Model of influence of MRP on network performances

With the spread of Ethernet in the last decades, fieldbuses based on Industrial Ethernet have found their place in the market, with different implementations by several major vendors. One such technology is PROFINET IO. Among different options provided with this fieldbus is the Media Redundancy Protocol, the purpose of which is to add cheap, built-in physical link redundancy. This article investigates how large the impact of this protocol is on the general transmission rate provided with PROFINET IO. An experimental configuration is provided based on industrial components, with a detailed explanation of experiment and relevant parameters. It gives a base for further researches of influence of MRP or similar protocols on network. Results show that MRP does take a portion of traffic, but that portion is not significant, especially when compared with the advantages it provides.