Abstract: The invention relates to a computer system for carrying out safety-critical applications, said computer system comprising a plurality of node computers and a communications system.

Abstract: A method for transmitting messages in a computer network, e.g., a TTEthernet network, the network including nodes and at least one star coupler, which are connected in a multi-hop fashion, the nodes periodically exchanging time-triggered (TT) messages according to a pre-defined transmission schedule, and wherein nodes exchange, according to the schedule, messages via scheduled time-triggered flows, wherein adding a new time-triggered flow into the running computer network includes: 1. determining, for each hop in the new flow path of the new time-triggered flow, a free transmission gap in the transmission cycle of the corresponding port, 2. modifying, if a sufficiently long transmission gap is not free in a transmission cycle, said transmission cycle, wherein 3. modifying transmission cycles occurs iteratively, and 4. if a sufficient transmission gap is found in each transmission cycle along the flow path, the new transmission is incorporated into each of the cycles and executed periodically.

Abstract: A method transmits a message between a transmitter and a receiver on a bus using an identifier associated with the transmitter/receiver path for the purpose of authentication and a message counter. The identifier is dynamically selected from an identification sequence depending on the message counter value and is integrated into the message check sum but not transmitted via the bus. A control device and a vehicle are adapted to carry out the method for transmitting a message.

Abstract: A system comprises a plurality of nodes, at least one of the plurality of nodes configured to insert, on a per-virtual link basis, a delay value into a dynamic delay field of a frame corresponding to the respective virtual link, wherein the dynamic delay value represents latency of frames of the respective virtual link. The system also comprises a switch having a plurality of ports, each port coupled to one of the plurality of nodes. The switch is configured to route frames received from the plurality of nodes to one or more of the plurality of nodes. At least one of the plurality of nodes is configured to store frames received from the switch in a buffer and to update the value in the dynamic delay field to reflect the end-to-end system delay.

Abstract: A system comprises a plurality of nodes, at least one of the plurality of nodes configured to insert, on a per-virtual link basis, a delay value into a dynamic delay field of a frame corresponding to the respective virtual link, wherein the dynamic delay value represents latency of frames of the respective virtual link. The system also comprises a switch having a plurality of ports, each port coupled to one of the plurality of nodes. The switch is configured to route frames received from the plurality of nodes to one or more of the plurality of nodes. At least one of the plurality of nodes is configured to store frames received from the switch in a buffer and to update the value in the dynamic delay field to reflect the end-to-end system delay.

Abstract: A communication switch comprises a plurality of ports and a processing unit configured to identify source ports and destination ports from the plurality of ports on a per virtual link basis. Each virtual link comprises one or more source ports via which frames are received from one or more source nodes and one or more destination ports via which received frames are forwarded to one or more destination nodes. For at least one virtual link, the processing unit is configured to accept more than one of the plurality of ports as source ports.

Abstract: A communication system comprises a plurality of nodes and a switch having a plurality of ports, each port coupled to one of the plurality of nodes. At least one of the plurality of nodes is configured to transmit a first unregulated flow of frames associated with a first virtual link to a first port of the plurality of ports of the switch. The switch is configured to regulate the first unregulated flow of frames by buffering frames of the first unregulated flow in a first input queue associated with the first virtual link, applying traffic shaping parameters associated with the first virtual link to the frames in the first input queue associated with the first virtual link, and outputting the first regulated flow of frames to one or more output queues associated with one or more output ports based on the first virtual link.

Abstract: A method for establishing communication schedules for a distributed real-time computer system comprising nodal computers, wherein: a) a grid (RAS) is created, which contains all of the parameters necessary to enable basic communication between nodes (KR1 . . . KR5) of a cluster (CLU); b) nodal communication schedules (KPG; KP1, KP2) for all nodes planned to be used as invariant components (KR2; KR2, KR3) are derived from the grid (RAS) and all parameters of the grid are copied and node-specific parameters are added; and c) cluster communication schedules (CP1, CP2; CL1, CL2) are derived from the nodal communication schedules (KPG; KP1, KP2), which contain, in addition to all parameters of the grid and the node-specific parameters of the invariant components, those parameters which are relevant to the remaining nodes of the cluster.

Abstract: A method for establishing communication schedules for a distributed real-time computer system comprising nodal computers, wherein: a) a grid (RAS) is created, which contains all of the parameters necessary to enable basic communication between nodes (KR1 . . . KR5) of a cluster (CLU); b) nodal communication schedules (KPG; KP1, KP2) for all nodes planned to be used as invariant components (KR2; KR2, KR3) are derived from the grid (RAS) and all parameters of the grid are copied and node-specific parameters are added; and c) cluster communication schedules (CP1, CP2; CL1, CL2) are derived from the nodal communication schedules (KPG; KP1, KP2), which contain, in addition to all parameters of the grid and the node-specific parameters of the invariant components, those parameters which are relevant to the remaining nodes of the cluster.

Abstract: A method for operation of a distributed computer system (SYS) comprising network nodes (NKN, NK1–NK6), each of which has at least one node controller (STR, ST1–ST6) and one communication controller (KK1–KK6), the communication controllers (KKK, KK1–KK6) being connected to each other via at least one communication channel (BUS), and provision being made between the communication controller (KK1–KK6) and the node controller (STR, ST1–ST6) of a network node (NKN, NK1–NK6) for a fault tolerance layer (FTS, FT1–FT6) that is set up to receive messages exchanged between the network nodes (NKN, NK1–NK6), the fault tolerance layer (FTS, FT1–FT6) deciding, based on information received pertaining to the status of at least one network node(NKN, NK1–NK6), about the functioning of the at least one network node (NK1–NK6) via a coordination procedure, and the coordination result being made available as an output signal (ASS, AS1–AS6), the at least one network node (NKN, NK1–NK6) being triggered as a function of the output s

Abstract: Method and systems of transmission schedule enforcement in a hub-based network is provided. Method includes receiving guardian messages from one or more of a plurality of nodes, implementing a voting function, voting the received guardian messages using the voting function, and when a clear winner of the received guardian messages is detected, enabling a port indicated by the clear winner to propagate. The guardian messages are received outside of TDMA communications. The guardian messages contain information pertaining to the next slot or slots to transmit.

Abstract: A method for operation of a distributed computer system (SYS) comprising network nodes (NKN, NK1-NK6), each of which has at least one node controller (STR, ST1-ST6) and one communication controller (KK1-KK6), the communication controllers (KKK, KK1-KK6) being connected to each other via at least one communication channel (BUS), and provision being made between the communication controller (KK1-KK6) and the node controller (STR, ST1-ST6) of a network node (NKN, NK1-NK6) for a fault tolerance layer (FTS, FT1-FT6) that is set up to receive messages exchanged between the network nodes (NKN, NK1-NK6), the fault tolerance layer (FTS, FT1-FT6) deciding, based on information received pertaining to the status of at least one network node(NKN, NK1-NK6), about the functioning of the at least one network node (NK1-NK6) via a coordination procedure, and the coordination result being made available as an output signal (ASS, AS1-AS6), the at least one network node (NKN, NK1-NK6) being triggered as a function of the output s