What is Ethernet Encapsulation?
Like any great piece of new technology it’s important to understand what it is before one can determine how to use it, but before we dig into what Ethernet Encapsulation is let’s start with a real world scenario that you will be facing soon or may have already faced in your facility. You arrive at the plant one day, check the work order and find that management is implementing the latest MES or ERP craze and now the IT department has orders to gather data from each machine on the plant floor, and they want it quick. The IT guys think this will be easy since they dictated that Ethernet cabling be strung throughout the plant. Unfortunately all of your existing PLCs only have serial connections. In the not too distant past you would have had to contemplate running new wiring to each PLC assuming the distances weren’t too far. Another option would have been to use costly radio modems. Still you knew there had to be a better way using the plants existing Ethernet wiring. That’s where termin
