Abstract: The invention relates to a method for synchronizing local clocks in a distributed computer network, where said computer network consists of a number of components that are connected to each other via bi-directional communication links, characterized in that a) an a priori configured set of components of the network generates synchronization messages and sends these synchronization messages to the network, and b) an a priori configured set of components consumes the generated synchronization messages, and c) one or more message-relaying components in between a component that generates a synchronization message and the component that consumes the synchronization message will add a delay value to the synchronization message reflecting the delay imposed by the message-relaying component, d) a component that is configured to consume a synchronization message will delay a received synchronization message upon reception for a duration that is calculated by an a priory configured value for the maximum transmission

Abstract: A method is provided to detect and handle failures in the communication in a network, including a sender (201, 203) and a receiver (202, 501, 502, 503), where communication between the sender and the receiver is message-oriented. The method includes: (a) the sender sending a message (M101, M101-C, M102-C) to the receiver; (b) the sender monitoring the transmission process of the message inside the sender and/or monitoring the message; (c) the sender executing a correctness check of (i) the message, e.g., its contents, and/or (ii) the transmission process of the message inside the sender; and (d) after the correctness check(s) has/have been completed, the sender informs the receiver of the result of the correctness check(s), wherein (e) the receiver of the message marks the message as being faulty and/or discards the message if the result of a correctness check indicates that the message and/or transmission process is faulty.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the redundant transmission of messages in a distributed real-time system, wherein the real-time system comprises two or more computing nodes (101-108) and one or more star couplers (201-209), wherein the computing nodes (101-108) are connected to the star couplers (201-209) by means of bidirectional communication lines (301, 302, 303) and the star couplers (201-209) are interconnected by bidirectional communication lines (310), and wherein the star couplers (201-209) connected by the communication lines (310) form a network infrastructure (200), wherein one or more star couplers (201-209) of the network infrastructure (200) perform one or more activity rasters (1000), wherein an activity raster (1000) consists of alternating active phases (502) and rest phases (501), and wherein any message sent in the network infrastructure is assigned to precisely one activity raster (1000).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for transmitting messages in a computer network and to a corresponding computer network.

Abstract: The invention related to a method for transmitting messages in a computer network of a real-time system comprising components in the form of computing nodes and star couplets. A first group of components sends, relays or receives time-controlled messages according to a communication schedule, and a second group of components does not communicate according to a communication schedule. For example, the computing node 104 does not execute a communication schedule, i.e. the computing node 104 does not send time-controlled messages. Instead, the computing node 104 reacts to receiving a message 1-201a by sending a message 1-104a in response. According to the invention, the message 1-201a is sent in a time-controlled manner, for example by a star coupler 201. The computing node 104 receives the message 1-201a at time 17-104a and reacts to receiving the message 1-201a by sending the message 1-104a at time 17-104b to the star coupler 201. The star coupler 201 receives the message 1-104a at time 14-201b.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for transmitting messages in a computer network, and to a computer network of this type. The computer network comprises computing nodes (101-105), said computing nodes (101-105) being interconnected via at least one star coupler (201) and/or at least one multi-hop network (1000), wherein each computing node (101-105) is connected via at least one communication line (110) to the at least one star coupler (201) and/or the at least one multi-hop network (1000), and wherein the computing nodes (101-105) exchange Ethernet messages with one another and with the at least one star coupler (201) and/or the at least one multi-hop network (1000).

Abstract: The goal of the present invention is to improve the useful data efficiency and reliability in the use of commercially available ETHERNET controllers, in a distributed real time computer system, by a number of node computers communicating via one or more communication channels by means of TT ETHERNET messages. To achieve this goal, a distinction is made between the node computer send time (KNSZPKT) and the network send time (NWSZPKT) of a message. The KNSZPKT must wait for the NWSZPKT, so that under all circumstances, the start of the message has arrived in the TT star coupler at the NWSZPKT, interpreted by the clock in the TT star coupler. The TT star coupler is modified, so that a message arriving from a node computer is delayed in an intelligent port of the TT star coupler until the NWSZPKT can send it precisely at the NWSZPKT into the TT network.

Abstract: In a network based on IEEE 1588, comprising a plurality of nodes (201, 501) and a plurality of connections where each connection connects at least two nodes to allow communication between nodes including the exchange of messages according to a network protocol, the synchronization of IEEE 1588 is improved by allowing multiple grandmaster clocks (701) to operate simultaneously in the system. Thus, the re-election protocol of IEEE 1588 is made obsolete. For this, a multitude of nodes form a subsystem implementing a high-availability grand master clock (301) according to the IEEE 1588 Standard, wherein the subsystem is configured to tolerate the failure of at least one of said nodes forming said subsystem. Bi-directional communication link (401) are configured for physically connecting a IEEE 1588 Master clocks (201) and/or IEEE 1588 Slave clocks (201) to the subsystem implementing a high-availability grand master clock (301).

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: The invention relates to a method for the redundant transmission of messages in a distributed real-time system, wherein the real-time system comprises two or more computing nodes (101-108) and one or more star couplers (201-209), wherein the computing nodes (101-108) are connected to the star couplers (201-209) by means of bidirectional communication lines (301, 302, 303) and the star couplers (201-209) are interconnected by bidirectional communication lines (310), and wherein the star couplers (201-209) connected by the communication lines (310) form a network infrastructure (200), wherein one or more star couplers (201-209) of the network infrastructure (200) perform one or more activity rasters (1000), wherein an activity raster (1000) consists of alternating active phases (502) and rest phases (501), and wherein any message sent in the network infrastructure is assigned to precisely one activity raster (1000).

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments of the invention provide a method for the transmission of messages in a computer network comprised of computing nodes which are interconnected via active components. The computing nodes exchange real-time-messages that are allocated defined CM time intervals of constant duration. The bandwidth available for real-time messages within a CM time interval is limited to a defined real-time bandwidth. The computing nodes periodically transmit time-triggered messages. The period duration of the time-triggered messages is a function of the time duration of the CM time intervals, and the transmission timing of time-triggered messages transmitted from different computing nodes to the same active component is phase-shifted, so that time-triggered messages from different computing nodes can be received in the active component at different times.

Abstract: The aim of the present invention is that of establishing a fault-tolerant global time in a fault-tolerant communication system of a distributed real-time system. For this purpose, a fault-tolerant message switching unit is provided, which is composed of four independent switching units. These four independent switching units jointly establish a fault-tolerant time. The terminal systems are connected to a fault-tolerant message switching unit via two independent fail-silent communication channels, so that the clock synchronization and network connections are preserved, even if a part of the fault-tolerant switching unit or of a communication channel fails.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a method for the transmission of messages in a computer network, wherein the computer network comprises computing nodes with said computing nodes being interconnected by means of at least one star coupler and/or at least one multi-hop network, wherein each computing node is connected to the at least one star coupler via at least one communication line, and wherein the computing nodes exchange Ethernet messages among each other and with the at least one star coupler and/or the at least one multi-hop network, and wherein at least a portion, e.g.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for distributing event-triggered (ET) and time-triggered (TT) messages in a distributed real-time system by means of a distributor unit that comprises a low-level relay unit (LLVME) and a high-level relay unit (HLVME), wherein communication ports of the distributor unit to other relay units and/or end systems of the real-time systems are attached to the LLVME. The invention further relates to such a distributor unit and to a real-time system comprising such a distributor unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for dynamic modification of the schedules in a time-controlled switch for relaying time-controlled messages in a real-time computer system, wherein at least one active schedule and at least one new schedule are stored at a point in time in a switch, wherein, at a specified changeover time in the active interval of a sparse time base, the active schedule is deactivated and a new schedule is activated.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for synchronizing local clocks in a distributed computer network, where said computer network consists of a number of components that are connected to each other via bi-directional communication links, characterized in that a) an a priori configured set of components of the network generates synchronization messages and sends these synchronization messages to the network, and b) an a priori configured set of components consumes the generated synchronization messages, and c) one or more message-relaying components in between a component that generates a synchronization message and the component that consumes the synchronization message will add a delay value to the synchronization message reflecting the delay imposed by the message-relaying component, d) a component that is configured to consume a synchronization message will delay a received synchronization message upon reception for a duration that is calculated by an a priory configured value for the maximum transmission de

Abstract: A method for start-up of a network, including a number of nodes, which are connected via channels. The nodes exchange information in the form of messages via the channels. The transition phase of a synchronizing node from its initial phase to a synchronized phase is separated in a first integration phase and a second subsequent cold-start phase. A synchronizing node in the integration phase listens to messages being sent from nodes in the synchronized phase and only reacts to an integration message (i-frame) if the integration message is a valid message. Furthermore, a synchronizing node, wherein integration of the synchronizing node to a set of already synchronized nodes was not successful after a specifiable period, changes into the cold-start phase, in which a cold-start procedure of the node is extracted, wherein in the cold-start phase the node does not react to integration messages of a node in the synchronized phase.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing local clocks in a distributed computer network includes a number of components that are connected to each other via bi-directional communication links. An a priori configured set of components generates synchronization messages and sends these messages to the network. An a priori configured set of components consumes the generated messages. One or more message-relaying components in between a component that generates a synchronization message and the component that consumes the message adds delay value to the message reflecting the delay imposed by the message-relaying component. A component that is configured to consume a synchronization message delays a received synchronization message upon reception for a duration that is calculated by an a priori configured value for the maximum transmission delay minus the value of the sum of all delay values added to the received message before further usage of the message in the synchronization process.

Abstract: In a network based on IEEE 1588, comprising a plurality of nodes (201, 501) and a plurality of connections where each connection connects at least two nodes to allow communication between nodes including the exchange of messages according to a network protocol, the synchronization of IEEE 1588 is improved by allowing multiple grandmaster clocks (701) to operate simultaneously in the system. Thus, the re-election protocol of IEEE 1588 is made obsolete. For this, a multitude of nodes form a subsystem implementing a high-availability grand master clock (301) according to the IEEE 1588 Standard, wherein the subsystem is configured to tolerate the failure of at least one of said nodes forming said subsystem. Bi-directional communication link (401) are configured for physically connecting a IEEE 1588 Master clocks (201) and/or IEEE 1588 Slave clocks (201) to the subsystem implementing a high-availability grand master clock (301).

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.