Flexibilis Redundant Switch (FRS) reference design is now available for Altera Cyclone V SoC. In Cyclone V SoC, the HSR/PRP Supervision protocol is integrated on one ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor running Linux. The implementation includes a graphic user interface that can be used to monitor the traffic and other nodes.

With the reference design, it is possible to evaluate and develop the SoC solution for your own system. Please download the reference design from the downloads page.

PRESS RELEASE

October 7, 2013. HSR/PRP/PTP interoperability testing was arranged in Lemgo, Germany, on September 22 – 24 as a part of ISPCS 2013. The Plugfest of ISPCS is an opportunity to resolve interoperability issues and demonstrate device and system compatibility.

Altogether 7 organizations participated to the testing event: Flexibilis, Hirschmann, Fraunhofer, Kyland, Ruggedcom, Meinberg and SoC-e. The objective was to test the interoperability between the different implementations of IEC 62439-3: HSR and PRP as well as demonstrate system-wide clock synchronization.

Three companies were accepted to the HSR ring of the final test network: Flexibilis, Hirschmann and Fraunhofer. On top of these, RuggedCom, Meinberg and Kyland took part to the PRP network. In the final test network all the devices functioned without problem.

The test was carried out by sending video stream over the HSR and PRP networks from a camera to a laptop. All the devices were also time synchronized. This type of network was tested in the ISPCS Plugfest for the first time.

The final test network for HSR/PRP and PTP.

“It is very important to test the interoperability between the different vendors to ensure easy implementation for our customers. We are glad to see that Flexibilis’ solution has succeeded so well in this challenging area,” says Timo Koskiahde, CTO of Flexibilis.

About Flexibilis

Flexibilis focuses on critical communication and develops solutions based on FPGA technology. The main business is licensing of IP cores for device manufacturers. Flexibilis also offers FPGA and software design services for domestic and international customers. The most important product is the Flexibilis Redundant Switch (FRS), an IP core providing seamless redundancy with HSR and PRP.

For additional information, please visit www.flexibilis.com.

Leveraging the technologies and Intellectual Property of Altera and Flexibilis Oy, iS5Com announces their iHSR GooseEdge an intelligent High-Availability Seamless Redundancy/Parallel Redundancy Protocol Ethernet Switch. iS5Com’s HSR/PRP redundancy box (RedBox) solution enables the ultimate reliability for the IEC61850 and GOOSE messaging environments of Substation Automation with zero network recovery time in the event of a failure. In addition to supporting both High Availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR, IEC 62439-3 Clause 5) and Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP, IEC 62439-3 Clause 4) this content aware Redundancy Box ties into iS5Com’s portfolio of IEC 61850 software tools, Discovery and GooseAir, which allow utilities complete transparency into their IP and 61850 GOOSE ecosystems. Incorporating state-of-the-art features like IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) and end-to-end transparent switch functionality iS5Com’s iRB6 GooseEdge HSR/PRP Redbox is a key enabler of advanced technologies in the critical infrastructure of Smart Grid and Substation Automation.

About iS5Communications
iS5Com is an integrated service and solutions provider, designer of advanced software tools and manufacturer of intelligent, Industrial Ethernet products that are designed to be used in the harsh environments of utility sub-stations, roadside transportation, rail, and industrial applications. iS5Com’s services and products are key enablers of advanced technology implementation such as the Smart Grid, Intelligent Transportation Systems and the Intelligent Oil Field.

Read more about iHSR: http://www.is5com.com/pdf/iHSR.pdf
Please contact iS5Com for more information: http://is5com.com/contact.php

Read more about Flexibilis Redundant Switch IP Core

Alstom Grid (http://www.alstom.com/grid/) has licensed FRS IP Core (formerly known as FES-HSR) from Flexibilis. FRS is a triple-speed (10Mbps/100Mbps/1Gbps) Ethernet Layer 2 switch compatible with IEC 62439-3:2011 “Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP), High availability Seamless Ring (HSR)” and IEEE1588-2008. FRS is designed for use in programmable hardware environments (FPGA) and is freely configurable from 3-port to 8-port.

Flexibilis is participating to IEC 61850 Europe 2013 as an exhibitor. The event is going on right now in NH Hotel Prague, Czech Republic. The main subject is “Achieving Multi-Vendor Interoperability in the Implementation of IEC 61850″.

Flexibilis is presenting Flexibilis Redundant Switch (FRS) in the event. The HSR ring setup includes Moxa’s new PRP/HSR RedBox, ABB’s REF615 Relay and three Altera Cyclone V evaluation boards. Come to see us at stand 8!

Event website: http://www.iec61850-europe.com/.

Flexibilis stand in IEC 61850 Europe 2013

In cooperation with Altera and Flexibilis, Moxa will demonstrate the latest redundancy technology for substation automation and other mission-critical applications

Taipei, Taiwan, May 16, 2013—Moxa, a leading provider of industrial Ethernet solutions, will showcase the latest redundancy technology with the industry’s first integrated Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) and High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) Redundancy Box (RedBox) in Flexibilis’ booth at IEC 61850 Europe 2013. In addition, Moxa will offer qualified customers an opportunity to participate in an upcoming Alpha Testing Program to conduct a real-world application assessment of the integrated PRP/HSR RedBox.

In cooperation with Altera and Flexibilis Oy, Moxa is pleased to unveil its PRP/HSR RedBox, the newest PowerTrans redundancy solution designed for power substation automation. Moxa’s PRP/HSR RedBox solution complies with both IEC 62439-3 Clause 4 (PRP) and Clause 5 (HSR); provides hardware-based IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) under end-to-end one-step transparent clock mode, and comes with three 100/1000BaseT(X) and 100/1000BaseSFP slot combo ports. Moxa’s PRP/HSR RedBox is the ideal networking solution for mission-critical applications, such as substation automation and process automation, where zero recovery time and precise timing accuracy are required.

As a leading industrial networking provider with more than 25 years of experience in automation, Moxa offers a comprehensive portfolio of industrial Ethernet solutions. With the latest technologies designed specifically for substation automation networking, such as an integrated PRP/HSR RedBox, Noise GuardTM for zero-packet-loss EMC immunity, built-in MMS Server, and fiber DDM, Moxa offers industry-leading solutions to ensure maximum substation network availability and reliability.

For inquiries regarding the PRP/HSR RedBox Alpha Testing Program, please contact Jack Lin (product manager) at Jack.Lin@moxa.com.

To learn more about Moxa’s power substation automation solutions, please visit: www.moxa.com/solutions/substation

About Moxa: Your Trusted Partner in Automation
Moxa is a leading manufacturer of industrial networking, computing, and automation solutions. With over 25 years of industry experience, Moxa has connected more than 30 million devices worldwide and has a distribution and service network that reaches customers in more than 70 countries. Moxa delivers lasting business value by empowering industry with reliable networks and sincere service for automation systems. Information about Moxa’s solutions is available at www.moxa.com. You may also contact Moxa by email at info@moxa.com.

About Flexibilis
Flexibilis focuses on critical communication and develops precise, reliable, and secure solutions based on FPGA technology. The main business is licensing of intellectual property (IP) cores for device manufacturers. Flexibilis is the leading provider of redundant Ethernet solutions. The most important product is theFlexibilis Redundant Switch (FRS), an IP core with HSR/PRP, 1Gbps speed and up to 8-port configuration. More information on www.flexibilis.com.

Please see the press release as pdf.

An updated version of Flexibilis Redundant Switch (FRS) was released today. This new release has some significant improvements:

FRS is now compatible with QSYS, Altera’s graphical system integration tool. This means that customers can make their own FPGA design by using a graphical user interface – there is no need to write VHDL code. Other new features include Avalon interface for FRS.

Also the evaluation instructions and reference design were updated. You can download the new versions from here: https://www.flexibilis.com/products/downloads

“Getting Started with FRS” is a new training package directed to those who plan to implement Flexibilis Redundant Switch (FRS) and HSR, PRP or IEEE 1588. The training will give a head start – it will decrease time-to-market significantly. It will also reduce the technical risk related to the project and make the implementation of FRS smoother.

The training consists of three separate modules. Each module includes an online session of about 1-3 hours. As a part of the training, your design will be reviewed by a team of FPGA and HW experts.

For more information on the training and different modules, please see https://www.flexibilis.com/consulting/ .

Flexibilis participated to the Embedded World Exhibition & Conference that was held 26-28 February 2013 in Nuremberg, Germany. Flexibilis presented their Cyclone V SoC solution there. In the first picture, you can see the whole setup that Flexibilis had in the event. In addition to the FPGAs, web camera and a laptop, also a traffic generator and analyzer was connected to the HSR network.

The second picture gives a glimpse of the user interface that can be used to monitor the traffic and other nodes. The user interface is running on a web server on the SoC board.

This HSR solution is Flexibilis Redundant Switch. Thanks for everyone who visited the Flexibilis stand!

Flexibilis Oy and Altera Corporation today announce their collaboration to provide FPGA-based HSR/PRP solution, the Flexibilis Redundant Switch (FRS). FRS is a triple-speed (10Mbps/100Mbps/1Gbps) Ethernet Layer-2 switch that supports High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR), Parallel Redundancy Protocol and is compliant with the IEC 62439-3 standard. FRS also includes IEEE1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) transparent clock functionality.

Altera and Flexibilis provide an easy and cost-effective way to implement the Flexibilis Redundant Switch with no upfront licensing fees, no per-unit royalty reporting and no license negotiations. The Flexibilis Redundant Switch can be easily implemented on an Altera FPGA and is fully compliance tested on the Altera Cyclone® family.

Please see Altera’s press release. The Flexibilis Redundant Switch IP Core can be downloaded from the Altera webpage http://www.altera.com/smartgrid.

For more information on FRS, please see the product brief and the FRS information page.