Redundancy Unit for Fast Ethernet Switchover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network solutions, such as IEEE802.1D and RSTP, fail to guarantee a switchover time of less than 20ms in Ethernet networks, which is critical for safety-critical applications like automation, where power failures must be minimized to avoid system shutdowns.
Innovation Solution
A redundancy unit is introduced between the control unit and the switch, equipped with a special module for accelerating the redundancy protocol, allowing direct communication between the CPU system and the switch, and featuring an input unit, memory unit, and optional FPGA or ASIC design for enhanced functionality and programmability, enabling rapid error detection and response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the CPU system processes the redundancy protocol, then the network can maintain connectivity, but the switchover time exceeds 20ms
Solution Approach 1:
The redundancy protocol is extracted from the CPU system and implemented as a dedicated redundancy unit with hardware acceleration. This separates the time-critical redundancy functions from the general-purpose CPU processing, enabling switchover times under 20ms while maintaining network connectivity reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
A redundancy unit is introduced as an intermediary component between the CPU system and the switch. This intermediary dedicated to redundancy processing enables fast switchover by handling redundancy protocol operations independently, without blocking CPU resources.
2Speed
If the full redundancy function is built into the switching chip, then switchover speed improves, but no usable solutions are currently available
Solution Approach 1:
The redundancy function is segmented from the main switching chip and implemented as a separate redundancy unit. This modular approach allows the switching chip to maintain its core switching capabilities while the dedicated redundancy unit handles fast switchover operations, achieving high speed without requiring unavailable integrated solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The redundancy unit acts as an intermediary between the CPU and the switch, providing hardware-accelerated redundancy processing. This mediator enables fast switchover speeds without requiring the switching chip itself to be redesigned with unavailable full-functionality integrated solutions.
3Loss of time
If the CPU system is optimized for redundancy processing, then response time reduces, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The redundancy protocol is extracted from the CPU system into a dedicated redundancy unit. This extraction reduces CPU complexity by removing time-critical redundancy processing from the general-purpose processor, while the dedicated unit provides optimized response time through hardware acceleration.
Solution Approach 2:
The redundancy unit serves as an intermediary that handles redundancy protocol processing independently. This mediator reduces system complexity by isolating time-critical functions from the CPU, allowing each component to be optimized for its specific function rather than requiring the entire system to be optimized.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating a network as well as a network comprising at least one switch (400) and network infrastructure devices that are connected to said at least one switch (400) which is controlled by a control unit (700). According to the invention, a redundant unit (550) that is connected between the switch (400) and the control unit (700) analyzes the data stream between the switch (400) and the control unit (700), and data is inserted into and/or is removed from the data stream in accordance with the result of the analysis.