18.6 IEC 60870-5-103 communication protocol IP14615-1 v218.6.1 Application IP14864-1 v1M17109-3 v6TCP/IPControlCenterIED IEDIEDGatewayStar couplerStationHSIANSI05000660-4-en.vsdANSI05000660 V4 EN-USFigure 103: Example of IEC 60870-5-103 communication structure for a substationautomation systemIEC 60870-5-103 communication protocol is mainly used when a protection IED communicateswith a third party control or monitoring system. This system must have software that caninterpret the IEC 60870-5-103 communication messages.When communicating locally in the station using a Personal Computer (PC) or a Remote TerminalUnit (RTU) connected to the Communication and processing module, the only hardware needed isoptical fibers and an opto/electrical converter for the PC/RTU, or a RS-485 connection dependingon the used IED communication interface.Functionality M17109-38 v2IEC 60870-5-103 is an unbalanced (master-slave) protocol for coded-bit serial communicationexchanging information with a control system. In IEC terminology a primary station is a masterand a secondary station is a slave. The communication is based on a point-to-point principle. Themaster must have software that can interpret the IEC 60870-5-103 communication messages. Fordetailed information about IEC 60870-5-103, refer to IEC60870 standard part 5: Transmissionprotocols, and to the section 103, Companion standard for the informative interface of protectionequipment.Design M17109-41 v1General M17109-43 v2The protocol implementation consists of the following functions:1MRK 511 364-UUS A Section 18Station communication267Application manual
