Single common conformance test plan for TSN

The Avnu Alliance, CLPA, ODVA, OPC Foundation, and Profibus and Profinet International have jointly announced that they are collaborating to develop a single conformance test plan for the IEEE/IEC 60802 Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) profile for industrial automation.

The test plan will be used as a base test by all the participating organisations and made available to the broader industrial automation ecosystem. This collaboration contributes towards end user confidence that 60802 conformant devices from different manufacturers which support different automation protocols will coexist reliably at the TSN level on shared networks, including with devices using TSN for applications other than automation.

The focus of the collaboration is to work together towards a jointly agreed and owned test plan for the industrial automation market. This formal collaboration provides value by creating a structure in which all these organisations can work together and exchange ideas towards the end goal of interoperability and coexistence on open, standard networks for all protocols, without needing to establish a separate, formal organization. For convenience, the collaboration activities will be referred to as TIACC – TSN Industrial Automation Conformance Collaboration).

The TIACC marks a commitment by these organisations to develop an interoperable ecosystem of devices from different manufacturers to comply with the IEC/IEEE Standards Association 60802 profile and enable end-users to confidently deploy these devices on open, standard networks. The goal is to have the final version of the single, shared test plan available soon after the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile is published.

“EtherNet/IP users will be able to take advantage of the benefits afforded by 60802 TSN of enhanced network performance, higher utilisation, and guaranteed network access for multiple time-critical applications with different priorities,” said Dr Al Beydoun, president and executive director at ODVA. “ODVA’s participation in TIACC will ensure that the full potential of 60802 TSN coexistence is realised by end users to help make Industry 4.0 and IIoT a reality.”