Cisco Industrial Ethernet Brings Intelligent Networking to Manufacturing Floor
New Cisco Catalyst 2955 Series offers factories the advantages of switched networks
Related Information
Press Release: Cisco Extends Intelligent Ethernet Solutions to the Factory Floor Product Photos: Cisco Catalyst 2955-1 Cisco Catalyst 2955-2 Keynote: National Manufacturing Week 2003 Cisco's Industry Keynote Presentation, "Network Convergence in Manufacturing," Kathy Hill, VP/GM Cisco Desktop Switching Business Unit Clif Triplett, Global Process Information Officer, Manufacturing and Quality, General Motors Monday, March 3rd 1:00 p.m.-2:15, North Hall, Room N226 The Advantages of Industrial Ethernet to Manufacturers
March 3, 2003
A key trend for manufacturing networking is the rapid growth of Ethernet deployments on the factory floor. Cisco is announcing the new Cisco Catalyst 2955 Series, a group of intelligent Ethernet switches designed to withstand the rigors of manufacturing environments while providing intelligent features that meet the data control, availability and security requirements of factory production.
The Cisco Catalyst 2955 Series provides wire-speed Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity coupled with advanced intelligent switching features--including security, availability, and quality-of-service (QoS). This new line of products will help many leading companies in the automotive, food and beverage, consumer products and other markets migrate their factory networks from traditional proprietary machinery communications systems to Ethernet-based networks.
Historically, Ethernet had not been considered an alternative to proprietary protocols for manufacturing automation. But with the introduction of fully switched control networks and intelligent Ethernet features, Ethernet based solutions deliver the high reliability, security, and determinism that are required for factory floor deployments.
"This rapid adoption of industrial Ethernet devices reflects an industry quickly transitioning from proprietary, multiple-network environments on the factory floor to a single, standards-based Ethernet network," said Kathy Hill, vice president and general manager for Cisco's Desktop Switching Business Unit. "By deploying the Cisco Catalyst 2955, manufacturers receive not only the interoperability benefits of a standards-based solution, but also the ability to improve productivity by extending Catalyst intelligent switching services company-wide."
Designed to withstand harsh environments, the Catalyst 2955 Series features industrial grade components, a compact size, convection cooling and dual relay output signaling. It is rated to operate at extreme temperatures, and designed to withstand extreme vibration and shock environments. Its compact size and DIN rail mounting allow it to easily fit into industrial enclosures and control cabinets.
As part of the Cisco's Catalyst Switch family, the Catalyst 2955 Series delivers consistent end-to-end multi-layer intelligent switching functionality with Cisco's comprehensive range of enterprise switching platforms. The product also features Cisco's network operating system, Cisco IOS®, for easy end-to-end deployment with other Cisco solutions and for extending intelligent switching services from the input/output or monitoring device to the core network and through the WAN. Cisco's embedded Cluster Management Suite software for larger deployments can manage the Catalyst 2955 Series switches. The Catalyst 2955 Series also supports Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)-based network management platforms, such as CiscoWorks.
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