Abstract: An electronic device and other electronic device include a first and second port that utilizes a parallel redundancy protocol in a communications network including a first and second lane. The devices include a processing circuit, a PRP handler, a protocol stack, a memory, permanent storage accessible by the processing circuit, and transmit and receive circuitry for transmitting and receiving packets. A redundancy manager is for identifying path faults in the network. The processing circuit implements a method of detecting network path fault, including the other electronic device transmitting a frame pair over the first lane and second lane. The electronic device receives the frame pair and implements a receive processing flow, when the first frame or the second frame is identified to be a redundant frame, removes the redundant frame, and compares a first frame parameter to a second frame parameter to determine when the path fault is present.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first interface configured to communicate over a first industrial process control network using a first protocol. The apparatus also includes a second interface configured to communicate over a second industrial process control network using a second protocol. The apparatus further includes a third interface configured to communicate with at least one supervisory device over a third network. In addition, the apparatus includes at least one processing device configured to provide concurrent access for the at least one supervisory device to process control devices coupled to the first and second industrial process control networks during a migration of process control devices that use the first protocol to process control devices that use the second protocol.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first interface configured to communicate over a first industrial process control network using a first protocol. The apparatus also includes a second interface configured to communicate over a second industrial process control network using a second protocol. The apparatus further includes a third interface configured to communicate with at least one supervisory device over a third network. In addition, the apparatus includes at least one processing device configured to provide concurrent access for the at least one supervisory device to process control devices coupled to the first and second industrial process control networks during a migration of process control devices that use the first protocol to process control devices that use the second protocol.

Abstract: A gateway is used to segment a network, such as a FAULT TOLERANT ETHERNET (FTE) network, into islands. The gateway receives traffic from a first island, forwards part of the traffic to a second island, and blocks another part of the traffic from being forwarded to the second island. The forwarded traffic could include unicast traffic. The blocked traffic could include broadcast or multicast traffic, including diagnostic messages from one or more nodes in the first island.

Abstract: A system (such as a process control system or communication system) includes one or more sources of configuration data (such as one or more BootP or DHCP servers). A testing mechanism transmits one or more requests for configuration data over a network. One or more sources of configuration data may respond to the requests, such as by providing configuration data (like IP addresses or NTP parameters) to the testing mechanism. The testing mechanism uses the response(s) to identify problems with the sources of configuration data. For example, if responses are received from multiple sources of configuration data, the testing mechanism could generate a notification indicating that a problem exists when the responses contain inconsistent configuration data. Also, if no responses are received, the testing mechanism could generate a notification indicating that a problem exists since no configuration data has been received. Any other or additional problems could also be detected.

Abstract: A system (such as a process control system or communication system) includes one or more sources of configuration data (such as one or more BootP or DHCP servers). A testing mechanism transmits one or more requests for configuration data over a network. One or more sources of configuration data may respond to the requests, such as by providing configuration data (like IP addresses or NTP parameters) to the testing mechanism. The testing mechanism uses the response(s) to identify problems with the sources of configuration data. For example, if responses are received from multiple sources of configuration data, the testing mechanism could generate a notification indicating that a problem exists when the responses contain inconsistent configuration data. Also, if no responses are received, the testing mechanism could generate a notification indicating that a problem exists since no configuration data has been received. Any other or additional problems could also be detected.

Abstract: The time of a second network is synchronized to a first network, each network having an independent timing subsystem, includes the following steps. The first network sends a first message to the second network, the first message being uniquely identified as a sync message. A first relative time is obtained within the first network of when the first message is transmitted. When the first network recognizes that the first message was sent, a second relative time is obtained to send a second message to the second network containing a real time of the first network that the first message was sent. The second network obtains a third relative time within the second network of when the first message is received. The real time of the first network contained in the second message is associated to the third relative time of the second network, thereby synchronizing the time of the second network to the time of the first network.

Abstract: A method by which redundant network interface modules (NIMs) interconnecting the communication buses of two local area networks communicate with one another at predetermined time intervals over the communication buses of both networks. A first NIM of a redundant pair of NIMs is designated as the primary and a second NIM of the redundant pair is designated as the secondary. Contents of the information communicated between the NIMs over the communication bus of the first network includes the status of the transmitting NIMs ability to communicate with the second network and the information communicated between the NIMs over the communication bus of the second network includes the status of the transmitting NIM's ability to communicate with the first network. Based on the information exchanged, the failure of the NIMs to communicate as scheduled, and the internal status of each NIM as understood by that NIM, the NIMs decide when failover from the primary NIM to the secondary NIM occurs.