Innovative Collaboration Between Comarch and Avnu Alliance in the Realm of TSN Technology
In the rapidly evolving world of time-sensitive networking (TSN) technology, the partnership between Comarch and Avnu Alliance plays a pivotal role. Our innovative approach and commitment to developing TSN protocols have resulted in numerous achievements that enhance the quality of our products and set new directions for growth.
Introduction to Avnu Alliance and TSN technology
Avnu Alliance is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the development and certification of TSN technology. TSN consists of a suite of networking protocols designed to guarantee precise, reliable real-time data transmission, ensuring seamless operation for critical applications where delays and data loss are simply unacceptable. Avnu brings together companies from various industries, including automotive, industrial, consumer electronics and telecommunications, to collaboratively develop standards and certification programs for TSN.
Precise time synchronization and minimizing delays are crucial for manufacturers of professional audio-video systems. Equally important is the certification of devices utilizing the same protocol to ensure full compatibility and interoperability across different manufacturers. This ensures reliable collaboration and stable operation within complex networks.
Avnu Alliance also offers educational programs and workshops that help engineers and companies to understand and implement TSN technology. The organization is committed to advancing global standards like IEEE 802.1. Collaboration with other standardization bodies, such as ODVA (Open DeviceNet Vendors Association), OPC Foundation, CLPA (CC-Link Partner Association), and PROFIBUS & PROFINET International, ensures that TSN technologies meet the needs of various industries and applications.
Collaboration between Comarch and Avnu
In 2020, Comarch joined Avnu Alliance to create a certification tool for Milan, a standard developed by Avnu. Milan is an industry profile for Audio-Video Bridging (AVB) and TSN protocols1, designed specifically for professional audio and video applications. It ensures deterministic delivery of multimedia content over ethernet networks, a key factor in today’s fast-paced digital world.
The testing system developed by Comarch, called the Avnu Express Test Suite (AETS), has become a trusted tool among audio solution manufacturers. With an intuitive interface and a comprehensive functionalities, AETS simplifies configuration and testing. Advanced diagnostics allow issues to be quickly identified and resolved, significantly reducing the development time for devices that require reliability and versatility. A complete list of companies utilizing our tool can be found on the organization’s website.
Our commitment has been repeatedly acknowledged by Avnu members, as evidenced by numerous awards received by our engineers.
Awards and recognitions
Development of the Initial .1BA Bridge Certification Scripts for Release 1
This award highlights our key efforts in creating new testing scripts for AVB switches – network devices responsible for directing audio and video data streams between various devices. As part of the project, we developed an API enabling the efficient use of test scripts by different teams.
Additionally, our expert prepared a series of online training sessions detailing the process of script creation and integration. Members of the organization received individual substantive support, facilitating the implementation of test cases. Thanks to these efforts, the script creation process was streamlined, resulting in 250 high-quality developed tests.
Contribution to the Silicon Validation Task Group (SVTG)
Within the Silicon Validation Task Group (SVTG), we worked on testing scripts for the new version of the gPTP 2020 protocol2. Avnu recognized our contributions in this area by awarding us for our overall work.
As part of the project, we adapted our existing gPTP implementation to the latest version of the standard and implemented a new set of tests. Collaboration between the certification plan authors, test implementers, and equipment suppliers was crucial, especially during the project's early phases when no devices with the latest version of the standard were yet available.
Plugfest organization
Plugfests are key events for Avnu, where representatives from global companies come together to test their devices in conditions that mimic the real world. Our engineers actively support other participants during these events, providing valuable expertise. Comarch has also had the privilege of hosting Avnu members at our headquarters in Kraków for two of those events.
In addition to testing sessions, a plenary session and board meetings took place, where further development plans for the organization were discussed. You can read more about the entire event in a separate article.
Through years of collaboration with Avnu, we have gained valuable experience that has established us as an authority in the industry in the area of implementing AVB communication protocols. We continually expand our expertise and competencies, driven by our engineers' dedication and their unwavering passion for TSN technology.
We invite you to explore our technical case study, which details the projects we have undertaken in collaboration with Avnu Alliance. You can find the link to the case study here.
1 Including, among others: AVTP and MAAP (IEEE 1722), AVDECC (IEEE 1722.1), PTP (IEEE 1522), gPTP (IEEE 802.1AS), and SRP (IEEE 802.1Qat).
2 gPTP 2020 – (.1AS-2020) generalized Precision Time Protocol – is a protocol within the IEEE 802.1AS standard, developed for precise real-time data synchronization. It works by establishing a master clock, which synchronizes time with other devices in the network, compensating for delays caused by the transmission of data through switches and other devices.