- Source repository: https://github.com/rtlabs-com/p-net
- Documentation: https://rt-labs.com/docs/p-net
- Continuous integration: https://travis-ci.com/rtlabs-com/p-net
- rt-labs: https://rt-labs.com
The rt-labs Profinet stack p-net is used for Profinet device implementations. It is easy to use and provides a small footprint. It is especially well suited for embedded systems where resources are limited and efficiency is crucial.
It is written in C and can be run on bare-metal hardware, an RTOS such as rt-kernel, or on Linux. The main requirement is that the platform can send and receive raw Ethernet Layer 2 frames. The p-net stack is supplied with full sources including a porting layer.
Also C++ (any version) is supported.
rt-labs p-net is developed according to specification 2.3:
- Conformance Class A (Class B upon request)
- Real Time Class 1
Features:
- TCP/IP
- RT (real-time)
- Address resolution
- Parameterization
- Process IO data exchange
- Alarm handling
- Configurable number of modules and sub-modules
- Bare-metal or OS
- Porting layer provided
- Supports I&M0 - I&M4
Limitations or not yet implemented:
- IPv4 only
- Only a single Ethernet interface (no media redundancy)
- No startup mode legacy
- No support for RT_CLASS_UDP
- No support for DHCP
- No fast start-up
- No MC multicast device-to-device
- No iPar (parameter server) support
- No support for time synchronization
This software is dual-licensed, with GPL version 3 and a commercial license. See LICENSE.md for more details.
The platform must be able to send and receive raw Ethernet Layer 2 frames, and the Ethernet driver must be able to handle full size frames. It should also avoid copying data, for performance reasons.
- cmake 3.13 or later
For Linux:
- gcc 4.6 or later
- See the "Real-time properties of Linux" page in the documentation on how to improve Linux timing
For rt-kernel:
- Workbench 2017.1 or later
An example of microcontroller we have been using is the Infineon XMC4800, which has an ARM Cortex-M4 running at 144 MHz, with 2 MB Flash and 352 kB RAM. It runs rt-kernel, and we have tested it with 9 Profinet slots each having 8 digital inputs and 8 digital outputs (one bit each). The values are sent and received each millisecond (PLC watchdog setting 3 ms).
Contributions are welcome. If you want to contribute you will need to sign a Contributor License Agreement and send it to us either by e-mail or by physical mail. More information is available on https://rt-labs.com/contribution.