EtherNet/IP (Ethernet Industrial Protocol) is an open communications protocol designed for use in process control and other industrial automation applications. EtherNet/IP is an application layer protocol and it considers all the devices on the network as a series of "objects".
EtherNet/IP is built on the standard TCP/IP stack, and makes use of all 7 layers of OSI reference model. Since EtherNet/IP makes use of Ethernet for physical layer, it becomes easier to tightly couple Enterprise Servers with the device data (sensors, actuators, drives, valves etc...).
Ethernet IP is available for the VLT AutomationDrive and the VLT AQUA Drive.