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Connection Types in EtherNet/IP

This application note shows the different transport types in EtherNet/IP

1. Supported Components

2.1 Exclusive Owner Connection

An Exclusive Owner connection type is one that may provide application data in both the T2O direction and the O2T direction.An exclusive owner connection is not dependent on another connection. The target will accept only one exclusive owner connection per path.The term connection owner shall refer to the connection originator whose O2T packets are being consumed by the target object. The term owning connection shall refer to the connection associated with the connection owner. When an Exclusive Owner connection timeout occurs in a target device, the target device shall stop sending the associated T2O data. The T2O data must not be sent even if one or more Input Only connections exist. This requirement is necessary to signal the originator of the

Exclusive Owner connection that the O2T data is no longer being received by the targetdevice.

NOTE: One possible way to prevent an Exclusive Owner connection timeout from stopping theT2O production for other network connections to the same T2O application path, is for the target device to support production of the T2O data as point to point for the Exclusive Owner connection and simultaneously support multicast production for other network connections to the same T2O application path.

2.2 Input Only Connection

An Input Only connection type is one that may provide application data in the TO direction and a heartbeat in the O2T direction.An input only connection is not dependent on another connection. The target can accept multiple input only connections per path. Data can only be sent from the target (adapter) to the originator (scanner).

2.3 Listen Only Connection

A Listen Only connection type is one that may provide application data in the T2O direction and a heartbeat in the O2T direction. A listen only connection depends on a preexisting 'exclusive owner' or 'input only' connection. Data is sent only from the target (adapter) to the originator (scanner).If the target receives a request to open a Listen Only connection when there is no existing non-Listen Only connection for the requested T2O application Path, the target shall respond with Non-Listen Only Connection Not Opened, General Status = 0x01, Extended Status = 0x0119.

The listen only connection on scanner 2 is dependent on the exclusive owner connection of scanner 1. If scanner 1 connection is interrupted, scanner2 also will stop receiving data. For both connections (scanner 1 and scanner 2 , the communication should be multicast, User Run/Idle should be FALSE and they should use the same RPI values.