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RTSS connects to an Ethernet PHY through the Reduced Gigabit Media Independent Interface (RGMII) Ethernet interface, which is exposed through an RJ45 connector. RTSS Ethernet provides the following advantages:
  • Provides a standard networking interface for real-time safety applications.
  • Integrates with the FreeRTOS Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) network stack, which enables applications to use a familiar socket-based networking model.

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Ethernet features

The RTSS Ethernet interface provides the following features:
  • Supports link speeds of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps).
  • Supports auto-negotiation of speed and duplex modes with external link partners.
  • Provides a TCP and UDP network stack with support for higher-layer application protocols.

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Ethernet architecture

The software stack runs inside RTSS and connects to the Ethernet hardware over the RGMII interface. Safety applications exchange data through the FreeRTOS network stack, which uses Ethernet drivers to transfer frames between the network stack and connected Ethernet devices. The following figure shows the high-level Ethernet architecture for RTSS: Image RTSS Ethernet high-level architecture The data path includes the following layers:
  • Safety applications—Real-time applications that send and receive network data through the network stack.
  • FreeRTOS network stack—Provides networking APIs and protocol handling for safety applications.
  • Ethernet drivers—Manage the on-SoC Ethernet MAC (EMAC) and transfer frames between the network stack and hardware.
  • PHY driver—Configures and monitors the Ethernet PHY, including link state, speed, and duplex, over the MDIO management interface.
  • Ethernet hardware—Includes the on-SoC EMAC, Ethernet PHY, and RJ45 connector, which provide the physical network interface and are managed by the SoC Ethernet drivers.

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Verify and debug Ethernet interface

The RTSS FreeRTOS shell includes the nw command set for verifying network connectivity from the target. For information about verifying and debugging the Ethernet interface, see Ethernet test commands.