Implementation Strategies for Real-time Industrial Ethernet

Contrary to the confusion and complexities that emerged throughout the so-called "bus wars," Industrial Ethernet interfaces can be implemented in a much cleaner and less complex approach. The implementation strategies outlined in this paper illustrate how using an FPGA with a CPU core and an Ethernet controller, among other components, as a communication processor can be used to offer a single hardware solution that has the ability to adapt to all the Industrial Ethernet standards described in this paper, through the implementation of protocol source code.

The ability of a CPU-enabled FPGA operating as a communication processor in conjunction with a master or slave processor offers very tangible advantages in terms of less up-front cost to develop the solution and a higher performing solution.