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FINS/TCP Method Section 7-4
• Once a FINS/TCP connection (connection number, remote IP address)
has been set in the Unit Setup, it can be dynamically changed from the
ladder program using a FINS command (i.e., FINS/TCP CONNECTION
REMOTE NODE CHANGE REQUEST).
FINS/TCP Frame
Format
The following diagram shows the structure of a TCP packet sent over an
Ethernet network.
As the diagram shows, a nested structure is used with the FINS/TCP method,
i.e., Ethernet Ver. 2, IP frame, TCP frame, FINS/TCP header frame, and FINS
frame. A TCP data section (FINS/TCP header + FINS frame) that exceeds the
segment size (Ethernet Unit default: 1,024 bytes, with automatic adjustment
for optimum values between the nodes) is split into TCP packets for transmis-
sion. The split TCP data tends to be joined automatically at the remote node's
TCP/IP protocol layer. The TCP/IP protocol layer, however, cannot determine
where the data has been split, so the TCP data sections from multiple packets
are all joined together. Therefore, when using the FINS/TCP method, FINS/
TCP headers must be added at the beginning of FINS frames in order to
serve as FINS frame delimiters. The length of the data in the following FINS
frame is stored in the header, allowing the frame to be separated out by the
remote node. With the Ethernet Unit and FinsGateway Ver. 2003 the appropri-
ate frames are separated out automatically. When constructing applications
using the TCP/IP socket interface on the host computer, processing is
required to separate out the FINS frames.
TCP Port Number for
FINS/TCP
The TCP port number is the number for TCP to identify the application layer
(i.e., the FINS communications service in this case). When communications
are executed using TCP/IP, this port number must be allocated for the com-
munications service.
The Ethernet Unit’s default setting for the FINS/TCP local TCP port number
(i.e., the Ethernet Unit's TCP port number) is 9600. To set another number,
make the setting for the FINS/TCP port using the Setup Tab in the Unit Setup.
The FINS/TCP port number set in the Unit Setup is used by the FINS/TCP
server's TCP socket. The FINS/TCP client's TCP socket uses any TCP port
number that can be used at that node. (With the Ethernet Unit and FinsGate-
way Ver. 2003, an unused TCP port is automatically detected and utilized.)
At the Ethernet Unit, a TCP/IP frame that is received is recognized as a FINS
frame, according to the remote TCP port number in the received frame.
The host application is normally used as the FINS/TCP client. A user-set
number can be set for the TCP port number used by the host application.
FINS/TCP Connection
Numbers
FINS/TCP allows up to 16 FINS/TCP connections to be established simulta-
neously, and these 16 connections are managed at the Ethernet Unit by con-
nection numbers. When setting connections by means of the FINS/TCP
settings in the CX-Programmer's Unit Setup, set them individually using these
connection numbers.
Ethernet V.2 IP TCP FINS frame FCSFINS/TCP header
TCP packet