Mr Hauser, what can actually be achieved with the TSN starter kit?
Hauser: The starter kit is initially used to generate TSN traffic on a preconfigured real-time Linux system using a sample application and to evaluate the corresponding performance parameters in conjunction with other applications. The system also serves as a development platform for your own TSN applications.

How practical can such a starter kit be today if important components - such as the configuration tools for such TSN networks - are still missing?
Hauser: Work on such tools is in full swing: final definitions are currently being established in the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard, for example. Kontron will support the 'centralized network management model' favored in the industrial environment. The model includes the management of the TSN network elements via NETCONF and the connection to the central network manager via OPC-UA. We will make corresponding updates available for the starter kit. The current status is: Tools for static configuration of the starter kit are available.
available.

In your opinion, what else is needed for TSN to establish itself on the market?
Hauser: In the course of the ongoing virtualization of computing power and the distribution of functionalities via local networks, there is no alternative to real-time capability in industrial systems, even above the traditional field level! We are convinced that the TSN standard meets all the requirements for this and will therefore complement and even replace existing fieldbuses in the medium term. In general, it is important that the industry gets to grips with the topic and evaluates TSN.

What still needs to be done?
Hauser: Fully functional and very high-performance systems can already be set up today based on the building blocks available in hardware and software.

To establish a standardized convergent Industrial Ethernet, however, the availability of the aforementioned mechanisms for network configuration is still required. Secondly, the availability of standardized application interfaces in the various operating systems. And thirdly, the availability of cost-effective TSN silicon chips - all things that are being worked on intensively in the community.

What energy and conviction is Kontron itself investing in TSN?
Hauser: We are investing in this technology with a team of over ten specialists with years of experience in the field of network technology.

The TSN starter kit

The core of the TSN starter kit is the 'KBox C-102-2' IPC. This already has a pre-integrated TSN network card with software and real-time Linux operating system. The IPC is also equipped with a CPU from the sixth-generation Intel Core i5 processor series. The box has two PCI slots; one of the slots is occupied by the TSN network card.

The TSN network card also includes an integrated switch for redundant networks with four Gigabit Ethernet ports. It meets the IEEE 802.1 TSN specifications for timing and synchronization, traffic scheduling, frame preemption and stream reservation protocols. Additional functions can be added via SW or FPGA update. With the standard PCI Express network card, including the corresponding network and switch drivers for Linux, industrial computers can be connected to a redundant ring, daisy chain or star-shaped TSN network. The network card is specially designed for harsh industrial environments.

The software includes sample applications for sending TSN packets and a network analyzer application that determines and displays TSN performance parameters. In addition, time synchronization via PTP IEEE 802.1AS can be evaluated using a simple SW tool and a 1-pps sync output. As a hardware/software upgrade solution for existing PLCs, box PCs, gateways and industrial servers, the starter kit makes it easy to get started with time-sensitive networking. It therefore facilitates the simple integration of end devices into the TSN network.