[new node] node-red-contrib-cip-ethernet-ip

Developing Nodes
1

Hello @knolleary
we published yesterday this new node for communication between node-red and Allen Bradley PLCs by using the "EtherNet/IP" protocol:
https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-red-contrib-ethernet-ip
Could you please index it into the node palette?
This node is similar to our famous https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-red-contrib-s7 node

1 Like
2

Hi,
I will add it to the index, although I would suggest the name could be improved. "Ethernet" and "IP" are very generic terms and there's no suggestion it has anything to do with a particular brand of PLCs.

Nick

3

Actually it's not specifically for Allen Bradley PLCs. It is a generic implementation of the industrial EtherNet/IP Protocol (EtherNet/IP - Wikipedia ) which is commonly used by AllenBradley and Rockwell PLCs, I mean, this was just an example.

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I think Nick was suggesting you use something more than ethernet/IP - like node-red-contrib-cip-to-ethernet-ip.

5

I got your point, but since the node was based on the https://github.com/cmseaton42/node-ethernet-ip we wanted to keep the name to make it easier to find.

6

In what way does node-red-contrib-cip-to-ethernet-ip not 'keep the name' any more or less than the name you have chosen? It still has ethernet-ip in it, but it has a tiny bit more context to help users understand.

Do you expect your primary users of the node to be already experienced enough with node.js to be aware of the node-ethernet-ip module?

7

Hi guys,

Thanks for the naming suggestion, I agree the name can be improved. But as CIP is technically a super-set protocol of EtherNet/IP, I'd say it may look grammatically strange to name it ...cip-to-ethernet-ip. Instead, what do you think about node-red-contrib-cip-ethernet-ip or then simply node-red-contrib-ethernet-ip-client?

Thank you!

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node-red-contrib-ethernet-ip-client doesn't tell you anything it's relationship to cip where node-red-contrib-cip-ethernet-ip does.

Someone who searches for 'cip' will find node-red-contrib-cip-ethernet-ip and have a good idea that it might be useful. I'd vote for that one.

9

I guess it depends how much time you have to field all the "it's not working" issues from people who won't read the readme and have a Pi with ethernet and an IP...

Putting cip in the name of the node should stop that

2 Likes
10

Agree with @zenofmud and @ukmoose.

Shouldn't this thread be in the "Share Your Nodes" category?

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Indeed. Not everybody knows that EtherNet/IP is a protocol and not just one's internet cable that has an IP. I'll rename everything then to 'node-red-contrib-cip-ethernet-ip', then I'll come back so it can be indexed in the flows library.

1 Like
12

Hi there,

just published node-red-contrib-cip-ethernet-ip on npm. @knolleary could you please make the honor? :slight_smile:

13

Whoever thought of calling the protocol that in the first place needs to be publicly shamed.

4 Likes
14

Guilherme if you edit your first post, you can change the title

1 Like
15

Hello,
This node is awesome! Any way to get it to work for string data?
Thanks!

16

Hello @gfcittolin the cip node works great. Are there any plans to have is support string data types or am I missing something obvious...sorry newbie here...

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Hi @jewendt, great that you liked it!
String support is something that we also want :slight_smile: Currently, the underlying node-ethernet-ip library doesn't support it, there's even an issue regarding this lack of support.
Thery're open for pull requests there. As soon as we have a bit more time here, if nobody does that first, we'll try to create a pull request for them with the support for strings.

1 Like
18

Looks they are working on the library. @gfcittolin are you keeping up with what the are doing? Will the node red automatically inherit the underlying functionality or is there something that you need to do get Node Red node to work. Sorry for the newbie question...

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I'm watching it, that's a starred GitHub repo of mine :slight_smile:
Due to npm's package-lock.json it probably won't pick up automatically, as it is locked down to the current version. But as soon as they release a new version we'll test it and release a new version with the improvements.

20

Hi all, I am new to this, i have installed node-red-contrib-cip-ethernet-ip, but i dont have anything showing in my nodes within node-red, any ideas ?

the node is visable from the pallet, but looks like it is disabled