Cloud-based TSN Stream Identification: The First Step for TSN Standards in Clouds

The IEEE 802.1 Time-sensitive Networking (TSN) standards enable deterministic and low-latency communication over pervasive Layer-2 Ethernet networks. TSN standards support native coexistence with other Layer-2 standards through the TSN stream identification function. The emergence of Cloud-based TSN endpoints (e.g., industrial Programmable Logic Controllers) creates a gap of no end-to-end guarantee on the communication determinism or reliability between the physical TSN end stations and cloud-based TSN endpoints. Therefore, the cloudification of TSN standards is required to restore end-to-end, time-sensitive, and reliable communication. This article first investigates various alternatives for implementing TSN stream identification in cloud environments to pave the way towards more TSN standards cloudification. Then, it experimentally evaluates the performance of three different alternatives: host-based, container-based, and Open virtual Switch (OvS)-based TSN streams identification. The results show that OvS-based TSN stream identification outperforms the host-based and container-based alternative in four metrics: CPU usage, round-trip-time, packet loss, and maximum achievable throughput.