EtherCAT Master Startup

Master Configuration and Startup

4.1 Selecting the EtherCAT Interface

Display network interfaces and MAC addresses:

ip -br link
ip link show eth0

Select an interface dedicated to EtherCAT and record its permanent MAC address. Do not use a MAC address that changes randomly.

If a system service manages the interface, make it unmanaged first. The configuration method differs by distribution. For example, with NetworkManager, use:

nmcli device set eth0 managed no

4.2 Loading the Generic IgH Driver

Generic driver example:

sudo modprobe ec_master main_devices=62:36:B8:01:5B:59
sudo modprobe ec_generic

Replace the example MAC address with the actual address of the dedicated EtherCAT interface. Module parameter names and configuration file paths may vary between distribution packages. Confirm them with:

modinfo ec_master
modinfo ec_generic

Some installation methods provide /etc/ethercat.conf or /etc/sysconfig/ethercat, where the master interface and driver can be configured:

MASTER0_DEVICE="62:36:B8:01:5B:59"
DEVICE_MODULES="generic"

Follow the format required by the service script included with the installed package.

4.3 Verifying the Master

ls -l /dev/EtherCAT*
sudo ethercat master
sudo ethercat slaves
dmesg | grep -i ethercat

Normally, the master, link state, and slave list should be displayed. If no slaves are found:

Check the Ethernet cable direction, slave power, and link indicators.
Confirm that main_devices contains the correct MAC address.
When using ec_generic, confirm that the standard network driver works correctly and that normal network services are not sending or receiving IP traffic through the interface.
Check the actual device bound after the master is loaded.
Start testing with a single slave, then gradually restore the complete topology.

4.4 Stopping the Master

Stop the application and ensure that outputs have entered a safe state before unloading the drivers:

sudo modprobe -r ec_generic
sudo modprobe -r ec_master

When using a platform-specific driver, unload modules in the reverse order in which they were loaded.