An Analysis of the Most Appropriate Aerospace Use Cases for Various Deterministic Ethernet Technologies

Abstract:
When surveying the current landscape of Deterministic Ethernet avionics solutions in the aerospace industry, the three main technologies in the market are ARINC 664 part 7 rate-constrained Ethernet (commonly known by its trademark name "AFDX®"), TTEthernet (which combines ARINC 664 part 7 with Best-Effort Ethernet, while adding a new class of synchronous determinism defined in SAE AS6802 [Time-Triggered Ethernet]), and IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN). No single deterministic Ethernet technology optimally satisfies certification, MOSA, and lifecycle goals across all avionics domains. Instead, successful digital backbones require intentional partitioning of responsibilities across technologies. This paper will seek to identify a number of those considerations and provide guidance on which technologies offer the best fit. After first opening with an explanation of the market forces driving the trends towards these technologies, this paper will delve into a short outline of each of these Ethernet standards. Following that, this paper will compare a variety of characteristics of each of the above Ethernet technologies pertaining to certifiability, MOSA conformance for DoD use cases, and supply chain considerations. Finally, the paper will synthesize those comparisons into a number of recommendations regarding the most appropriate uses for each Ethernet technology.

Did you attend Forum 82? Click the preview below to access the full paper.