A new OS for automation

One of the reasons - apart from pigheadedness - for the continuing existence of traditional fieldbuses is the lack of determinism in ethernet networking. Even industrial variants rarely show the reliability required by extremely timing-critical systems. There are ways to overcome this, e.g. by tweaking networking protocols and fine-tuning software. A wholly deterministic and specialized operating system could do the trick as well.

That's just what Belden promises with HiOS, the new operating system for its Hirschmann switches. In addition to management and diagnostic functions, HiOS is supposed to provide precise time synchronization compliant with IEEE 1588v2 plus a variety of redundancy protocols. With zero switchover times, the PRP (Parallel Redundancy Protocol) and HSR (High-Availability Seamless Redundancy) redundancy methods ensure smooth production processes. Comprehensive security mechanisms protect your network against attacks and operating errors, so also contributing to high network availability.

HiOS is currently available in two Layer 2 versions, with a Layer 3 version under development. Supported by both the Standard and Advanced versions, management protocols include Telnet, SSHv2, HTTP, HTTPS, TFTP, SFTP, and SNMP v1/v2/v3. In addition to PRP und HSR, redundancy protocols also include MRP (Media Redundancy Protocol), Fast MRP, and RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol).

The security mechanisms provided by both Layer 2 versions of the operating system comprise MAC-based Port Security, Authentication (IEEE802.1x), Guest/unauthenticated VLAN, Radius Client, Restricted Management Access, Local User Accounts, various Privilege Levels, Management Authentication via Radius, Account Locking, configurable Password Policy and Login Attempts, Audit Trail, CLI/SNMP Logging, and HTTPS-certified Management.

Users opting for the Advanced version also obtain QoS functions (Quality of Service) such as DiffServ, VLAN extensions, and security mechanisms such as Access Control List (ACL) and IEEE802.1x Multi Client Authentication. Both Layer 2 operating system versions can currently be used with switches belonging to the RSP, EES and MSP series.