Abstract: Systems and Methods are provided for coupling a plurality of user entities in a communication network. A device includes a first unit for providing communication links between each of the user entities and a core mobile network of the communication network, and a second unit for providing a number of virtual networks. Each of the provided virtual networks is configured to connect at least two of the user entities such that a direct communication between the connected at least two user entities is provided.

Abstract: A method is provided for incorporating a communication device in a network including a set of configuration servers having at least one configuration server, and a set of productive servers having at least one productive server. The method includes (a) establishing a connection between the communication device and the network, which connection is restricted solely to a stipulated selection from the set of configuration servers; (b) obtaining configuration data from the stipulated selection of configuration servers, which stipulate access rights of the communication device to a selection from the set of productive servers; and (c) configuring the communication device using the obtained configuration data such that access by the communication device is restricted to the selection from the set of productive servers.

Abstract: For redundant message transmission in an industrial communication network having an arbitrarily meshed network topology, mutually independent paths are ascertained for a communication link that is redundant at least in sections between two network nodes within the industrial communication network, where the mutually independent paths comprise separate network nodes of a single communication network, and messages with duplicate identifiers are interchanged between transmission and reception units of communication devices of the industrial communication network in accordance with forwarding rules that correspond to the ascertained paths.

Abstract: A method is provided for incorporating a communication device in a network including a set of configuration servers having at least one configuration server, and a set of productive servers having at least one productive server. The method includes (a) establishing a connection between the communication device and the network, which connection is restricted solely to a stipulated selection from the set of configuration servers; (b) obtaining configuration data from the stipulated selection of configuration servers, which stipulate access rights of the communication device to a selection from the set of productive servers; and (c) configuring the communication device using the obtained configuration data such that access by the communication device is restricted to the selection from the set of productive servers.

Abstract: A communications network, computer program product and method for transmitting data packets in the communications network comprising synchronized nodes via a predetermined path in the communications network, wherein the synchronized nodes of the predetermined path include a source node, a target node and at least one intermediate node, the synchronized nodes synchronously feed data packets into the predetermined path and each have first and second buffers for respectively buffering high-priority data packets and low-priority data packets, wherein each intermediate node having an empty first buffer at a given point in time, and to which the source node feeds a high-priority data packet into the predetermined path toward the target node, generates a second high-priority data packet and feeds the generated second high-priority data packet into the predetermined path toward the target node so as to ensure high-priority data packets on the predetermined path are not delayed by low-priority data packets.

Abstract: An intermediate network in a ring topology includes a first marginal node and a second marginal node in a first network domain. The first and second marginal nodes are connected to one another by a first network connection within the first network domain. The intermediate network includes a third marginal node and a fourth marginal node, in a second network domain. The third marginal node and the fourth marginal node are connected to one another by a second network connection within the second network domain. A first virtual network connection connects the first and the third marginal nodes via an intermediate network. A second virtual network connection connects the second and the fourth marginal nodes via the intermediate network. The first network connection, the second network connection, the first virtual network connection, and the second virtual network connection have a ring topology on which a connection redundancy protocol is implemented.

Abstract: Systems and methods for transmitting data packets in a data network comprising a multiplicity of network nodes are provided. A routing topology associated with a respective network node is ascertained, wherein the routing topology describes paths for forwarding data packets between the respective network node and each other network node in the data network on the basis of links between adjacent network nodes. A piece of routing information with the identification of the respective routing topology is produced and is stored in the respective network node. A data packet transmitted from a source network node to a destination network node specifies the identification of the routing topology to be used for the transmission, wherein each network node that forwards the data packet uses the routing information stored on each network node with the identification of the routing topology for the data packet.

Abstract: A network node for a communication network comprising a first subnetwork and a second subnetwork connected to the first subnetwork, wherein the first subnetwork uses a spanning tree protocol and the second subnetwork uses a second protocol differing from the protocol of the first subnetwork, and the network node is configured as an element for the second subnetwork and is configured for communication within the second subnetwork. In addition, the network node configured by a spanning tree functionality as a spanning tree master node for checking and controlling the second subnetwork in such a way that the second subnetwork is handled or is able to be handled by the spanning tree protocol of the first subnetwork as a virtual network node.

Abstract: The embodiments relate to a method for improving the quality of data transmission in a packet-based communication network comprising a plurality of network nodes. Each network node has a number of ports with which at least one queue is associated respectively, and by which ports a communication connection to another network node may be produced. At least the queues of those ports that are arranged, in the network nodes, along respective communication paths that are formed in the communication network, are monitored for their queue length. A degree of overload of the affected port(s) is determined from the queue length, and a runtime delay and/or a delay variation in the data transmission may be inferred. The overload amount rises above a predetermined threshold value for at least one of the communication paths running across an overloaded port.

Abstract: A communications network, computer program product and method for transmitting data packets in the communications network comprising synchronized nodes via a predetermined path in the communications network, wherein the synchronized nodes of the predetermined path include a source node, a target node and at least one intermediate node, the synchronized nodes synchronously feed data packets into the predetermined path and each have first and second buffers for respectively buffering high-priority data packets and low-priority data packets, wherein each intermediate node having an empty first buffer at a given point in time, and to which the source node feeds a high-priority data packet into the predetermined path toward the target node, generates a second high-priority data packet and feeds the generated second high-priority data packet into the predetermined path toward the target node so as to ensure high-priority data packets on the predetermined path are not delayed by low-priority data packets.

Abstract: For redundant message transmission in an industrial communication network having an arbitrarily meshed network topology, mutually independent paths are ascertained for a communication link that is redundant at least in sections between two network nodes within the industrial communication network, where the mutually independent paths comprise separate network nodes of a single communication network, and messages with duplicate identifiers are interchanged between transmission and reception units of communication devices of the industrial communication network in accordance with forwarding rules that correspond to the ascertained paths.

Abstract: Systems and methods for transmitting data packets in a data network comprising a multiplicity of network nodes are provided. A routing topology associated with a respective network node is ascertained, wherein the routing topology describes paths for forwarding data packets between the respective network node and each other network node in the data network on the basis of links between adjacent network nodes. A piece of routing information with the identification of the respective routing topology is produced and is stored in the respective network node. A data packet transmitted from a source network node to a destination network node specifies the identification of the routing topology to be used for the transmission, wherein each network node that forwards the data packet uses the routing information stored on each network node with the identification of the routing topology for the data packet.

Abstract: In a method for transferring data packets in a communication network, first data packets having a low priority are transferred between a transmitter and a receiver and second data packets having a high priority compared to the first data packets are preferably transferred between them. In a second data packet to be transferred it is checked whether presently a first data packet is being transferred. If yes, the transfer of the first data packet is interrupted or stopped and the second data packet is then transferred. After the transfer of the second data packet, the transfer of the un-transferred first data packet is repeated or the rest of the incompletely transferred first data packet is transferred. Each first data packet is stored in an intermediate memory in parallel with a transmission and is only deleted from the intermediate memory after complete transfer of the first data packet to the receiver.

Abstract: A method of associating time slots with a transmission path in a wireless interconnected network made of a plurality of network nodes such that the transmission path extends between a source node and a destination node and comprises a plurality of sequential links between adjacent network nodes, data being transmitted in the network on a time slot basis by the association of the time slots to be used with the links of the transmission path, wherein a quality value is determinable for each link within an association sequence of time slots describing an end-to-end data transmission from the source node to the destination node along the transmission path, where the value represents the reliability of the data transfer. An overall quality value for the association sequence can further be determined as a function of the quality values of each of the links.

Abstract: The invention relates to an intermediate network (1) in a ring topology for setting up a connection between two network domains (2a, 2b), having a first marginal node (6a) and a second marginal node (7a), which are marginal nodes in a first network domain (2a) and which are connected to one another by means of a first network connection (9a) within the first network domain (2a), a third marginal node (6b) and a fourth marginal node (7b), which are marginal nodes in a second network domain (2b) and which are connected to one another by means of a second network connection (9b) within the second network domain (2b), a first virtual network connection (4a), which connects the first (6a) and the third (6b) marginal nodes via an intermediate network (3), and a second virtual network connection (4b), which connects the second (7a) and the fourth (7b) marginal nodes via the intermediate network (3).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for improving the quality of data transmission in a packet-based communication network comprising a plurality of network nodes (K). Each of the network nodes (K) has a number of ports (P) with which at least one queue (Q) is associated respectively, and by means of which ports a communication connection (KV) to another network node (K) can be produced. According to the method of the invention, at least the queues (Q) of those ports which are arranged, in the network nodes (K), along, respective communication paths that are formed in the communication network, are monitored for their queue length. In addition, a degree of overload of the affected port(s) (P) is determined from the queue length, and on the basis of the degree of overload of the communication path(s) (PF1, PF2, PF3) running across the affected overloaded port (P), a runtime delay (delay) and/or a delay variation (jitter) in the data transmission can be inferred.

Abstract: A method for associating time slots with links between network nodes of a wireless interconnected network of a plurality of network nodes in which data are transmitted in the network on a time slot basis by association of the time slots to be used with the links on a plurality of channels, wherein a plurality of traffic requests each specifying a data transfer between a source node and a destination node are prescribed and set one or more time slot sequences that each describe a time-based sequence of time slots associated with links between adjacent network nodes of a transmission path between the source and destination nodes, and an association methodology for data transmission via a plurality of channels is determined, considering all predefined traffic requests, based on an optimization criterion, and configured such that the number of time slots used in the association methodology is as low as possible.

Abstract: A method of associating time slots with a transmission path in a wireless interconnected network made of a plurality of network nodes such that the transmission path extends between a source node and a destination node and comprises a plurality of sequential links between adjacent network nodes, data being transmitted in the network on a time slot basis by the association of the time slots to be used with the links of the transmission path, wherein a quality value is determinable for each link within an association sequence of time slots describing an end-to-end data transmission from the source node to the destination node along the transmission path, where the value represents the reliability of the data transfer. An overall quality value for the association sequence can further be determined as a function of the quality values of each of the links.

Abstract: A network node for a communication network comprising a first subnetwork and a second subnetwork connected to the first subnetwork, wherein the first subnetwork uses a spanning tree protocol and the second subnetwork uses a second protocol differing from the protocol of the first subnetwork, and the network node is configured as an element for the second subnetwork and is configured for communication within the second subnetwork. In addition, the network node configured by a spanning tree functionality as a spanning tree master node for checking and controlling the second subnetwork in such a way that the second subnetwork is handled or is able to be handled by the spanning tree protocol of the first subnetwork as a virtual network node.

Abstract: In a method for transferring data packets in a communication network, first data packets having a low priority are transferred between a transmitter and a receiver and second data packets having a high priority compared to the first data packets are preferably transferred between them. In a second data packet to be transferred it is checked whether presently a first data packet is being transferred. If yes, the transfer of the first data packet is interrupted or stopped and the second data packet is then transferred. After the transfer of the second data packet, the transfer of the un-transferred first data packet is repeated or the rest of the incompletely transferred first data packet is transferred. Each first data packet is stored in an intermediate memory in parallel with a transmission and is only deleted from the intermediate memory after complete transfer of the first data packet to the receiver.