FANUC Ethernet transfer failures: using PING to separate network and file-service problems
A PING response does not guarantee file transfer. Using the Fast Ethernet/Data Server functions documented in B-64014EN/03, distinguish physical connections, IP reachability and file services, and avoid changing several settings in one test.
Contents
A failed PC-to-CNC file transfer may involve the connection, addressing or file service. Changing the IP address, account and program settings together makes it difficult to know which change helped, even if transfer later succeeds. Observe each layer separately and preserve the original configuration and each test result.
Identify the interface actually in use
The menus described here follow the Fast Ethernet/Fast Data Server manual B-64014EN/03, covering its listed 30i/31i/32i-MODEL A-related systems and corresponding options. These menus must not be assumed for every embedded Ethernet port. The manual provides PING diagnostics in SYSTEM’s ETHER BOARD menu, with target address and transmission count. Confirm the installed option and interface before using the instructions for the applicable edition.
Layer one: document the connections
Record the CNC port, the switch it connects to, the test computer’s location, and any cable replacement or network changes before the fault. Preserve the original IP address, mask and gateway for maintenance review. Do not arbitrarily choose an address that “looks unused” without a network plan, or expose the machine directly to the Internet to test connectivity.
Layer two: record PING direction and results
Each record should identify the initiating endpoint, target IP, time and result. Distinguish PC-to-CNC testing from CNC-to-PC testing. No response alone does not prove a failed network adapter; check addressing, the network path and access rules together. For intermittent responses, preserve their timing and any network-change clues rather than repeatedly replacing control boards.
Layer three: check the file service separately
A PING response is only evidence about network reachability; it does not establish successful FTP login, directory permissions or data transfer. RFC 959 defines user login and file-transfer replies separately. Save the complete CNC error and compare server records from the same time. Login failure, inability to list a directory and interruption partway through a transfer are distinct symptoms, not simply “no network.”
Verify one change at a time
Keep a short record of the original state, change made, test result and whether the original configuration was restored. Have someone familiar with the site network confirm network settings, and coordinate the test window with production. Before disconnecting a link to investigate an address conflict, confirm the machine is stopped and identify communication dependencies; do not unplug it during machining. Further reading: FANUC file-transfer methods (Chinese); use the FANUC section to find documentation for the corresponding generation.
References and applicability
- FANUC Fast Ethernet/Fast Data Server Operator’s Manual B-64014EN/03 (public mirror of the manufacturer’s manual): Part VI §2.2, printed pages 154–156; Appendix A.4, printed pages 167–168.
- IETF RFC 959: File Transfer Protocol: §§4.1.1 and 4.2: access-control commands and reply codes.