ETHERNET • 133Network Architecture – Principles and RegulationsWAGO-I/O-SYSTEM 750ETHERNET TCP/IPDeterministic ETHERNETThe TCP/IP software or the user program in each subscriber can limittransmittable messages to make it possible to determine real-timerequirements. At the same time the maximum medium message rate(datagram per second), the maximum medium duration of a message, andthe minimum time interval between the messages (waiting time of thesubscriber) is limited.Therefore, the delay time of a message is predictable.Switched ETHERNETIn the case of Switched Ethernet, several fieldbus nodes are connected by aswitch. When data from a network segment reaches the switch, it saves thedata and checks for the segment and the node to which this data is to be sent.The message is then only sent to the node with the correct target address.This reduces the data traffic over the network, extends the bandwidth andprevents collisions. The runtimes can be defined and calculated, making theSwitched Ethernet deterministic.Fig. 5-7: Principle of Switched ETHERNET G012909e