Configuring EtherNet/IP on Siemens PLCs for Non-Siemens Drives

Overview

Siemens SIMATIC controllers are PROFINET-native platforms. EtherNet/IP, defined by ODVA and built on the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), is the dominant fieldbus in North American and increasingly global machine-builder installations. Engineering a cell that combines a Siemens PLC (S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, or S7-1500) with non-Siemens EtherNet/IP servo drives and remote I/O requires a deliberate bridging strategy because no SIMATIC CPU ships with an integrated EtherNet/IP scanner (master) port.

This reference covers the three practical integration patterns: PROFINET-to-EtherNet/IP gateway bridging, dedicated EtherNet/IP scanner modules mounted directly in the drive cabinet, and OPC UA-mediated data exchange. The dominant pattern in the field remains a third-party protocol gateway that converts PROFINET IO cyclic data on the Siemens side into CIP connection messages on the EtherNet/IP side.

The reference architecture addressed here is documented in Siemens Application Note Entry ID 32989862 – "How do you connect an S7-300/400 to an EtherNet/IP network?" and is the canonical answer for any control engineer evaluating the same question for non-Siemens drives such as Control Techniques (Nidec), Allen-Bradley Kinetix, Yaskawa Sigma-7, Omron 1S, and Danfoss VLT drives.

EtherNet/IP Support Across the SIMATIC CPU Range

Understanding the boundary between native and bridged EtherNet/IP support prevents wasted commissioning time. The matrix below is current as of STEP 7 V5.7 / TIA Portal V18 firmware families.

Conclusion: every SIMATIC PLC in current production requires an external conversion element to act as an EtherNet/IP scanner. Selecting the right gateway is therefore the single most important decision in the project.

Gateway Architecture Patterns

Pattern A – PROFINET Controller with PROFINET/EtherNet/IP Gateway

This is the most common topology. The SIMATIC CPU owns the PROFINET network as IO Controller. The gateway is a PROFINET IO Device on the Siemens side and an EtherNet/IP Scanner on the field side. Cyclic PROFINET slots are mapped 1:1 to CIP assemblies on the EtherNet/IP side.

┌──────────┐  PROFINET  ┌────────────┐  EtherNet/IP  ┌──────────────┐
│ S7 CPU   │ ─────────► │ Gateway    │ ────────────► │ Servo drives │
│ (IO Ctrl)│            │ (IO Device │               │ POINT I/O    │
│          │            │  + EIP     │               │ Turck I/O    │
│          │            │  Scanner)  │               │              │
└──────────┘            └────────────┘               └──────────────┘

Suitable gateways include the HMS Anybus X-gateway (EtherNet/IP Scanner / PROFINET device), the Phoenix Contact FL GW EIP PN (catalog reference 1043192 family), the Helmholz CIFX 90E variants, and the Wago 750-366 (EtherNet/IP Scanner, with PROFINET on the field-side coupler as a master for downstream PROFINET devices). Choose based on the number of CIP connections, the maximum cyclic I/O size, and the certification footprint required by the end customer.

Pattern B – EtherNet/IP-First Cabinet with PROFINET Gateway

When the cabinet is built around an EtherNet/IP scanner (e.g., a Control Techniques Unidrive M701 in master mode, an Allen-Bradley CompactLogix L30ER, or a Yaskawa MP3300iec) and a Siemens PLC is added for a higher-level supervisory role, the gateway runs in the opposite direction: EtherNet/IP Scanner on the drive side, PROFINET controller on the Siemens side. This is rarer because it defeats the purpose of having a Siemens controller in the cell, but it is used in retrofit projects where a legacy EtherNet/IP cell is extended.

Pattern C – OPC UA Bridge

S7-1500 controllers with firmware 2.5 or higher expose an OPC UA server. A third-party OPC UA-to-EtherNet/IP bridge (e.g., Kepware, Softing, Inductive Automation Ignition Edge with CIP driver) subscribes to the OPC UA tags and pushes them to EtherNet/IP devices. Latency in this path is generally 100–500 ms and is not suitable for tight servo loops; reserve Pattern C for HMI, mode control, and slow supervisory data.

Required Hardware

Step-by-Step Configuration – S7-300 with HMS Anybus X-gateway

Prerequisites

• STEP 7 V5.5 SP4 or higher (or TIA Portal V13 SP1+ with S7-300 migration)
• HMS IPconfig utility (free download from HMS Networks)
• Anybus X-gateway configuration tool (Anybus Configuration Manager, ACM)
• EDS file for the EtherNet/IP adapter (e.g., Control Techniques SM-EtherNet/IP EDS, or AOI/EDS from Rockwell POINT I/O)
• Siemens GSDML file for the HMS Anybus X-gateway (PROFINET device side)
• Industrial Ethernet cable set, M12 D-coded for EtherNet/IP, RJ45 for PROFINET

Step 1 – Install the GSDML on the Siemens side

1. Open STEP 7 / TIA Portal and select the S7 station.
2. Open HW Config (STEP 7) or Device View (TIA Portal).
3. Choose Options > Manage General Station Description Files (GSD) and install the HMS Anybus X-gateway PROFINET GSDML.
4. Drag the gateway from the hardware catalog to the PROFINET line. The gateway appears as a PROFINET IO Device.
5. Assign a unique PROFINET device name (e.g., gw-eip-01) and an IP address on the PROFINET subnet (e.g., 192.168.0.50).

Step 2 – Configure cyclic PROFINET slots

Insert PROFINET slots in HW Config to match the cyclic I/O that the gateway will expose. For typical servo applications, allocate 16 bytes input / 16 bytes output per drive plus 8 bytes for the gateway's diagnostic interface.

Slot 0:   2 bytes input  – gateway status
Slot 0:   2 bytes output – gateway control
Slot 1:   16 bytes in   – Drive 1 status + actual position
Slot 1:   16 bytes out  – Drive 1 control word + speed ref
Slot 2:   16 bytes in   – Drive 2 status + actual position
Slot 2:   16 bytes out  – Drive 2 control word + speed ref
...

Step 3 – Configure the gateway EtherNet/IP scanner side

1. Connect a Windows PC to the configuration port of the Anybus gateway and launch the Anybus Configuration Manager.
2. Set the gateway's EtherNet/IP IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.50) – a different subnet from the PROFINET side is recommended.
3. Import the EDS file for each EtherNet/IP adapter: Tools > Import EDS.
4. Add each drive / I/O block to the scan list. For Control Techniques drives, the EDS exposes assemblies 100 (basic speed) and 101 (extended speed). POINT I/O uses assemblies 1 and 2 for default digital I/O mapping.
5. Map each EtherNet/IP assembly instance to the corresponding PROFINET slot configured in Step 2. Pay attention to byte order; Anybus gateways typically default to little-endian, while Siemens expects little-endian on PROFINET, so most data lines up without swapping, but 32-bit status words with sign bits may need explicit byte-swap on the Siemens side.
6. Set the Requested Packet Interval (RPI) for each CIP connection. Start with 5 ms for drives and 10–20 ms for digital I/O. The PROFINET update time should be set to match or be slightly faster than the longest RPI to avoid data-age buffer overflows.

Step 4 – Compile, download, and verify

1. Compile the STEP 7 / TIA configuration and download to the S7 CPU.
2. Download the gateway configuration via ACM.
3. Power-cycle the EtherNet/IP devices in the order: gateway → switches → drives → I/O blocks.
4. Observe the gateway LEDs: SF (System Fault) off, BF (Bus Fault) off, and the LINK LED steady on for each connected device.
5. Open the Anybus web server (default http://192.168.1.50) and confirm that all CIP connections report Established with the configured RPI.

Control Techniques Drive Integration Detail

Control Techniques drives (now under Nidec) are the canonical example of non-Siemens EtherNet/IP devices integrated with SIMATIC. The relevant product families are:

• Unidrive M600 / M700 / M701: use the SM-EtherNet/IP option module plugged into one of the three option slots. EDS file and AOI libraries are available from the Nidec / Control Techniques support site.
• Digitax HD M751 / M753: have an integrated EtherNet/IP port. Two ports, DLR-capable, support up to 8 CIP connections natively.
• Commander C200 / C300: lower-power drives, optional EtherNet/IP via SK-EtherNet/IP option.

Recommended assembly mapping for an M700 with SM-EtherNet/IP

Choose assembly 100/101 for simple velocity-controlled applications (fan, pump, conveyor, basic traverse). Choose 120/121 when torque limit, ramp rate, or actual torque must be written/read every cycle.

Control word decoding (assembly 100, byte 0–1)

Remote I/O Integration Detail

Remote I/O over EtherNet/IP is a more straightforward exchange than drives because most I/O blocks are pure adapters with fixed assembly mappings. Common choices in industrial systems:

• Allen-Bradley POINT I/O (1734 series) with 1734-AENTR adapter. Two ports, DLR-capable. Default assembly 1 (input) and assembly 2 (output) provide auto-sized I/O mapping based on installed modules. CIP connection RPI 10–20 ms is typical.
• Turck TBEN-S / TBEN-S2 blocks. IP67, multi-protocol (PROFINET + EtherNet/IP via a switch), 8-port variants. RPI down to 1 ms is supported.
• Phoenix Contact Axioline F (AXL F BK EIP). EtherNet/IP bus coupler, supports up to 63 Axioline modules per station.
• Wago 750 series with 750-363 (EtherNet/IP fieldbus coupler). Up to 250 I/O points per node; suitable for dense I/O panels.

For most cells, the gateway will dedicate one CIP connection per I/O block. A 32-block POINT I/O installation consumes 32 CIP connections, well within the limit of mainstream gateways (HMS Anybus X-gateway supports up to 32 scanner connections; Phoenix Contact FL GW EIP PN supports up to 64).

SIMATIC ET 200clean in EtherNet/IP Cells

The SIMATIC ET 200clean is Siemens's decentralized I/O system for hygiene-sensitive environments such as food processing, pharmaceutical filling lines, and clean-room packaging. It carries IP69K protection, a stainless or PPS housing, and is fully PROFINET-integrated.

When an ET 200clean station must operate inside an EtherNet/IP-dominated cell (typical when the line is owned by a North American OEM that specifies EtherNet/IP throughout), the same gateway pattern applies: the ET 200clean connects to the Siemens side of the gateway via PROFINET, and its I/O is then exposed as CIP assemblies. The key installation constraints to verify with the Siemens product team are:

• Maximum PROFINET update time for ET 200clean: 1 ms with the right GSDML, 4 ms default.
• Hygiene approvals: NSF/ANSI 169, EHEDG, FDA-compliant materials – unchanged when the cell is bridged through a gateway because the gateway sits in the cabinet, not in the wash-down area.
• Cable routing: M12 push-pull connectors on ET 200clean must terminate at an IP65/IP67 cabinet gland before the gateway. Do not place the gateway inside the wash-down zone.

Note that ET 200clean is not an EtherNet/IP-native device; it always speaks PROFINET to the SIMATIC CPU. The gateway does the heavy lifting if EtherNet/IP is required upstream.

Configuration Parameters Reference

Verification and Diagnostics

Gateway-level checks

1. LED pattern: green LINK on every CIP connection, no red SF, no red BF.
2. Web server (default http://<gateway IP>): Status > Connections shows every CIP connection in state Established with the last RPI in milliseconds.
3. Event log: no entry 0x01 (connection timeout) or 0x04 (configuration mismatch) within the last hour of operation.

Siemens-side checks

1. Online > Accessible Nodes (TIA) or PLC > Ethernet Nodes (STEP 7): the gateway appears with its PROFINET name and IP.
2. Watch table: PROFINET slots update at the configured update time without quality code 0x38 (provider stopped) or 0x39 (substitute values active).
3. CPU diagnostic buffer: no PROFINET IO Device Failure entries for the gateway.

Drive-side checks

1. Control Techniques / Nidec Unidrive: parameter 0.20.021 (EtherNet/IP status) reports Inactive = 0 / Active = 1; parameter 0.20.022 reports the active assembly instances.
2. Digitax HD: web server Diagnostics > CIP Connection Status page.

Wire-level checks (Wireshark with CIP dissector)

Install Wireshark on a laptop connected to a mirrored port on the EtherNet/IP switch. Apply the display filter cip && ip.addr == 192.168.1.10 (replace with the drive IP). Verify:

• CIP Forward Open (service 0x54) appears once at connection start and again after any reset.
• CIP Forward Close (0x4E) only appears at planned shutdowns.
• I/O messages (transport class 0/1) appear at the configured RPI within ±10 %.
• No CIP error responses (general status 0x01 resource unavailable, 0x05 invalid parameter, 0x1F vendor-specific) under normal operation.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Safety, Certification, and Sourcing Considerations

• Functional safety: PROFINET PROFIsafe and CIP Safety are not interchangeable. A PROFINET-to-EtherNet/IP gateway does not bridge PROFIsafe frames. Safety devices must remain on the same network family. If a SIL-rated drive must run on EtherNet/IP, use the drive's native CIP Safety on Scanner (e.g., Allen-Bradley GuardLogix) or its PROFIsafe-capable Siemens equivalent in a separate cell.
• ODVA conformance: Purchase EtherNet/IP devices from vendors that publish an ODVA Declaration of Conformity. Unbranded or cloned adapters frequently fail CIP Forward Open and behave inconsistently across firmware revisions.
• Cybersecurity: Enable the gateway's built-in firewall. Disable the CIP router advertisement service. Restrict the EtherNet/IP subnet at the managed switch port level. Apply Siemens' PCS 7 / TIA security patches on the standard cycle, and update the gateway firmware at least annually.
• Sourcing: The Siemens IE/PB Link PN IO (6GK1411-5AB00) is a PROFIBUS-to-PROFINET gateway, not an EtherNet/IP gateway. Do not confuse it with the IE/AS-i Link PN IO. For true EtherNet/IP scanning, use a third-party gateway as listed in the hardware table above.

Commissioning Checklist

1. Pre-power checklist: ring topology verified, DLR supervisor assigned, PROFINET device names pre-loaded in PRONETA or topology editor.
2. Power up sequence: cabinet PSU → managed switches → gateway → drives → I/O blocks → SIMATIC CPU last.
3. Network scan: PRONETA shows all PROFINET devices with green status; Anybus ACM shows all CIP connections Established.
4. Functional test: hand-drive each axis through the Siemens FB; verify status word bit 0 (Drive ready) toggles correctly.
5. Safety test: trigger drive STO, verify drive enters safe state, verify the SIMATIC FB reports the fault within one PROFINET cycle.
6. Soak test: run the cell for ≥ 4 h at full motion, log CIP connection uptime, gateway temperature, and CPU cycle time to ensure no drift.

Frequently Asked Questions