Results , Insights and Best Practices from IIC Testbeds : Time-Sensitive Networking Testbed
4 . TIME SENSITIVE NETWORKING – A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF TSN
TSN brings a number of enhancements to Ethernet . TSN comprises a number of enhancements , but three key capabilities form the core of TSN . They include :
1 ) Time Synchronization – A distributed , precise sense of time is a base requirement for distributed automation and control . It is also a requirement for the deterministic delivery of information needed between the sensors , actuators , controllers that comprise the manufacturing systems as well as the network infrastructure .
2 ) Sending scheduled Traffic flows – Based on the precise sense of time , the network infrastructure must be capable of forwarding critical automation and control traffic on a timely basis . This is considered an enhancement to the Quality of Service capabilities in most network infrastructure .
3 ) Central , automated system configuration – Recently , a key trend in networking has been Software-Defined Networking which enables automated , easier configuration . Software-Defined Networking is particularly important for TSN in Manufacturing because it consolidates application requirements , develops paths and schedules for the traffic flows and distributes that to the relevant network infrastructure .
There are other functions that are part of TSN , such as Frame Pre-emption , Ingress Policing and more , but these will be incorporated when complete - they are not required for the basic TSN functionality .
5 . TESTBED OBJECTIVES
This testbed is designed to grow and achieve objectives in a progression . The three key capabilities listed above represent the initial technical milestones of the testbed . In initial plugfests , the focus was first on establishing time synchronization . Once this was accomplished , devices began to send scheduled traffic over the network . In our upcoming plugfests , we will focus on the central , automated configuration aspects of TSN . At that point we will be able to demonstrate the business value . Anyone can join and learn lessons through participation that many others have learned through this same progression .
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