Dynamic Real-Time Stream Reservation for IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networks with OpenFlow

Abstract

Industrial network communication requirements are changing within Industry 4.0. Current static industrial networks will require flexibility and need on demand stream r eservation with r eal-time c apabilities. Timesensitive Networking (TSN) offers real-time communication for Ethernet while also providing a mechanism to dynamically request streams (IEEE 802.1Qcc). The standard does not provide concrete specifications for the implementation. This paper evaluates the OpenFlow protocol known from Software-Defined Networking (SDN) for network management in TSN-networks. Requirements for a centralized TSN-controller were identified and OpenFlow has been evaluated if it can fulfill these requirements. An architecture for a TSN-controller has been presented. A proof-of-concept has been implemented and evaluated.