TRENDnet announces the addition of Ethernet Ring Protection Switching (ERPS) support to its line of industrial managed network switches, available via free firmware upgrade.
ERPS is an advanced form of ring topology. It links networks together for redundancy while protecting data flow. Essentially it functions in the same way as Rapid Spanning Treet Protocol (RSTP) or Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), but with the claim of reducing recovery time to less than 50 milliseconds. In case of broken network link, the ERPS in TRENDnet industrial switches can provide the most responsive fault tolerance.
ERPS (as with RSTP and STP) ensures a ring topology forms no network loops, since devices are connected in a loop-free path with each network device connected to two separate paths (for redundancy). With faster redundancy, TRENDnet says the industrial switches are better suited for large scalability, making it easy to grow and update an existing network design over time.
Previously available on the TRENDnet 12-Port Hardened Industrial Gigabit PoE+ Layer 2+ Managed DIN-Rail Switch (TI-PG1284i), ERPS is available on all TRENDnet managed industrial Ethernet switches, including both Layer 2 Managed models and Web Smart models. Users with existing TRENDnet industrial managed switch models need to update the firmware to gain the ERPS feature.
Go TRENDnet Adds ERPS to Industrial Managed Network Switches
