According to one or more embodiments of the disclosure, a particular networking device joins a ring network of networking devices that has a ring topology. The particular networking device monitors the ring network for a multicast frame used within the ring network to detect link failures. The particular networking device determines that a link in the ring network has failed, based on the particular networking device not receiving the multicast frame within a threshold amount of time. The particular networking device initiates repair of the ring network, when the particular networking device determines that the link in the ring network has failed.

A bus coupler for a network, in particular for an optical ring network, includes: a bus participant interface for data connection to at least one bus participant device; a bus receiving interface for receiving bus input data via a bus line; a bus transmitting interface for transmitting bus output data via the bus line; and a control unit for generating bus output data based on participant input data received via the bus participant interface, the bus transmission data including bus control data, and to transfer the bus output data to a further bus coupler by the bus transmitting interface. The control unit specifies a control signal based on the bus input data received by the bus receiving interface and performs a relaying of the bus input data to the further bus coupler based on the specified control signal.

A flexible test arrangement for performing measurements on a test object. A plurality of safety components, each having a safety module which can be set to active or inactive, and having a ready status which can be set to active or inactive, is provided in a circular test arrangement. Each of the safety components carries out a number of function tests cyclically. As one of the function tests, a cyclical, error-free reception of a data packet is tested. One of the safety components is selected as a bus master which cyclically transmits a bus verification signal in a data packet to the safety component which is adjacent in the direction of transmission, wherein the bus verification signal is relayed by each of the safety components in a data packet, and, when said bus verification signal is received in a data packet, the bus master determines that the circular test arrangement is closed.

An automation system has a plurality of subscribers including a first master unit, first distributor, second master unit, second distributor, and at least another subscriber unit. First and second transmitting/receiving devices of the first and second distributor are connected via a ring-shaped data bus. In a first mode, the first distributor forwards telegrams received from the first master unit to the first transmitting/receiving device, and forwards telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first master unit. The second distributor also forwards first telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device to the second transmitting/receiving device. In a second mode, the second distributor forwards telegrams received by the second master unit to the second transmitting/receiving device, and the second distributor forwards telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device to the second master unit. The first distributor also forwards telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first transmitting/receiving device.

A high availability aircraft network architecture incorporating smart points of presence (SPoP) is disclosed. In embodiments, the network architecture divides the aircraft into districts, or physical subdivisions. Each district includes one or more mission systems (MS) smart network access point (SNAP) devices for connecting MS components and devices located within its district to the MS network. Similarly, each district includes one or more air vehicle systems (AVS) SNAP devices for connecting AVS components and devices within the district to the AVS network. The AVS network may remain in a star or hub-and-spoke topology, while the MS network may be configured in a ring or mesh topology. Selected MS and AVS SNAP devices may be connected to each other via guarded network bridges to securely interconnect the MS and AVS networks.

An apparatus and method for operating a ring interconnect are disclosed. The ring interconnect has a plurality of nodes that are used to connect to associated components, and is arranged to transport a plurality of slots around the ring interconnect between the nodes in order to transfer items of traffic allocated into those slots between components connected to the nodes. For each item of traffic, one of the components acts as a source to allocate that item of traffic into a slot, and another components acts as destination to seek to remove that item of traffic from the slot. In a default mode of operation, the ring interconnect is arranged to allow all of the slots to be available for transfer of any items of traffic. Special slot management circuitry is provided that is responsive to a throughput alert trigger indicating a potential for occurrence of a throughput inhibiting condition, to cause a slot amongst the plurality of slots to be reserved as a special slot that is constrained for use only when one or more determined conditions are met. Further, the one or more determined conditions are arranged to cause the special slot to be used in a manner that seeks to avoid the throughput inhibiting condition arising.

Systems and methods distributing data within a network for long-term storage are provided. Confederate host computers are arranged into interconnected rings by bridging confederate host computers. Payloads are routed through the network to a respective one of the rings associated with a respective one of the ring identifiers matching the identifier of the respective data payload for storage. Preferably, the bridging confederate host computers identify a destination ring for the payloads, transmit the payload to a next confederate host computer in a current ring where an identifier for the payload matches a ring identifier for the current ring, and transmit the payload to a next confederate host computer in a connected ring where the identifier associated with the payload does not match the ring identifier for the current ring.

A communication device with an activated ring controller provided in both first and second subnetworks for data transmission in a redundantly operable communications network, which includes at least one first and one second subnetwork, which each include communication devices interconnected within a ring topology, wherein the subnetworks are interconnected via coupling line sections to which coupling communication devices are connected, where the coupling line section to which a selected coupling communication device is connected is operated as an inactive reserve coupling line section until a disruption occurs, whilst another coupling line section is operated as an active main coupling line section, where coupling communication devices connected to the main coupling line section transmit status datagrams to the selected coupling communication device which additionally include configuration information about whether the particular coupling communication device connected to the main coupling line section is an activatable ring controller.

An information obtaining unit (53) of a monitoring apparatus (40) obtains from each node, topology map information created in each node by an exchange of information and sharing of information between nodes that belong to a ring network. The topology map information is information that indicates a connection relation between the nodes in the ring network. A topology comparison unit (54) of the monitoring apparatus (40) compares the topology map information obtained from each node by the information obtaining unit (53) with topology definition information retained in a memory (42) beforehand, and determines whether or not a configuration of the ring network is according to design. The topology definition information is information that defines the connection relation between the nodes in the ring network.

A co-packaged, multiplane network includes: an enclosure; a portion of a first network plane disposed within the enclosure and comprising a first plurality of interconnected switches; a portion of a second network plane disposed within the enclosure and comprising a second plurality of interconnected switches, the second network plane being independent of the first network plane and having the same topology as the first network plane; and a plurality of connectors, each connector being communicatively coupled to a respective port of each of the first plurality of interconnected switches and the second plurality of interconnected switches.