Method and device for medium-redundant operation of a terminal in a network

• US 7,468,949 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2003
• Issued: 12/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hoga, Clemens, Neite, Rudolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Samuel; Dewanda
• Application Number:
  US10/544,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20060067208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,899 Days
• Field of Search: 370/216, 370/217, 370/219, 370/244, 370/245, 370/242, 370/218
• US Class Current: 370/244
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2005 using redundant communication controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for medium-redundant operation of a terminal in a network. The device comprises: a first transmission device (6) of a physical bit transmission plane which is connected to a network component (9) via a first connection medium (8) disposed between the first transmission device (6) and a network component (9) and which can produce an error signal during automatic monitoring of link to the network component (9) if no physical link or if a defective link to the network component (9) exists; another transmission device (7) on the physical bit transmission plane, which is connected to the network (4) via another connection medium (10); and a control device (5) which is connected to the first transmission device (6) and the other transmission device (7) in order to deactivate the first transmission device (6) as a reaction to the error signal therefrom, enabling activation of the other transmission device (7) and enabling an electronic error telegram to be sent to the network (4) via the other connection medium (10) by means of the other transmission device (7). The invention also relates to a method for operating said device.

Claims

1. A method for media-redundant operation of a terminal in a network, comprising:

automatically monitoring, via a first transmission device in the terminal, which is connected to a media access controller for the terminal, a connection which is formed between the first transmission device and a network component via a first connecting medium;

producing, from the first transmission device, a failure signal if no connection or a faulty connection is found via the connecting medium during automatic monitoring of the connection, and

as a reaction to the failure signal,

deactivating the first transmission device via a control device which is connected to the first transmission device;

activating, via the control device, a further transmission device, which is connected to the media access controller for the terminal, with a sound physical connection being reproduced between the terminal and the network via a further connecting medium, and

sending an electronic failure message by means of the further transmission device via the further connecting medium to the network for registration of the further transmission device, wherein the further network components in the network analyze the failure message and adapt their MAC address addressing tables on the basis of the failure message in such a way that data packets which are addressed to the terminal are passed on to the further connecting medium.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a data packet to be transmitted from the terminal to the network is analyzed by an analysis device, a media access control address is determined in the process and is assigned to a media access controller for the terminal, and the media access control address is inserted into the electronic failure message during the production of the electronic failure message.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a network component is used, to which the first and the further connecting medium are connected.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein another network component is used, to which the further connecting medium is connected.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a communication is carried out from the terminal with the network component by means of a standard network protocol, to check the serviceability of the network component.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an application is run on the terminal, and the application interchanges checking data packets after predetermined time intervals with another network component which is connected to the network component to determine whether the network component is serviceable.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the other network component produces an application failure signal if it has not received any of the checking data packets after a predetermined number of predetermined time intervals.

8. A method for media-redundant operation of a terminal in a network comprising:

automatically monitoring, via a first transmission device in the terminal, which is connected to a media access controller for the terminal, a connection which is formed between the first transmission device and a network component via a first connecting medium;

producing, from the first transmission device, a failure signal if no connection or a faulty connection is found via the connecting medium during automatic monitoring of the connection, and

as a reaction to the failure signal,

deactivating the first transmission device via a control device which is connected to the first transmission device;

activating, via the control device, a further transmission device, which is connected to the media access controller for the terminal, with a sound physical connection being reproduced between the terminal and the network via a further connecting medium, and

sending an electronic failure message by means of the further transmission device via the further connecting medium to the network for registration of the further transmission device wherein the network component analyzes the failure message and adapts its MAC address addressing table for the media access controller for the terminal such that data packets which are addressed to the terminal are passed on to the further connecting medium.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a data packet to be transmitted from the terminal to the network is analyzed by an analysis device, a media access control address is determined in the process and is assigned to a media access controller for the terminal, and the media access control address is inserted into the electronic failure message during the production of the electronic failure message.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a network component is used, to which the first and the further connecting medium are connected.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein another network component is used, to which the further connecting medium is connected.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a communication is carried out from the terminal with the network component by means of a standard network protocol, to check the serviceability of the network component.

13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein an application is run on the terminal, and the application interchanges checking data packets after predetermined time intervals with another network component which is connected to the network component to determine whether the network component is serviceable.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the other network component produces an application failure signal if it has not received any of the checking data packets after a predetermined number of predetermined time intervals.

15. An apparatus for media-redundant operation of a terminal in a network comprising:

a transmission device, which is connected to a media access controller for the terminal, in a physical bit transmission layer, with the first transmission device connected to the network component via a connecting medium which is arranged between the first transmission device and a network component, and, during automatic monitoring of a connection to the network component via the connecting medium, producing a failure signal if there is no physical connection or a faulty physical connection to the network component;

a further transmission device, which is connected to the media access controller for the terminal, in the physical bit transmission layer, with the further transmission device connected to the network via a further connecting medium; and

a control device which is connected to the first transmission device and to the further transmission device and, as a reaction to the failure signal, deactivates the first transmission device, activates the further transmission device, and sends an electronic failure message via the further connecting medium by means of the further transmission device into the network, wherein the failure message contains information that, upon analysis by the further network components in the network, causes the further network components to adapt their MAC address addressing tables on the basis of the failure message in such a way that data packets which are addressed to the terminal are passed on to the further connecting medium.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first and the further connecting medium are connected to the network component.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the further transmission device is connected to another network component via the further connecting medium.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the transmission device, the further transmission device and the control device are arranged on a network board in the terminal.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the transmission device, the further transmission device and the control device are arranged in a redundancy switch, which is connected to the terminal.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the redundancy switch has an additional transmission device in the physical bit transmission layer to interchange data packets with the terminal.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein an analysis device for analysis of a data packet to be transmitted into the network from the terminal to determine a media access control address and to insert the media access control address into the electronic failure message.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the control device comprises the analysis device.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the control device is an electronically programmable logic device.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the control device comprises a media access controller.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the redundancy switch has an additional transmission device in the physical bit transmission layer to interchange data packets with the terminal.

25. An apparatus for media-redundant operation of a terminal in a network comprising:

a transmission device, which is connected to a media access controller for the terminal, in a physical bit transmission layer, with the first transmission device connected to the network component via a connecting medium which is arranged between the first transmission device and a network component, and, during automatic monitoring of a connection to the network component via the connecting medium, producing a failure signal if there is no physical connection or a faulty physical connection to the network component;

a further transmission device, which is connected to the media access controller for the terminal, in the physical bit transmission layer, with the further transmission device connected to the network via a further connecting medium; and

a control device which is connected to the first transmission device and to the further transmission device and, as a reaction to the failure signal, deactivates the first transmission device, activates the further transmission device, and sends an electronic failure message via the further connecting medium by means of the further transmission device into the network, wherein the failure message contains information that, upon analysis by the network component, causes the network component to adapt its MAC address addressing table for the terminal in such a way that data packets which are addressed to the terminal are passed on to the further connecting medium.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein the first and the further connecting medium are connected to the network component.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein the further transmission device is connected to another network component via the further connecting medium.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein the transmission device, the further transmission device and the control device are arranged on a network board in the terminal.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein the transmission device, the further transmission device and the control device are arranged in a redundancy switch, which is connected to the terminal.

31. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein an analysis device for analysis of a data packet to be transmitted into the network from the terminal to determine a media access control address and to insert the media access control address into the electronic failure message.

32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, wherein the control device comprises the analysis device.

33. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein the control device is an electronically programmable logic device.

34. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein the control device comprises a media access controller.