SpaceWire network management

• US 8,184,555 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Liu, Ketao, Mouton, Christopher Andre, Thompson, Brian C., Epple, Christopher J., Singleton, Richard Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US12/491,135
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/351, 370/389, 370/392, 370/396, 370/397, 370/400, 370/409
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A system and method for SpaceWire network management are disclosed involving a network and a network manager (NM). The network includes a plurality of switches and a plurality of nodes. The switches and nodes do not have any preprogrammed knowledge of the network topology and/or of their unit identification (UID) code. In one or more embodiments, the network is a spacecraft communications network. In at least one embodiment, the method for managing the SpaceWire network comprises the network manager (NM) determining link connectivity of the network; verifying the switches are properly configured to allow for logical address routing; and verifying the nodes are configured to process, receive, and transmit data through the network. In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining newly added units, removed units, and/or unresponsive units in the network, and propagating this information through an active unit table.

Claims

1. A method for managing a spacecraft communication network, the method comprising:

determining link connectivity of the spacecraft communication network by determining which links and nodes in the spacecraft communication network are active and facilitating connectivity of the active links and the active nodes to the spacecraft communication network;

verifying switches in the spacecraft communication network are properly configured to allow for logical address routing; and

verifying the nodes in the spacecraft communication network are configured to process, receive, and transmit data through the spacecraft communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining newly added units in the network;

and

propagating, through an active unit table, information regarding the newly added units.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises setting a unit identification (UID) code for the newly added units.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises setting an output timeout parameter (OPT) for the switches.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining units removed from the network and determining unresponsive units;

and

propagating, through an active unit table, information regarding the units removed from the network and the unresponsive units.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining newly added links in the network;

and

adjusting routing tables to reflect the newly added links.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining links removed from the network;

and

adjusting the routing tables as required to compensate for the removed links.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises repairing any incorrectly set unit identification (UID) code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises repairing any incorrectly set switch output timeout parameter (OPT).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises initializing the network with a network manager (NM) when units are added to an empty network simultaneously.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises reading a switching table from each unit;

and

updating any switching tables that do not reflect a most current version of the switching table.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises reporting an inability to configure any switch by marking it as failed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the marking of a switch as failed is performed by setting the switch'"'"'s status to zero (0).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises sending a new active unit table to any node having a missing or incorrect node configuration using logical addressing.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises reporting an inability to configure any node by marking it as failed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the marking of a node as failed is performed by setting the node'"'"'s status to zero (0).

17. A system for managing a spacecraft communication network, the system comprising:

the spacecraft communication network, wherein the spacecraft communication network includes a plurality of switches and a plurality of nodes; and

a network manager (NM),

wherein the network manager (NM) is configured to determine link connectivity of the spacecraft communication network by determining which links and of the nodes in the spacecraft communication network are active and facilitating connectivity of the active links and the active nodes to the spacecraft communication network, verify the switches are properly configured to allow for logical address routing, and verify the nodes are configured to process, receive, and transmit data through the spacecraft communication network.