Configuring IP Address Settings

Introduction

The BMENUA0100 Ethernet communications module with embedded OPC UA server includes two Ethernet ports:

the control port located on the front of the module.
a backplane port connecting the module to the local main rack Ethernet backplane.

The control port can be enabled or disabled, and is disabled by default. The backplane port is always enabled.

Static IP address settings for both the control port and the backplane port can be configured in the IPConfig tab of the BMENUA0100 configuration dialog. In addition, IP address settings can be dynamically assigned to the control port via the Stateless Address Auto-configuration (SLAAC) method of DHCP.

When the BMENUA0100 module is used in a standalone PAC, IP address settings are configured for only a single module. When two instances of the BMENUA0100 module are used in a Hot Standby PAC architecture (one BMENUA0100 module in each PAC), the Control Expert IPConfig configuration tab includes settings for two modules (A and B). In a Hot Standby PAC architecture, the IP address for each module can be in different subnets.

IPv4 and IPv6 Stack Support

The control port can be configured to support IP stacks (each of which consists of a collection of Internet-enabling protocols) as follows:

IPv4 stack: Supports only 32-bit addressing. An example of an IPv4 IP address is: 192.168.1.2.
IPv4/IPv6 dual stack: Supports both 32-bit and 128-bit addressing. When both the IPv4 and IPv6 stacks are configured, the control port can receive and handle both IPv4 and IPv6 Ethernet packets An example of an IPv6 128-bit IP address is: 2001:0578:0123:4567:89AB:CDEF:0123:4567.

NOTE: On initial power up (or after the module rotary switch has been set to Security Reset , powered up, then re-set to Secured, and then powered up again), the control port is assigned a default IPv4 address of 10.10.MAC5.MAC6, where MAC5 is the decimal value of the 5th octet of the module MAC address, and MAC6 is the decimal value of the 6th octet. The MAC address of the module appears on its front face.

IPv6 via the Control Port

IPv6 communication is supported only via the control port.

NOTE: Control Expert flow can be configured to be routed to an M580 PAC. Control Expert V15 can be connected to an M580 PAC via the BMENUA0100 IPv6 address.

Configuring IP Addresses

Configure IP addressing in Control Expert, as follows:

Step	Action
1	In the Project Browser expand the PLC Bus node and open the BMENUA0100 module configuration dialog.
2	Click on the IPConfig tab.
3	Enter changes in the appropriate fields on the IPConfig configuration page. (The following table describes the configuration page parameters.)

Configurable Parameters

Configure these IP address parameters for each BMENUA0100 communications module in your project:

Parameter		Description
Control Port		Enables/disables the control port of the BMENUA0100 module. When set to: Enabled: the control port is the exclusive interface for IPv4 or IPv6 communication to the embedded OPC UA server. Disabled (default): the Ethernet backplane port can support IPv4 communication to the OPC UA server.
IPv6 Control Port configuration
	IPv6	Enables/disables IPv6 IP addressing for the control port when the control port is enabled. Default = disabled.
	Mode	Identifies the source of the IPv6 address: SLAAC: Indicates the IPv6 IP address will be served to the control port from a DHCP server using the SLAAC method. Static (default): Enables the IPv6@ field for inputting a static IPv6 IP address.
	IPv6 @	If Static is selected as the Mode , above, enter a valid IPv6 address for the control port. NOTE: The BMENUA0100 cannot detect duplicate IPv6 addresses. Please check with your network administrator to ensure there are no duplicate IPv6 addresses within the same network segment.
	Subnet prefix length	Automatically set for static IPv6 address, representing the number of bits of the SLAAC assigned IPv6 address that define the subnet network prefix. (default = 64).
IPv4 control port configuration
	IPv4	Enables/disables IPv4 IP addressing for the control port, when the control port is enabled. Default = enabled.
	Mode	Identifies the source of the IPv4 address: Default: An IP address is automatically assigned by the software. Static (default): Enables the IPv4 @, Subnet mask , and Default gateway fields for inputting a static IPv4 IP address for the control port.
	IPv4 @	If the selected mode is: Default: The IP address is automatically assigned; the IPv4 @, Subnet mask, and Default gateway fields are disabled. Static: Enter a valid IPv4 address for the control port.
	Subnet mask	If Static is selected as the Mode , above, enter a valid IPv4 subnet mask for the control port, which will determine the network portion of the IPv4 address.
	Default gateway	If Static is selected as the Mode , above, enter a valid IPv4 address for the default gateway.
Backplane port
	IPv4 @	Enter a valid IPv4 address for the backplane port.
Source Timestamping		Refer to the topic Configuring Source Time Stamping.
Fast sampling rate		When selected, you can configure the OPC UA client with a minimum sampling interval of 20 ms, which permits monitoring of 2,000 items. De-selected by default, the default sampling period is 250 ms, permitting monitoring of the equivalent of 20,000 INT type items. NOTE: A change in this setting is effective only after a full download of the application.
OPCUA TCP Listening Port		The TCP port for OPCUA communication, either: By default: pre-set to port 4840 By other value: user-specified NOTE: The value of this port needs to be the same for all BMENUA0100 modules communicating together (for example, in the case of OPC UA NAT forwarding between several BMENUA0100 modules)

NOTE: When configuring your application in Control Expert:

The Ethernet Network window (opened via Tools > Ethernet Network Manager...) displays settings for both the backplane port and the control port for the BMENUA0100 module, including information for the NTP server, SNMP manager, and - for a Hot Standby system - the standby BMENUA0100 module (B).
The Address Server page of the CPU (opened in the DTM Browser by double-clicking on the CPU, then selecting Services > Address Server) displays the backplane port IP address of the BMENUA0100 module. In a Hot Standby configuration, the Address Server page of the CPU displays the backplane port IP address for both BMENUA0100 modules.