Features of the IgH EtherCAT Master
- Runs as kernel module for Linux 2.6.
- Comes with EtherCAT-capable network drivers for serveral Ethernet chipsets.
- Interrupt-less network driver operation.
- Easy implementation of additional network drivers through common device interface of the master.
- Runs even with PCMCIA cards.
- Supports multiple EtherCAT masters on one machine.
- Supports any realtime extension through independent architecture.
- RTAI, IPIPE, ADEOS, etc.
- Runs well even without realtime extensions.
- Common kernel interface, for realtime modules using EtherCAT functionality.
- Synchronous and asynchronous sending and receiving of frames.
- Avoidance of unnecessary copy operations for process data.
- Separating slave groups through domains.
- Handling of multiple slave groups with different sampling rates.
- Automatic calculation of process data mapping, FMMU- and sync manager configuration within the domains.
- Master finite state machine (FSM). Thus:
- Bus monitoring during realtime operation.
- Automatic reconfiguration of slaves on bus power failure during realtime operation.
- Controlling of slave states during realtime operation.
- Idle mode.
- Automatic scanning of slaves upon topology changes.
- Bus visualisation and EoE processing without realtime process connected.
- Implements the CANopen-over-EtherCAT (CoE) protocol.
- Configuration of CoE-capable slaves via SDO interface.
- SDO dictionary listing.
- Implements the Ethernet-over-EtherCAT (EoE) protocol.
- Creation of virtual network devices for EoE-capable slaves.
- Thus natively supports either a switched or a routed EoE network architecture.
- User space interface via the System Filesystem (Sysfs).
- User space tool "lsec" for bus visualisation.
- Slave E²PROM image reading and writing.
- Seamless integration in your favourite Linux distibution.
- Master and network device configuration via sysconfig files.
- LSB-compatible init script for master control.
- Virtual read-only network interface for debugging purposes and for "sniffing" the EtherCAT traffic (through Wireshark, or others).
