Ethernet networks redundancy with focus on IEC 61850 applications

Today Ethernet is the predominant networking technology used in office and home environments. Because Ethernet networks are inexpensive and fairly well understood, their use is quickly becoming popular for industrial and utility applications including substation automation networks. A variety of flexible network architectures offering different levels of performance, cost and redundancy are achievable using managed Ethernet switches. This article looks at considerations when designing an Ethernet network for substation automation applications which may include IEC61850 station or process bus or a combination of both, with focus on redundancy. With Ethernet based networks and protocols, redundancy is needed to maintain maximum uptime and still be able to deal with minor outages and failures to the environment. This all gets rolled into the reliability of the entire system, from the very edge devices, through the network core, to the plant backbone. Understanding the relationships between the physical structure of a network and the protocols that run on the network is key to creating a truly maintainable and adaptable network that deals with issues effectively.