TTEthernet: Time-triggered services deliver synchronous Ethernet

TTEthernet provides a set of time-triggered services implemented on top of standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet.

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TTEthernet provides a set of time-triggered services implemented on top of standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet, according to TTTech Computertechnik AG, a supplier of field of time-triggered computer systems. Those services are designed to enable design of synchronous, highly dependable embedded computing and networking, capable of tolerating multiple faults. Other real-time Ethernet variants impose significant restrictions upon, or modify, Ethernet to achieve desired real-time performance. This is not the case with TTEthernet.

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It’s most important aspect is that the hard real-time time-triggered communication services do not make obsolete or modify any of Ethernet's properties, so the network can be flexibly shared by hard real-time and standard LAN applications.   TTEthernet networks provide a fault-tolerant time base. A distributed clock makes the exchange of timing data throughout the system is redundant. This is the key to reliable operation with continuous time base under multiple or complex faults, which is essential for design of critical and certifiable systems.

Robustly partitioned multimedia data streams, storage, critical control data and standard LAN messages can operate in one network without congestion or unintended interactions. This allows flexible use of Ethernet in a variety of time-, safety-, and mission-critical applications, with full control of latency and jitter.   Standardization of TTEthernet is done within the SAE organization and driven by the TTA-Group.

Key services are described in the SAE AS6802 “Time-Triggered Ethernet” standard. Today, TTEthernet is used for highly critical aerospace and industrial applications. The graphic was provided by TTTech Computertechnik.

Also read: High Performance Industrial Networks.

TTTech Computertechnik AG www.tttech.com

See the Control Engineering Industrial Networks Channel at www.controleng.com/networks