Utilization of SDN Technology for Flexible EtherCAT Networks Applications

Area of Science:

• Industrial Communication Networks
• Real-time Ethernet Protocols
• Software Defined Networking

Background:

• Ethernet-based communication is prevalent in industrial applications.
• Traditional industrial Ethernet protocols often have limitations in flexibility and topology.
• New technologies like Software Defined Networking (SDN) offer advanced capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the integration of EtherCAT networks with SDN.
• To address limitations in EtherCAT network topology and infrastructure.
• To demonstrate how SDN can enable flexible EtherCAT network configurations.

Main Methods:

• Investigated the use of SDN to manage an EtherCAT network.
• Defined datagram forwarding rules (SDN flows) for EtherCAT.
• Tested the ability of SDN to route EtherCAT datagrams.

Main Results:

• SDN overcomes the limitations of standard EtherCAT network infrastructure.
• Specialized hardware is not always required for non-line topologies with SDN.
• EtherCAT datagrams can be successfully routed using SDN flows.

Conclusions:

• SDN integration provides enhanced flexibility for EtherCAT industrial networks.
• SDN enables the creation of diverse topologies beyond standard line configurations.
• This approach optimizes EtherCAT communication routes and network management.