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Friday, December 15, 2006 |
I've just been catching up with the Jason Calacanis blog and he confirmed the reason why I haven't seen a new Gillmor Gang appear in my iTunes podcast catcher this month--Steve has canceled the show. TWiT took the week off due to the death of Cnet's James Kim. So, I'm on tech withdrawl.
I have been toying with the idea of starting a "Gary Gang" podcast show about automation and manufacturing. In lieu of auditions (heh heh), who would you like to hear on a discussion format show about these topics? Sure, you can nominate yourself, whoever you are. I'll see what I can put together. Stay tuned.
4:10:19 PM 
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The Open DeviceNet Vendors Association forges agreements with FDT and Sercos International and also releases updated specifications.
The next editions the DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP Specifications have been published. These new editions are the second publication of updates in 2006, and they bring a range of enhancements to the specifications which further increase ease of configuration.
Over 20 Specification Enhancements were integrated into these editions, allowing more comprehensive and useful information to be contained within electronic data sheet (EDS) files, adding Device Type Manager (DTM) configuration options and facilitating the deployment of these networks with increased flexibility.
The update enables variable input/output (I/O) sizes to be specified within EDS files, provides a means for the contents of connection entries to be described, and allows Device Classification section of the EDS file to be used to specify whether or not a module is a DeviceNet module. All of these enhancements will simplify device configuration in a network. A further enhancement-both to the DeviceNet specification and the wider common industrial protocol (CIP) specification-removes the limitation where some text strings are English language only, allowing local languages to be used.
Further enhancements to DeviceNet include improved diagnostics capabilities, the extending of power cable lengths from the previous 3 meters maximum up to a new 39 meter limit and the ability to use 'flat media' cables and connectors.
The enhanced specification for EtherNet/IP allows the additional use of LC sealed connectors in addition to MT-RJ connectors.
ODVA and the FDT Group have published the Field Device Tool for CIP Networks: Annex to FDT Specification. This Annex provides the schemas required to implement the DTM configuration option for the currently available adaptations of networks built on CIP, which include DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP and ControlNet. In addition to previous configuration options, the latest publication of the CIP Networks Library of specifications now also allows for DTM configuration for all CIP Networks.
The addition of the DTM configuration option to CIP is part of the next generation of standards development activities to include plug-and-play configuration, providing users with homogenous environment regardless of the networks in use.
Richard Harwell, ODVA's CTO and chair of the CIP Software Tools JSIG, states "The addition of FDT support of CIP Networks will bring important benefits to the CIP user and vendor community. It will enable the development of more powerful and flexible configuration and monitoring tools. It also extends the interoperability of CIP Networks with other network technologies by enabling the development of network independent common software tools."
In another joint arrangement, SERCOS International (SI) and ODVA announced today that SI will adopt CIP Safety as its functional safety protocol for SERCOS. ODVA, for its part, will extend The CIP Safety Specification to include safety profiles for SERCOS devices. SI, for its part, will develop the SERCOS III network adaptation to utilize CIP Safety. SI and ODVA, jointly, will develop and establish conformance testing for devices implementing CIP Safety on SERCOS to help ensure compliance with the collective body of specifications and enable interoperability of these devices in multi-vendor systems.
"CIP Safety stands alone as the world's only media-independent, truly open network protocol for functional safety," states Katherine Voss, executive director of ODVA. "Adoption of CIP Safety by SERCOS International will provide users of SERCOS technology with a functional safety solution that meets industry's growing requirement for seamless integration of safety networks with the overall network architecture."
The responsible technical working group within SI has already started to extend and adapt its initial "SERCOS safety" concept-published and approved by TÜV Rheinland in November 2005-to CIP Safety. SI and ODVA expect that the enhancements to their respective specifications to encompass the adaptation of SERCOS to CIP Safety will be published during 2007. They also expect to release the first device implementations by the end of 2007.
3:57:51 PM
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The big news in the high tech blogosphere was a meeting between Bill Gates and a group of invited influential high-tech bloggers (not me, of course).
Steve Rubel whose blog is titled Micropersuasion reported on the session.
Immediately some in the blogosphere responded by wondering why there were no "tough questions." This was answered eloquently by Michael Arrington of CrunchNotes and TechCrunch (see below). I post this because it's applicable to how many of us work in our little niche of the world. An attacking style of questioning works on 60 Minutes for garnering ratings and they just want the reporter to look good and the victim (er, subject) to look bad. [Note: because of that style and lack of real substance, I haven't watched that show for well over 10 years. I'm interested in conversations that reach for substance, not getting ratings by being obnoxious.] I agree with Arrington that you need to ask the best questions for getting good answers, not attacking and getting "PR speak."
Asking Tough Questions. Regarding the blog discussion going around questioning why those of us who met with Bill Gates yesterday didn[base ']t ask harder questions:
I can only speak for myself, but I wasn[base ']t intimidated into being a softie as Scoble puts it (I certainly was the first time I met Bill, but not yesterday). I asked a question that I thought was both interesting and had a high likelihood of actually being answered. You can be a tough guy all day long, but asking Bill [base "]With it[base ']Äôs worldwide dominance why does it take so long to get a new Operating System out of Redmond?[per thou] isn[base ']t going to lead to an interesting answer.
I interview companies every day, and there is only so far you can go with the tough stuff. People just shut down or go into PR speak when you go to far.
I[base ']m not concerned about not getting invited back by asking a tough question, I[base ']m concerned that I won[base ']t get an interesting answer.
[CrunchNotes]
7:19:51 AM
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© Copyright 2007 Gary Mintchell.
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