Patent ID: 9674032
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A real-time distributed network module arranged to provide an interface between a master application and a real-time distributed network; the real-time distributed network module comprising: a first communications component arranged to transmit and receive real-time distributed network data over at least a first real-time distributed network connection; a first further communications component arranged to transmit and receive real-time distributed network data over a further real-time distributed network connection; a master application interface component arranged to provide an interface to the master application; and a configuration component arranged to perform mapping of communication channels between the first communications component, the first further communications component and the master application interface component; wherein the configuration component is further arranged to determine whether propagation delays have been measured for all communication components, to set an open network configuration if the propagation delays for all of the communication components have not been measured, to set a favored network configuration if the propagation delays for all of the communication components have not been measured, to perform dynamic remapping of the communication channels between the first communications component, the first further communications component and the master application interface, upon detection of a link failure in between the first further communications component and a second further communications component within the real-time distributed network, wherein the first communications component and the first further communications component are selectively configurable to process data frames in a transmit direction and a receive direction, the first further communications component further arranged to loop back a first data frame to the first communications component in response to the link failure, and further arranged to set a re-circulate bit within the first data frame, wherein the dynamic remapping of the communication channels is performed in response to the configuration component detected that the re-circulate bit is set.