Ethernet with time sensitive networking tools for industrial networks

In currently deployed networks the time critical and/or real time traffic is sent over dedicated networks, requiring the operation of a separate infrastructure. This is especially true for Industrial Networks, which use technologies and protocols that are designed particularly for that purpose. The IEEE 802.1Q Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) task group introduced a set of standards by defining QoS mechanisms, also known as TSN features, so that standard Ethernet networks could provide precise timing for critical flows. We have implemented two mature TSN features, frame preemption and time gated queuing, in a simulator, and on multiple network topologies we have evaluated the end-to-end delay and packet delay variation as the main QoS metrics and important design considerations in industrial networking setups. Our simulation results have shown that the QoS guarantees provided by TSN are strong enough for industrial use cases, but we have also identified some design and configuration pitfalls that TSN-adopters need to be cautious about.