Results, Insights and Best Practices from IIC Testbeds: Time-Sensitive Networking Testbed
are actively collaborating with the IIRA authors. The findings from the testbed are reflected in the requirements, key functions and capabilities established as a part of the connectivity section in v1.8 of the IIRA. Future testbed phases will involve expansion beyond the connectivity at the edge work happening right now.
Specialized resources are required within the TSN Testbed to manage very precise delivery of information and the synchronization of devices. For example, Ixia joined the testbed— bringing high-quality testing equipment to validate that things work as expected. Ixia develops specialized products for the TSN technology marketplace. In turn, the TSN Testbed helps Ixia develop a market and show the value of its products. In addition, Ixia participates in the plugfests and give the participants valuable feedback on product performance.
The testbed is not actively recruiting partners, but interested companies are invited to learn about it and join. It welcomes partners who can identify a mutual benefit and have the resources available to participate. To get the full benefit out of the testbed, participants should bring equipment – remember, this is an interoperability testbed. The objective is to bring in technology and equipment to determine how well it interoperates with other people’ s devices, with infrastructure and with the general TSN concept.
9. CHALLENGES AND SURPRISES
With a new technology, it is challenging to figure out why a certain behavior is happening and how to make adjustments. In the spring of 2016, there was a point when the devices were not doing what they were supposed. Their discovery efforts were hindered by the fact that they lacked feedback on their performance. When the testbed team brought Ixia into the plugfest, change was instant and dramatic. With Ixia, the testbed had a resource that gave feedback into why something wasn’ t working, where an improvement could be made and why behavior was not occurring as expected.
Today, the testbed team is getting the base technology working and interoperable. The next step will be application protocols. One of the big surprises is the understanding that this testbed could scale rather quickly because of the IIC ecosystem. The testbed team grew at least 50 % in 2016 and that growth is expected to continue. As they add more participants, and as they scale the concept, there will be challenges along the way. A year from now, Paul Didier expects to revisit this conversation to reflect on a year of more good experiences, more advancement, more players and an outlook of that pace continuing for many years. TSN is an area where there is a great deal of room for ongoing innovation and collaboration. The testbed team has seen distinct value right away.
Paul Didier’ s advice to any organization starting an IoT project of this caliber is to focus on an area that is going to drive value and advancement for a range of companies. That will attract a good group of collaborators who are motivated to make changes, to invest time and resources and to create that innovation spark.
- 26- January 2017