The Avnu Alliance announced June 19 that its new Component Certification program will allow industrial, automotive, Pro Audio Visual (ProAV) and other devices to benefit from enhanced time synchronization, bounded latency and reliability. The program is reported to be the first to certify capabilities relating to time-sensitive networking (TSN), specifically IEEE 802.1.
By obtaining certification, manufacturers in multiple markets can ensure their components comply with core TSN standards, facilitating greater interoperability, while mitigating integration issues during deployments. The program is supported by industrial networking, computing and automation suppliers, including Intel, Texas Instruments, NXP Semiconductors, Analog Devices, Moxa and Keysight Technologies.
“We’re delighted to launch this first-ever Component Certification program,” says Dave Cavalcanti, president of the Avnu Alliance. “Its profile-agnostic nature will help ensure conformance with TSN standards, enable seamless integration of compliant components from multiple vendors and industries, and meet demand for greater interoperability and standards-based converged networks.”
Avnu Alliance reports that businesses are increasingly turning to converged networks for integrating their information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) departments. In time-critical applications, where data needs to be delivered reliably and with bounded latency, TSN can enable the co-existence of different types of traffic on the same network. For these devices to be successfully deployed and managed, interoperability and conformance with the IEEE SA-defined TSN standards are essential.
The Component Certification program initially focuses on core standards for timing and synchronization for time-sensitive applications (802.1AS), and enhancements for scheduled traffic (EST). It’s set to expand and cover interspersed express traffic (IET) and forwarding and queuing of time-sensitive streams (FQTSS) later this year.
The program was designed to enable adoption of converged networking. By certifying their products, suppliers can ensure their TSN-capable products will meet market demands. Users will also benefit from larger selections of certified, off-the-shelf devices, which can be integrated in their networks without disrupting operations.