Summary

In this chapter, we analyzed the main devices involved in the I-IoT data flow in an industrial plant in detail. We started from the generation of the data, looking at how physical measurements are captured by the transducers, converted to a digital signal, and passed through the industrial networks by controllers. We learned that industrial networks provide determinism in message delivery, which is a fundamental requisite in the control process. We discovered the enabling mechanisms that can guarantee deterministic networks. We compared a simplified networking model (an EPA) with the full model of the ISO/OSI stack and we looked at the methods that are used to access the physical link of the control network to ensure that the packet is transmitted within a determined time interval. We also learned that there are different types of industrial networks according to the length...