Method and device to configure real-time networks

Abstract

A method to configure nodes in a real-time network, which nodes are connected with links to each other directly or indirectly via other nodes and communicate with each other using said links by exchanging frames, wherein: (i) at least one node (a) associates at least one queue with at least one link, (b) is connected to said at least one queue, and (c) places frames in said at least one queue for transmission on the associated link, (ii) said at least one queue is associated with a gate which can be in an open or closed state, (iii) said at least one node selects frames that are placed in said at least one queue on the at least one link associated with said queue for transmission if the gate associated therewith is in the open state and does not select frames for transmission when said gate is in the closed state, (iv) said gate changes the state with the progress of time from open to closed and vice versa to form windows as indicated by configuration data, (v) said configuration data is produced by a tool capable of solving constraints in array theory, (vi) said tool accepts input formulated as constraints in array theory, (vii) said input is provided to said tool by human user input and/or by communication requests from one or more nodes in the real-time network, and (viii) said configuration data is communicated to one or more nodes in the real-time network, nodes which apply part or all of said configuration data as local configuration.