tpIP: A Time-predictable TCP/IP Stack for Cyber-physical Systems

Martin Schoeberl, Rasmus Ulslev Pedersen

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingArticle in proceedingsResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Cyber-physical systems are networks of computers connected to the physical world. Often the interaction with the physical world is time critical. In that case computation and communication must be performed in real time. However, a standard implementation of a network stack is hardly time predictable. This paper addresses the challenge of real-time communication for time-critical cyber-physical systems with a time-predictable network stack. We present tpIP, a real-time implementation of the TCP/IP stack. We achieve time predictability by two properties: (1) the application interface is based on polling functions, instead of blocking sockets, that fits for periodic real-time tasks; (2) the implementation is carefully crafted to enable static worst-case execution time analysis of all functions.

AB - Cyber-physical systems are networks of computers connected to the physical world. Often the interaction with the physical world is time critical. In that case computation and communication must be performed in real time. However, a standard implementation of a network stack is hardly time predictable. This paper addresses the challenge of real-time communication for time-critical cyber-physical systems with a time-predictable network stack. We present tpIP, a real-time implementation of the TCP/IP stack. We achieve time predictability by two properties: (1) the application interface is based on polling functions, instead of blocking sockets, that fits for periodic real-time tasks; (2) the implementation is carefully crafted to enable static worst-case execution time analysis of all functions.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of 2018 IEEE 21st International Symposium on Real-Time Distributed Computing : ISORC 2018
Number of pages8
Place of PublicationLos Alamitos, CA
PublisherIEEE
Publication date2018
Pages75-82
Article number8421149
ISBN (Print)9781538658475
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Event21st International Symposium on Real-Time Distributed Computing. IEEE ISORC 2018 - Nanyang Technogical University, Singapore
Duration: 29 May 201831 May 2018
Conference number: 21
https://cps-research-group.github.io/ISORC2018/

Conference

Conference21st International Symposium on Real-Time Distributed Computing. IEEE ISORC 2018
Number21
LocationNanyang Technogical University
Country/TerritorySingapore
Period29/05/201831/05/2018
Internet address
SeriesInternational Symposium on Object-Oriented Real-Time Distributed Computing
Volume21
ISSN1555-0885

Keywords

  • Networking
  • Real time systems
  • Time predictable TCP/IP stack

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