What you’ll learn:
- How time-sensitive networking shares data interoperably.
- Insight into the myths surrounding TSN.
- What are the capabilities of TSN?
These myths don’t just impact the interests of the organizations and businesses supplying TSN-compatible solutions. They also have negative consequences for the companies that could benefit from the technology but are being put off by misleading rumors and misunderstandings.
Here, Thomas Burke, Global Strategic Advisor at the CC-Link Partner Association—a trailblazer when it comes to time-sensitive networking—will explore and debunk 11 of the most common myths we’ve encountered.
1. The technology is new and not yet finalized.
New, untested technologies can often represent a risky investment. TSN, however, hasn’t fallen into this category for at least half a decade. Ethernet specifications were released in 2016, and Mitsubishi Electric’s range of compatible products has been available since 2018. Many third-party products are also available today, which is a clear sign of a maturing technology.
2. TSN technology will change.
Okay, this one is—strictly speaking—true. But the evolving nature of TSN is sometimes cited as a reason not to adopt it, and that certainly is a myth. All technologies change over time, and specifications improve. Still, these changes will require firmware updates and not any redesigns that render existing equipment incompatible.
3. TSN requires new silicon that isn’t available.
There are plenty of choices for creating circuits that work with TSN, from essential clock components to complete system-on-chip (SoC) designs. In addition, sample code is available to help integrate these solutions easily. This means the technology that’s needed to implement TSN is at the ready and not out of reach.
4. TSN is incompatible with my existing network
One of the benefits of TSN is its ability to schedule and shape communications, enabling priority traffic to coexist with and pre-empt general-purpose traffic. Thus, the technology can coexist with all general-purpose Ethernet traffic.
5. The current solutions are less cost-effective.
Ethernet with TSN is already built into many products on the market, and these have no increased costs associated with them. It’s the default communication protocol and can be implemented without the need for third-party TSN-capable products like switches.
6. I don’t need the level of performance offered by TSN.
While this may be true now, as businesses continue along the path to digital transformation and AI adoption, many will need to add more sensors, including smart cameras and video systems. At this point, their machines and processes will benefit significantly from a communications backbone that offers high bandwidth along with communications prioritization and shaping abilities.
7. TSN is unique to industrial automation.
Some think TSN is just for factories and machines. Actually, though, it’s a significant improvement to regular Ethernet, making networks work better by ensuring data arrives on time. This upgrade is part of a series of standards called the 800.2x family, overseen by IEEE.
Two big names in network technology, Cisco and Huawei, have already added TSN to their newest network switches. This shows TSN isn't limited to just industrial settings; it's becoming a part of broader network improvements.
8. Products with TSN functionality are unique and challenging to support.
Default settings enable you to easily and quickly create and configure TSN network solutions. No special effort is required for managing traffic. In most cases, only one real-time network coexists with general-purpose traffic. In the case where there are multiple TSN-enabled data streams, IT teams will have to manage priorities and configure the solution based on the business requirements, but this is expected to be a relatively rare occurrence.
Generally, different TSN protocols will be isolated to different segments of a network, and hence, coordination issues will be minimized.
9. New troubleshooting tools will be required for TSN-based devices.
TSN devices handle both general data and real-time data without trouble. The usual SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), a standard tool for managing network devices, works well with many TSN devices. Therefore, specialized troubleshooting tools aren’t needed to keep TSN networks running smoothly.
10. TSN is vendor-specific and not a global standard.
Today, CC-Link IE TSN is the leading industrial network offering TSN support. While this was initially created by Mitsubishi Electric, the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) manages this global and open industrial standard that’s registered with the IEEE. Any company can adopt this industrial standard and is encouraged to do so to deliver the best available communications performance. More information can be found here.
11. My existing network is incompatible with Ethernet TSN.
Virtually all compatibility issues can easily be solved by a range of gateway and converter products that can integrate equipment designed to support other industrial network products with Ethernet TSN-based protocols. These converter products, along with third-party vendor devices, can be found at www.CC-Link.org.
Read more articles in the TechXchange: Time for Time-Sensitive Networking.