Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating an isochronous, cyclic communication system, wherein one communication cycle can be subdivided into a first part for real-time communication and a second part for non-real-time communication. The communication system comprises subscribers and a memory is provided to store configuration data in each subscriber. The inventive method comprises the following steps: the communication system is operated with first configuration data for real-time communication; second configuration data is transmitted for real-time communication in a second part of one or several communication cycles; the second configuration data is stored in the memories of the subscribers; a transfer time indicating the moment in time when transfer occurs from the first configuration data to the second configuration data.

Abstract: A method for arbitrating access to a data bus among subscribers or bus devices (Tn 1, Tn 2, . . . ), wherein the bus devices are coupled by at least one arbitration ring (12; 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48). The method comprises the following steps: a) requesting access by a first bus device; b) checking whether a first signal, which indicates that the arbitration ring is enabled, is present at an input (16) of the first bus device; c) if the first signal is present, outputting (18) a second signal by the first bus device; d) checking whether, at the end of a predetermined time period, the first signal is still present at the input (16) of the first bus device; and e) if the first signal is still present at the end of the predetermined time period, accessing the data bus by the first bus device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for transmitting a data telegram from a non-real-time domain to a real-time domain, comprising the following steps: generation of a non-real-time data telegram comprising a useful data zone, the data telegram containing a real-time or a non-real-time identifier in addition to a data telegram identifier (identifier i) in the useful data zone thereof when the real time identifier is provided; monitoring of the non-real-time data telegram for the presence of a real time identifier by the coupling unit if the real-time identifier is provided; transmission of the useful data and real-time identifier (identifier i) from the useful data zone of the non-real-time data telegram to a user interface of the coupling node; storage of the useful data in a storage zone of a communication memory which is associated with the identifier.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for synchronizing a communications cycle and a communications node in a network. Said node comprises: devices for receiving a desired value for a time base of a communications cycle of the communications node in a communications link to an additional communications node of the network; devices for determining a system deviation between the desired value and an actual value of the time base; and a device for generating a manipulated variable for correcting the time base in accordance with the system deviation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a switching node comprising a dynamic address table in a data network, in addition to a method for creating a dynamic address table of this type for a switching node. The method comprises the following steps: receipt of a first data message with a source address at a port of the switching node; entry of the source address, details of the port and a counter initial value in a line of the address table that is assigned to the source address as the target address, whereby the current counter value indicates the validity of the entry and the current counter value is modified, if a second data message with the source address as the target address is received and the entry is valid.

Abstract: The invention relates to a data network and a method for creating a static address table for a number of target addresses. Said method comprises the following steps: replication of each of the target addresses in an entry address of the address table; if a subset of the number of target addresses is replicated in the same entry address: a) the entry address is allocated to one of the target addresses of the subset, b) the entry address is allocated with an offset to each of the remaining target addresses of the subset, c) one or more transmission ports is/are saved in the address table, together with the relevant target address, for each target address of the number in one or more locations that is/are characterized by the respective entry address or by the respective entry address with one or more offsets.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for transmitting real time-criticai data using data messages in a data network. The data messages have an identification, useful data and a transfer status. According to the inventive method, data messages comprising errors are replaced by replacement messages that have the same structure as the data messages. The replacement message has the same identification as the data message to be replaced and is thus forwarded via the switching node, which would have been used to route the error-free data message. The replacement message can contain details of the type of transmission error.

Abstract: The invention relates to a switching node and to a method for operating a switching node in a data network. Said method comprises the following steps: receipt of a data message at a first port of the switching node; verification of whether the data message is a broad cast data message. If said message is not a broadcast data message, the source address of the data message is passed to a dynamic address table and if said message and if this message is a data broadcast data message, the data message is forwarded via the additional ports of the switching node.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for processing consistent data sets by asynchronous application of a subscriber in an isochronous, cyclical communication system. According to the invention, by connecting a communication memory and a consistency, transmission and reception buffer, copying processes leading ti delay can be kept to a minimum.

Abstract: A subscriber in a communication system (102) for transmitting and receiving data telegrams, wherein a data telegram includes reference data or user data and an identifier. The control of transmitting and receiving data telegrams is based on check data sets (122). A check data set includes an address for the reference data or user data and the identifier of the data telegram, which is assigned to the check data set. A transmission list (120) includes a first number of check data sets. A circuit unit (128) generates, based on a check data set of the transmission list, a data telegram to be transmitted. In addition, a second number (136, 138) of check data sets is provided. An assignment unit (140, 144) assigns a received data telegram to one of the check data sets of the second number of check data sets, wherein the assignment is carried out based on the identifier for the received data telegram.

Abstract: A network has redundancy features and includes at least two series constructed of a number of network subscribers (100 . . . 107; 110 . . . 117). The at least two series are connected to one another via at least two communication channels, of which only the first one is active and the second one is deactivated. The communication channels are realized by connecting ports of the network subscribers. A network subscriber of the second communication channel monitors the first communication channel for interruption and places the second communication channel into the active state if the first communication channel is interrupted. The network subscribers have several ports, to which further network components can be connected. A microprocessor interface (25) connects the ports (28 . . . 31) with a user-internal processor bus. A switch control (46) provides message route management between the ports (28 . . . 31) and the microprocessor interface (25).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a system for transmitting data by means of a first data network 1 having first means for transmitting data in at least one first transmission cycle, the first transmission cycle being subdivided into a first area 4 for transmitting real-time-critical data and a second area 5 for transmitting non-real-time-critical data, and by means of a second data network 2 having second means for transmitting data in at least one second transmission cycle, the second transmission cycle being subdivided into a third area 7 for transmitting real-time-critical data and into a fourth area 8 for transmitting non-real-time-critical data, and with a switching unit 13 for transmitting real-time-critical data of the first area into the third area.