iES22GF User’s Manual
19
iS5 Communications Inc.
Redundancy
Redundancy to minimize system downtime is one of the most important concerns for industrial
networking devices. iRing and iBridge feature faster recovery times compared to the existing
redundancy technologies widely used in commercial applications, such as STP, RSTP, and MSTP. The
proprietary redundancy technologies not only support different networking topologies, but also
assure the reliability of the network.
5.1
iRing
5.1.1
Introduction
iRing is a proprietary redundant ring technology, with recovery times of less than 30 milliseconds
(in full-duplex Gigabit operation) or 10 milliseconds (in full-duplex Fast Ethernet operation) with up
to 250 nodes. The ring protocols identify one switch as the master of the network, and then
automatically block packets from traveling through any of the network’s redundant loops. In the
event that one branch of the ring gets disconnected from the rest of the network, the protocol
automatically re-adjusts the ring so that the part of the network that was disconnected may re-
establish contact with the rest of the network. The iRin g redundant ring technology can protect
mission-critical applications from network interruptions or temporary malfunction with its fast
recover technology.
Three or more switches can be connected together to form a ring topology with network redundancy
capabilities by following the steps below.
1.
Connect each switch to form a daisy chain using an Ethernet or fiber optic cable.
2.
Set one of the connected switches to be the master and make sure the port setting of each
connected switch on the management page corresponds to the physical ports connected. For
information about the port setting, please refer to
5.1.4 Configuration
section.
3.
Connect the last switch to the first switch to form a ring topology.
