# Automation Professionals' EtherNet/IP Communication Suite V2

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/automation-professionals-ethernet-ip-communication-suite-v2/68190>\
**Category:** 3rd Party Modules\
**Tags:** ignition81\
**Created:** [January 3, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/automation-professionals-ethernet-ip-communication-suite-v2/68190 "2023-01-03T22:16:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 10:55pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/automation-professionals-ethernet-ip-communication-suite-v2/68190/135 "2024-01-10T22:55:11Z")

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Automation Professionals is pleased to announce a **beta** release of the Keyence KV-8k support mentioned above.

For Ignition v8.1+: ~~v2.1.11.240102103~~

This implementation reads the model code to initialize the span of the various types of device memory, and for KV-8000+, reads the function version to conditionally expand the R device range. All models with built-in EtherNet/IP (KV-5500 and above), models that accept the KV-EP21V comm module (KV-3k & -5k), and the models that accept the KV-NC1EP comm module (KV Nano) should all work with this driver.

Notes and known issues:

- My lab unit (KV-8000A w/ function version 2.7.01) tends to randomly chop off the EtherNet/IP connection for unknown reason(s) -- channel just dies for 30-60 seconds at a time. Sometimes every couple minutes, sometimes runs for tens of minutes. 🤷‍♂️ I'm collecting info for a bug report to Keyence, but packet captures just show it ceasing to respond. (With and without KV Studio monitoring--with no matching interruption.)

- There is no support for reading non-mapped named global variables, and it is unlikely to become available. What Keyence implemented with their symbolic access is just an alias to a range of mapped registers, exposed as an array of WORDs. Nothing larger than 496 bytes, and no exposed structure types. Intended for simplistic use with other PLCs message instructions only.

- Keyence did not implement the EtherNet/IP "Multiple Request" service that allows multiple small operations to be assembled into a larger, more efficient packet. So while the unit allows 4000 byte message buffers, its largest message is ~460 bytes, and they cannot be packed. 🤷‍♂️

- Once running, on physical LAN, packet handling can run close to 2 requests per **millisecond**. So the computing hardware itself is no slouch. Keyence has left a lot of performance on the table, so far.

- Most memory areas in these processors are split between global and local usage, with the boundary configurable. The exposed span is the **complete** range, but accesses beyond the boundary will be rejected.

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