Simulation or test system, and associated method

• US 8,620,639 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Candia, Fabrice, Calluaud, Jean-Marie, Houtekier, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): ALHIJA, SAIF A
• Application Number:
  US12/821,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 703/21
• US Class Current: 703/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4013 Management of data rate on the bus systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network

Abstract

A simulation or test system for a network architecture of computers and active equipment items, in particular on board an aircraft, and a corresponding method are disclosed. The system comprises a simulation unit comprising models simulating at least one part of the computers. Moreover, each computer or simulation model is able to communicate on a real network through a corresponding active equipment item to which the computer, simulated if need be, is directly connected in the network, and the simulation unit may acquire a message sent out by a computer or a simulation model on the network, and transmit the acquired message to simulation models that are recipients thereof. The simulation unit acquires the message at the corresponding active equipment item to which the sending computer or simulation model is directly connected.

Claims

1. A simulation system for a network architecture of real computers and physical switches connected in a real network according to a network topology, the system comprising:

a real network;

the computers and the physical switches connected in the real network;

a simulation unit connected to the real network and comprising simulation models simulating at least part of the computers,

wherein each real computer and simulation model is configured to communicate on the real network through a corresponding physical switch to which the respective one of the computer and simulation model is directly connected according to the network topology;

each physical switch includes communication ports to route messages over virtual links in the real network and includes one or more additional surveillance ports configured to send out a copy of each message received by the physical switch on one of its communication ports from a real computer or simulation model that is directly connected to the switch according to the network topology; and

the simulation unit is configured to acquire a message sent out by a real computer or a simulation model on the real network, from one of the surveillance ports of the corresponding switch to which the computer or simulation model that sent the message is directly connected, and to transmit the message so acquired to one or more simulation models that are recipients of the message.

2. The system according to claim 1, in which the simulation unit is equipped to transmit, on the real network, the message sent out by the simulation model at the corresponding active equipment item to which the simulation model simulating the at least part of the one of the computers is directly connected.

3. The system according to claim 1, in which the simulation unit monitors the state of the equipment items of the real network and transmits the message to the recipient simulation models according to the topology of the network and the state of the active equipment items along a transmission path of the message.

4. The system according to claim 3, in which the simulation unit is equipped to acquire at least one state indicator sent out by each of the active equipment items of the network, and to generate an availability indicator of the transmission path according to the acquired state indicators.

5. The system according to claim 4, in which the availability indicator is the result of a logic equation predefined with the aid of a configuration file representative of the topology of the network architecture.

6. The system according to claim 5, in which the logic equation is broken down and calculated by the simulation models.

7. The system according to claim 1, in which the simulation unit is equipped to acquire, at the corresponding active equipment items, all the messages originating from computers and simulation models directly connected to the corresponding active equipment items.

8. The system according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3-7, in which the active equipment items of the network are redundant and the use of the retrieved message by a recipient simulation model is dependent on a simultaneous failure of an active equipment item and its redundancy.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein each physical switch further comprises an additional dedicated port configured to send out a state indicator representative of its state of functioning.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein a first part of the computers of the network architecture are real computers, and the other computers of the network architecture are computers simulated using simulation models.

9. A simulation method for a network architecture of real computers and physical switches connected in a real network, according to a network topology, the method comprising:

simulating at least part of the computers in a simulation unit connected to the real network and comprising models;

communicating, with each real computer and simulation model on the real network through a corresponding physical switch to which the respective one of the computer and simulation model is directly connected according to the network topology;

routing messages over virtual links in the real network via communication ports in each physical switch;

sending out a copy of each message received, from a real computer or simulation model that is directly connected to the physical switch according to the network topology, on a communication port of each physical switch via a surveillance port in each corresponding switch,

acquiring, by the simulation unit, a message sent out by a real computer or a simulation model on the real network, from one of the surveillance ports of the corresponding switch to which the computer or simulation model that sent the message is directly connected; and

transmitting the acquired message to one or more simulation models that are recipients of the message.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting, from the simulation unit on the real network, the message sent out by the simulation model at the corresponding active equipment item to which the simulation model simulating the at least part of the one of the computers is directly connected.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

monitoring the state of the equipment items of the real network by the simulation unit; and

transmitting the message to the recipient simulation models according to the topology of the network and the state of the active equipment items along a transmission path of the message.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

acquiring, by the simulation unit, at least one state indicator sent out by each of the active equipment items of the network; and

generating an availability indicator of the transmission path according to the acquired state indicators.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the generating generates the availability indicator based on a result of a logic equation predefined with the aid of a configuration file representative of the topology of the network architecture.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

breaking down and calculating the logic equation by the simulation models.

18. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

acquiring, by the simulation unit at the corresponding active equipment items, all the messages originating from computers and simulation models directly connected to the corresponding active equipment items.

19. The method according to any one of claims 9 and 13-18, wherein:

the active equipment items of the network are redundant and the use of the retrieved message by a recipient simulation model is dependent on a simultaneous failure of an active equipment item and its redundancy.

10. A simulation system for a network architecture of real computers and physical switches connected in a real network according to a network topology, the system comprising:

a real network;

the computers and the physical switches connected in the real network;

a simulation unit connected to the real network and comprising simulation models simulating at least part of the computers,

wherein each real computer and simulation model is configured to communicate on the real network through a corresponding physical switch to which the respective one of the computer and simulation model is directly connected according to the network topology;

each physical switch includes communication ports to route messages over virtual links in the real network and includes one or more additional surveillance ports configured to send out a copy of each message received by the physical switch on one of its communication ports from a real computer or simulation model that is directly connected to the switch according to the network topology; and

the simulation unit is configured to acquire a message sent out by a simulation model on the real network, from one of the surveillance ports of the corresponding switch to which the computer or simulation model that sent the message is directly connected, and to transmit the message so acquired to one or more simulation models that are recipients of the message.