Design and implementation of an embedded FTP server Powered over Ethernet

In a traditional distributed acquisition system, each node has at least two interfaces, one is for power supplying and the other one is for data communication. However, by using PoE (Powered over Ethernet) technology, we combined the two interfaces together. This paper proposes a novel approach to design an embedded FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server which can store the data collected by the node and transfer them to users. The IP address of the server is assigned by a common router through DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). The server has a single Ethernet cabling to transmit both the electrical power and the data information based on PoE technology. PoE can result in a simple routing in the industrial field and hence the cost of the cable will be reduced. With respect to the security of the server, comparing to the software-based TCP/IP stack, we implemented the FTP protocol based on the hardware TCP/IP core inside an Ethernet controller named W7500P, which can help to ward off network attacks.