Networks and Fieldbusses: Some Trends

Large accelerator complexes have a great deal in common with industrial facilities, and our future range of options for control system components will be determined by commercial and industrial developments. In this report I take a rather selective look at some recent trends in network and fieldbus systems; the central theme is a convergence towards Ethernet and IP protocol, either as primary carrier, or as the standard used to bridge between disparate systems. Since our control networks are already largely IP/Ethernet based, this is to our advantage