What is an industrial switch - Husman Switch
1. Manage through serial port
The network management switch comes with a serial cable for switch management. First, plug one end of the serial cable into the serial port on the back of the switch, and the other end into the serial port of a regular computer. Then connect the switch and computer power. The "HyperTerminal" program is provided in Windows. Open the "HyperTerminal" and after setting the connection parameters, you can interact with the switch through the serial cable. This method does not occupy the bandwidth of the switch, therefore it is called 'Out of band management'.
Under this management approach, the switch provides a menu driven console interface or command-line interface. You can use the "Tab" or arrow keys to navigate through menus and submenus, press enter to execute the corresponding command, or use a dedicated switch management command set to manage switches. The command sets for different switches are different, and even for the same switch, the commands are different. Using menu commands is more convenient in operation.
2. Manage through Web
Network managed switches can be managed through a web browser, but an IP address must be assigned to the switch. This IP address has no other purpose besides being used for managing switches. In the default state, the switch does not have an IP address, and an IP address must be specified through a serial port or other means before this management method can be enabled.
When using a web browser to manage a switch, the switch is like a web server, but web pages are not stored in the hard drive, but in the switch's NVRAM. The web programs in the NVRAM can be upgraded through programs. When the administrator enters the IP address of the switch in the browser, the switch passes web pages to the computer like a server, giving you the feeling of accessing a website. This method occupies the bandwidth of the switch, hence it is called 'In band management'.
If you want to manage the switch, just click on the corresponding function item on the webpage and change the switch parameters in the text box or drop-down list. Web management can be done on a local area network, so remote management can be achieved.
3. Manage through network management software
Network managed switches all follow the SNMP protocol (Simple Network Management Protocol), which is a complete set of network device management specifications that comply with international standards. Any device that follows the SNMP protocol can be managed through network management software. You only need to install a set of SNMP network management software on a network management workstation, and easily manage switches, routers, servers, etc. on the network through a local area network. Through the interface of SNMP network management software, it is also an in band management method.
Due to the constantly changing market landscape, PLC manufacturers have gradually begun to pay attention to this market, as it is at a time when they are vigorously promoting their own established Ethernet industrial standards. They need strong industrial switches to meet their unshakable dominance in protocols, such as Siemens developing SCANLANX switches and acquiring Canadian industrial switch Roger Kang to support the Profinet protocol, AB and commercial switch giant Cisco have developed Stretix switches to support Ethernet/IP protocols, which indicates that the era when Husman and Moxa were only base based switches, forwards, and routers is coming to an end. Now industrial switches are facing the challenge of adapting to various industrial Ethernet protocols. In order to support more industrial Ethernet protocols, they need to join those protocol development organizations and become members. This undoubtedly requires more investment for Husman, which has just been acquired by Baitong, to survive in the severe protocol war in the future. And those emerging industrial switch manufacturers, represented by Siemens and AB, are mainly facing tests of quality and compatibility. In addition, they can have unique integration features. For example, Siemens' switches can be easily integrated into TIA through Profinet, while AB's Star switches can be integrated into RSlogix5000 through IO control, and maintenance and diagnosis of industrial switches can be done through the FTViewSE function panel. This is a new look for industrial switches in the future, no longer a boring command line and generic IE settings interface.
