Ethernet Powerlink

Ethernet Powerlink is a real-time protocol for standard Ethernet. It is an open protocol managed by B&R, ever since the dissolution of the Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG) in 2023. It was introduced by Austrian automation company B&R in 2001. This protocol has nothing to do with power distribution via Ethernet cabling or power over Ethernet (PoE), power line communication, or Bang & Olufsen's PowerLink cable. Ethernet Powerlink expands Ethernet with a mixed polling and timeslicing mechanism. This provides: Modern implementations reach cycle-times of under 200 μs and a time-precision (jitter) of less than 1 μs. Powerlink was standardized by the Ethernet Powerlink Standardization Group (EPSG) and founded in June 2003 as an independent association. Working groups focus on tasks like safety, technology, marketing, certification and end users. The EPSG cooperates with the standardization bodies and associations, like the CAN in Automation (CiA) Group and the IEC. The original physical layer specified was 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet.