Modbus Protocol
Reliable
Communication Technology
The
Modbus
Protocol is a
de-facto
standard which
has been in use since 1979. It is an open standard, probably the most
widely used, and is supported by control system vendors world wide. Its
main implementation is to transfer data between control devices. However
it can be used to communicate with intelligent field devices for
configuration, control and monitoring. Modbus can be relied upon for
multi-vendor system integration.
Relatively
recently Modbus TCP/IP has been developed and is now available from many
vendors including Smar. The need for Modbus TCP/IP arose for several
reasons. Ethernet cabling has become the de-facto standard for
Enterprise Automation systems and TCP/IP has proved a reliable transport
mechanism between Ethernet connected devices. End users and suppliers
who had benefited in the past from the interoperability provided by
Modbus now needed the same benefits over Ethernet. Consequently the
specification for Modbus TCP/IP was completed and since 2000 allows for
Modbus communication using TCP/IP.
For
more information, using the links to the left or visit the Modbus site
at:
http://www.modbus.org