyber threats has shifted dramatically. Attacks are now increasingly powered by AI, accelerating their speed, scale and sophistication. Cybersecurity needs to become part of business-critical strategy, powered by AI to match attackers’ speed with smarter, faster and more adaptive defences.

Read more...
Why AI sustainability must be a boardroom priority
IT in Manufacturing
As South African companies race to harness artificial intelligence for innovation and growth, few are asking the most critical question - the environmental cost.

Read more...
RS South Africa shines spotlight on MRO procurement
RS South Africa IT in Manufacturing
RS South Africa has highlighted the growing pressures faced by procurement professionals responsible for maintenance, repair and operations supplies across the country’s vital economic sectors.

Read more...
Sustainable energy management
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Utilising its innovative ONE approach technology, Siemens provides complete transparency on resource consumption and offers data-driven optimisation recommendations for sustainable energy management.

Read more...
Paving the way for a carbon-neutral future in South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
At ABB Electrification, we believe the infrastructure of the future must do more than support daily operations, it must anticipate them. We are committed to building intelligent systems that connect and optimise infrastructure across sectors.

Read more...
Africa’s hidden AI advantage
IT in Manufacturing
Through my work implementing AI systems across three continents, I’ve become convinced that Africa’s unique context demands urgent AI adoption. Successful implementation requires local expertise to understand resource constraints as design parameters to create the innovations that make technology truly work under real-world conditions.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved