A simulation study of ethernet powerlink networks

In the last years real-time Ethernet (RTE) networks, based on the IEEE 802.3 protocol, able of providing realtime data transfer have been even more employed by applications at low levels of factory automation systems. In this paper we focus on Ethernet Powerlink, one of the most popular RTE networks included in the IEC 61784 International Standard, which represents the normative reference document for industrial communication systems. We firstly provide a short description of the Ethernet Power-link protocol focusing, in particular, on the handling of both cyclic and acyclic traffic. Subsequently, we propose an alternative technique which allows, in spite of no significant variations of the protocol, to effectively manage real-time acyclic data (e.g. alarms). Finally, we present the results obtained from numerical simulations of the behavior of a specific network configuration implementing the new technique.