Results , Insights and Best Practices from IIC Testbeds : Time-Sensitive Networking Testbed
In addition to the technical milestones , the TSN Testbed is looking at interfacing with a range of tools and applications within these spaces , from the programming and configuration tools , down to the actual operational input and output devices typically found in these environments . The testbed is trying to handle the whole process from designing a plant to operations of a plant using these new capabilities .
Testbed Lead , Paul Didier , was asked whether standard Transmission Control Protocol ( TCP ) - based equipment can plug into an Ethernet system for TSN :
“ Absolutely . It ’ s a key requirement to be backward compatible . That ’ s the whole point , it ’ s the next version of Internet technologies – Ethernet in particular . You can plug in any device and conventional communication will still work and it will co-exist with this critical automation and control traffic that we ’ ll have going on . That is the key : we are converging this critical control traffic onto a network that is used by a video camera , Voice-over-Internet Protocol ( VoIP ) phone , or any other TCP / UDP ( User Datagram Protocol ) device that you may find in the manufacturing facility . It is by no means required to be a TSN device to connect , but clearly the devices that are TSN capable will benefit from more deterministic service .”
The TSN Testbed is unique thanks to the participation of twelve major companies representing an effective cross-section of functionality . A typical testbed in the IIC ecosystem commonly includes six or fewer participants . Most TSN Testbed participants are from the automation and control world , but there are also a number of networking and technology companies . All of these organizations are joining together to enable the testbed to address the cultural and technical divide between Information Technology and Operational Technology . IIC members participating in the TSN Testbed at the time of this article are Belden / Hirschmann , Bosch Rexroth , B & R Industrial Automation , Cisco , Innovasic , Intel , KUKA , National Instruments , Renesas Electronics , Schneider Electric , SICK AG , TTTech and Xilinx .
In the manufacturing vertical , it takes time for new technologies to be adopted due to the long lifecycle of systems and equipment . The critical nature of those systems requires careful design and implementation . This testbed is important to the process of proving that TSN is ready for adoption .
A number of technology companies and industrial companies are very interested in the technology . These companies are readying their products and solutions for TSN . TSN requires a fair amount of coordination and synchronization between network infrastructure , switches and routers , as well as end-devices .
- 22 - January 2017