Validation of the Network Calculus approach for the performance evaluation of switched Ethernet based industrial communications
Abstract
The objective of this work is to validate the modelling of a switched Ethernetarchitecture in order to be able to evaluate the maximum end to end delays. The majorinterest is to apply these results in an industrial or technical context, where some ofthe communications are strongly time-constrained. This paper describes a model ofan Ethernet switch. It also presents the analytical formulas issued from the NetworkCalculus theory which upper bound the maximum time for crossing such a switch, andan algorithm to determine the maximum end to end delays of the time-critical messagesover the whole network. This work is validated by an experimental application whichproves that the worst case estimated by the Network Calculus can be really reachedand that this method is not so pessimistic.
