Trade.Information

Company Name: Open DeviceNet Vendors Association

Company Type: Manufacturers and users of CIP Networks through tools, training and marketing activities

Company Profile

ODVA manages the development of the open network technologies based on the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™), and assists manufacturers and users of CIP Networks through tools, training and marketing activities. 

In addition, ODVA offers conformance testing and oversees product compliance with the CIP Network specifications to ensure a common network interface for those products. Compliance with these specifications is essential to achieve interoperability among CIP Network devices in multi-vendor systems.

ODVA manages the network specifications and offers conformance testing to help ensure that products built to those specifications operate in multi-vendor systems. 

ODVA’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Joint Special Interest Groups (JSIGs) work together in a collaborative process to create a work plan and develop the specification enhancements, guidelines and recommendations. SIGs and JSIGs vote on their collaborative work product, which is governed by the ODVA Intellectual Property Policy and the SIG or JSIG Participation Agreement. 

Once work is completed and approved by a SIG or JSIG, it is then submitted to the ODVA Technical Review Board (TRB) or for approval. Because the EtherNet/IP Specification and the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) are managed under a Technology Cooperation Agreement between ODVA and ControlNet International (CI), Ltd, specification enhancements, guidelines and recommendations related to EtherNet/IP and/or CIP must also be approved by the CI TRB. 

The TRB manages the revision of and enhancements to CIP Network specifications by approving SIGs/JSIGs, their work plans, and any changes or additions to specifications.

Open specifications, such as those managed by ODVA, both provide vendors with the ability to build products that will interoperate with products from other vendors and allow users to choose products that will interoperate in multi-vendor systems. Specifications ensure a common network interface for a given device type. In order to achieve interoperability of devices with multiple vendors, product compliance with these specifications is essential. 

ODVA oversees product compliance with the CIP Network Specifications. ODVA accomplishes this oversight in two ways. First, each vendor is required to sign a Terms of Usage Agreement for each ODVA technology for which they intend to make, have made, sell or have sold products. In signing this agreement, the vendor agrees to comply with the network technology specification and meet a set of user responsibilities. Second, ODVA's conformance testing provides general industry with the vendor-independent assurance that products built to the ODVA specifications comply with the ODVA specifications.

About Company

ODVA is an international association comprising members from the world's leading automation companies. Collectively, ODVA and its members support network technologies based on the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™). These currently include DeviceNet™, EtherNet/IP™, CompoNet™, and the major extensions to CIP — CIP Safety™, CIP Sync™, and CIP Motion™. ODVA manages the development of these open technologies, and assists manufacturers and users of CIP Networks through tools, training and marketing activities. 

In addition, ODVA offers conformance testing to help ensure that products built to its specifications operate in multi-vendor systems. ODVA also is active in other standards’ development organizations and industry consortia to drive the growth of open communication standards.