Design. Schneider Electric SW ABILIT.CBS/SPACELYNK/BMS

2 Design

SpaceLYnk is used as a gateway between one EXW-P-C and one SBO.

This gateway converts the Modbus RTU protocol, coming from EXW-P-C, to BACnet and Modbus TCP protocol for SBO.

Figure 1: Architecture of spaceLYnk integration between EXW-P-C and StruxureWare Building Operation Entreprise server

AN019_v1-1_EXW-P-C_connected_to SBO_via spaceLYnk

Page 8 / 32

In the image it is better to have the full name EXIWAY POWER CONTROL

What is Modbus?

Modbus is a serial communication protocol originally published by Modicon (now Schneider Electric) in 1979 for use with its programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Simple and robust, it has since become a de facto standard communication protocol, and it is now a commonly available means of connecting industrial electronic devices.[1] The main reasons for the use of Modbus in the industrial environment are:

developed with industrial applications in mind

openly published and royalty-free

easy to deploy and maintain

moves raw bits or words without placing many restrictions on vendors

What is Modbus TCP?

Modbus TCP/IP (also Modbus-TCP) is simply the Modbus RTU protocol with a TCP interface that runs on

Ethernet.

The Modbus messaging structure is the application protocol that defines the rules for organizing and interpreting the data independent of the data transmission medium.

TCP/IP refers to the Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol, which provides the transmission medium for Modbus TCP/IP messaging.

Simply stated, TCP/IP allows blocks of binary data to be exchanged between computers. It is also a world-wide standard that serves as the foundation for the World Wide Web. The primary function of TCP is to ensure that all packets of data are received correctly, while IP makes sure that messages are correctly addressed and routed. Note that the TCP/IP combination is merely a transport protocol, and does not define what the data means or how the data is to be interpreted (this is the job of the application protocol, Modbus in this case).

So in summary, Modbus TCP/IP uses TCP/IP and Ethernet to carry the data of the Modbus message structure between compatible devices. That is, Modbus TCP/IP combines a physical network (Ethernet), with a networking standard (TCP/IP), and a standard method of representing data (Modbus as the application protocol). Essentially, the Modbus TCP/IP message is simply a Modbus communication encapsulated in an

Ethernet TCP/IP wrapper.

AN019_v1-1_EXW-P-C_connected_to SBO_via spaceLYnk

Page 9 / 32

What is BACnet?

Building Automation and Control Network (BACnet) is a data communication protocol for building automation and control through networks. This protocol is supported by:

 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

 American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

 International Organization for Standardization protocol (ISO)

BACnet was designed to allow communication of building automation and control systems for application such as heating, ventilation, air - conditioning control, lighting control, access control, fire detection systems and their associated equipment. BACnet protocol provides exchange information for building automation devices, regardless of the particular building service they perform.

The Enterprise Server manages data from BACnet protocol. This includes:

 centralized logging

 display

 application version of a StruxureWare Building

 data management

The Enterprise Server also serves as a single point of administration through your WorkStation or your

WebStation for StruxureWare Building Operation

AN019_v1-1_EXW-P-C_connected_to SBO_via spaceLYnk

Page 10 / 32