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EoE - Ethernet over EtherCAT

Table of Contents

Use EoE to communicate with EtherCAT nodes over standard Ethernet from the controller host (Windows/INtime or Linux).

🔹 What is EoE?

EoE (Ethernet over EtherCAT) tunnels standard Ethernet communication (e.g. TCP/IP) over EtherCAT. This allows communication with devices and nodes while leveraging Ethernet capabilities.

🔹 Why use EoE?

EoE enables Windows-based programs to communicate and configure EtherCAT devices. Drive software such as MR Configurator, AKD Workbench, SigmaWin+ can serve as alternatives to RapidSetup or rsiConfig when using EoE.

🔹 How to set up EoE for Windows / INtime

Follow these steps to configure EoE:

1. Configure INtime

  1. Open INtime Configuration Panel → Node Management.
  2. Select the Network Tab and set Start automatically to Yes.
  3. In the NIC list, select the 3 dots (...).
  4. Select Add.
  5. Under the Type dropdown, select Virtual Ethernet (ven).
  6. Check Enable DHCP and select Use interrupt.
  7. Exit Node Manager selecting Ok and Save as needed. Restart the Node if asked.

2. Configure the Windows virtual NIC

  1. Open the Network Connections window. The most reliable way on any Windows version is Win + R, then type ncpa.cpl and press Enter. Menu path: Control Panel → Network and Internet → Network and Sharing Center → Change adapter settings.
  2. Select the TenAsys Virtual Ethernet Adapter, then open Properties.
  3. Uncheck all items except:
    • Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
    • NPCAP (optional, if present).
  4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties.
  5. Configure the adapter with the following settings:
    • IP address: 192.168.219.254
    • Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
  6. Exit the configuration by selecting Ok until done.
Warning
Recommendation Disable the INtime or Windows NIC when not actively using it for EoE traffic. Most systems have a fair bit of discovery and junk traffic which takes place. You likely want to avoid the network traffic when not using it.

🔹 How to set up EoE for Linux

On Linux, rmpnetwork provides EoE by bridging host ↔ slave traffic over a kernel TAP virtual interface named rmpeoe0. This is the Linux equivalent of the INtime Virtual Ethernet (ven) adapter described above: the host claims 192.168.219.254 on the EoE subnet (/24, MTU 1500) and rmpnetwork pumps EoE frames through the TAP. The helper script eoe-setup.sh (installed to /rsi/eoe-setup.sh) is the on/off switch.

1. Turn EoE on or off

The host owns the TAP; rmpnetwork only attaches to it if it already exists when the service channel starts. Use the script to create or remove the TAP, then (re)start rmpnetwork so the firmware re-evaluates whether EoE should run:

sudo /rsi/eoe-setup.sh on # create + configure the rmpeoe0 TAP; restart rmpnetwork to attach
sudo /rsi/eoe-setup.sh off # delete the TAP; rmpnetwork skips EoE for best real-time performance
sudo /rsi/eoe-setup.sh status # show TAP presence/address, forwarding rules, and ip_forward state

Note
There is no build flag or code switch for EoE on Linux. It is controlled entirely by whether the rmpeoe0 TAP exists when rmpnetwork starts, so always (re)start rmpnetwork after toggling the script. With no TAP present the firmware does zero per-cycle EoE work, preserving maximum real-time performance.

2. Access the drives locally

Once EoE is on, the drives are reachable directly from the Linux host at their EoE addresses (node 0 → 192.168.219.100), because the host already owns 192.168.219.254 on rmpeoe0:

ping 192.168.219.100 # node 0; point any local tool at 192.168.219.10x

3. Access the drives from a remote PC

Most EtherCAT drive setup tools (for example Kollmorgen AKD Workbench and Mitsubishi MR Configurator) run only on Windows, so the usual case is reaching the drives from a separate Windows PC. This involves two machines: the Linux RMP host (where you run eoe-setup.sh) and the remote PC (where the drive tool runs).

Which machine runs each command?
Run eoe-setup.sh on the Linux RMP host. Run route on the remote PC, not on the Linux host. (The host itself already has local access from step 2.)

On the RMP host (Linux): enable IPv4 forwarding by passing the uplink NIC, the interface facing the remote PC (e.g. eno1):

sudo /rsi/eoe-setup.sh on <uplink-nic>

On the remote PC: add a static route to the EoE subnet (192.168.219.0/24) via the RMP host, replacing <rmp-linux-host-ip> with the host's address on the uplink NIC. Pick the tab for the remote PC's OS:

  • Windows 🪟

    Command Prompt as Administrator; -p makes the route persistent:

    route -p add 192.168.219.0 mask 255.255.255.0 <rmp-linux-host-ip>

  • Linux 🐧

    Run with sudo:

    sudo ip route add 192.168.219.0/24 via <rmp-linux-host-ip>

Finally, point the drive software on the remote PC at the drive's EoE address 192.168.219.10x (node 0 → 192.168.219.100). To confirm the route first, ping 192.168.219.100 from the remote PC.

Note
The firmware sets each drive's EoE default gateway to 192.168.219.254 (this host's address on rmpeoe0), so a drive routes replies to off-subnet clients back through the host. With IPv4 forwarding plus the static route above, the drive is reachable from another PC without any NAT.

Permissions
Creating/configuring the TAP and installing the forwarding rules needs root, which is why eoe-setup.sh is run with sudo. rmpnetwork itself only attaches to the existing rmpeoe0, which it does with its CAP_NET_ADMIN capability; it does not need to run as root.

🔹 Where to expect nodes on the network?

  1. IP Address Assignment: Nodes receive IP addresses based on their index, starting from 192.168.219.100:
    • Node 0 → 192.168.219.100
    • Node 1 → 192.168.219.101
    • etc.
  2. MAC Address Assignment: Nodes are assigned a locally administered MAC address based on their index, starting with 02:52:4d:50:00:(Node Number)
    • Node 0 → 02:52:4d:50:00:00
    • Node 1 → 02:52:4d:50:00:01
    • etc.

Note
Some nodes may require a power cycle to adopt the new IP or MAC address. If you experience connection issues, try restarting the node after the first attempt.

Not all nodes support EoE. Check the following:

  • Node manual
  • Software revision
  • ESI file updates as needed

🔹 Key Notes

  • On Windows / INtime, ensure the INtime and Windows NICs are configured correctly for EoE traffic.
  • On Linux, toggle EoE with eoe-setup.sh on/off and (re)start rmpnetwork so the firmware re-evaluates the rmpeoe0 TAP.
  • Use trusted drive configuration software like MR Configurator, AKD Workbench, and SigmaWin+ for compatibility.
  • Verify EoE frames are flowing with the EoE frame counters in NetworkStatusGet() (network-wide) and StatusGet() (per node). The same counts are shown in RapidSetupX on the Network (network-wide) and Node (per-node) pages.
  • Troubleshoot by power cycling nodes if IP/MAC assignment issues occur.
  • Consider turning off the feature when not actively using it for the best real-time performance.