Patent ID: 11917027
Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A method for providing time-critical services which each comprise at least one server component formed by a software container which executes, isolated from other software containers or container groups, within a sequence control environment on a host operating system of a server device, the sequence control environment comprising a virtual switch and the software containers each utilizing, jointly with other software containers running on the respective server device, a kernel of the host operating system of the server device, the method comprising:
providing availability of a virtual IP stack which is connected to the virtual switch for each of server component, the services additionally each comprising a directory service component formed via a separate software container to ascertain services provided within the sequence control environment, and the directory service components being interconnected via a communication interface which is separated from the virtual switch and the virtual IP stacks of the server components and forming a side channel for communication between the server components and the sequence control environment;
connecting an aggregator component formed via a further software container to the separated communication interface, said aggregator component making information regarding the services provided via the server components available outside the sequence control environment;
comparing, by the directory service components, information regarding respectively ascertained services at least one of (i) with one another and (ii) with the aggregator component;
providing, by the aggregator component, the compared information outside the sequence control environment; and
providing availability of a virtual IP stack which is connected to the virtual IP switch for the aggregator component.