Software defined networks in industrial automation

Trends such as the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 have increased the need to use new and innovative network technologies in industrial automation. The growth of industrial automation communications is an outcome of the shift to harness the productivity and efficiency of manufacturing and process automation with a minimum of human intervention. Due to the ongoing evolution of industrial networks from Fieldbus technologies to Ethernet, a new opportunity has emerged to harness the benefits of Software Defined Networking (SDN). In this paper, we provide a brief overview of SDN in the industrial automation domain and propose a network architecture called the Software Defined Industrial Automation Network (SDIAN), with the objective of improving network scalability and efficiency. To match the specific considerations and requirements of having a deterministic system in an industrial network, we propose two solutions for flow creation: the Pro-active Flow Installation Scheme and the Hybrid Flow Installation Scheme. We analytically quantify the proposed solutions that alleviate the overhead incurred from the flow setup. The analytical model is verified using Monte Carlo simulations. We also evaluate the SDIAN architecture and analyze the network performance of the modified topology using the Mininet emulator. We further list and motivate SDIAN features and report on an experimental food processing plant demonstration featuring Raspberry Pi as a software-defined controller instead of traditional proprietary Programmable Logic Controllers. Our demonstration exemplifies the characteristics of SDIAN

SDN4CoRE: A Simulation Model for Software-Defined Networking for Communication over Real-Time Ethernet

Ethernet has become the next standard for automotive and industrial automation networks. Standard extensions such as IEEE 802.1Q Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) have been proven to meet the real-time and robustness requirements of these environments. Augmenting the TSN switching by Software-Defined Networking functions promises additional benefits: A programming option for TSN devices can add much value to the resilience, security, and adaptivity of the environment. Network simulation allows to model highly complex networks before assembly and is an essential process for the design and validation of future networks. Still, a simulation environment that supports programmable real-time networks is missing. This paper fills the gap by sharing our simulation model for Software-Defined Networking for Communication over Real-Time Ethernet (SDN4CoRE) and present initial results in modeling programmable real-time networks. In a case study, we show that SDN4CoRE can simulate complex programmable real-time networks and allows for testing and verifying the programming of real-time devices.Comment: If you cite this paper, please use the original reference: T. H\"ackel, P. Meyer, F. Korf, and T. C. Schmidt. SDN4CoRE: A Simulation Model for Software-Defined Networking for Communication over Real-Time Ethernet. In: Proceedings of the 6th International OMNeT++ Community Summit. September, 2019, Easychai

Comparison of ZigBee Replay Attacks Using a Universal Software Radio Peripheral and USB Radio

Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks are a prevalent solution for communication among embedded devices. ZigBee is a leading network protocol stack based on the low-rate IEEE 802.15.4 standard that operates smart utility meters, residential and commercial building automation, and heath care networks. Such networks are essential, but low-rate, low-cost hardware is challenging to protect because end devices have tight limitations on hardware cost, memory use, and power consumption. KillerBee is a python-based framework for attacking ZigBee and other 802.15.4 networks that makes traffic eavesdropping, packet replay, and denial of service attacks straightforward to conduct. Recent works investigate software-defined radios as an even more versatile attack platform. Software defined radios can operate with greater flexibility and at greater transmit power than traditional network hardware. Software-defined radios also enable novel physical-layer attacks including reflexive jamming and synchronization header manipulation that are not possible with traditional hardware. This research implements a replay attack against a ZigBee device using a software defined radio. Replay attacks consist of an attacker recording legitimate traffic on a network and then replaying that traffic at will to cause malicious effects. Replay attacks can be very disruptive to operational systems, from turning valves in industrial controls systems to disarming door locks. Specifically, how software-defined radios can extend the effective attack range far beyond what is possible with hardware currently utilized by KillerBee is investigated. A software defined radio is tested with both directed and omnidirectional antennas and the effective attack range is compared to that of a USB radio. Tests are conducted both line-of-sight outdoors and through interior walls. The replay attack is implemented with beacon request frames

Real-time QoS Routing Scheme in SDN-based Robotic Cyber-Physical Systems

Industrial cyber-physical systems (CPS) have gained enormous attention of manufacturers in recent years due to their automation and cost reduction capabilities in the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0). Such an industrial network of connected cyber and physical components may consist of highly expensive components such as robots. In order to provide efficient communication in such a network, it is imperative to improve the Quality-of-Service (QoS). Software Defined Networking (SDN) has become a key technology in realizing QoS concepts in a dynamic fashion by allowing a centralized controller to program each flow with a unified interface. However, state-of-the-art solutions do not effectively use the centralized visibility of SDN to fulfill QoS requirements of such industrial networks. In this paper, we propose an SDN-based routing mechanism which attempts to improve QoS in robotic cyber-physical systems which have hard real-time requirements. We exploit the SDN capabilities to dynamically select paths based on current link parameters in order to improve the QoS in such delay-constrained networks. We verify the efficiency of the proposed approach on a realistic industrial OpenFlow topology. Our experiments reveal that the proposed approach significantly outperforms an existing delay-based routing mechanism in terms of average throughput, end-to-end delay and jitter. The proposed solution would prove to be significant for the industrial applications in robotic cyber-physical systems

Enabling Communication Technologies for Automated Unmanned Vehicles in Industry 4.0

Within the context of Industry 4.0, mobile robot systems such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are one of the major areas challenging current communication and localization technologies. Due to stringent requirements on latency and reliability, several of the existing solutions are not capable of meeting the performance required by industrial automation applications. Additionally, the disparity in types and applications of unmanned vehicle (UV) calls for more flexible communication technologies in order to address their specific requirements. In this paper, we propose several use cases for UVs within the context of Industry 4.0 and consider their respective requirements. We also identify wireless technologies that support the deployment of UVs as envisioned in Industry 4.0 scenarios.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl