Ethernet networks are promising for the harmonization of the communication technologies in manufacturing automation but they have not been specifically intended for industrial control applications. Investigations have thus become necessary to evaluate their performance. Most analysis approaches use probabilistic models to validate the system's behavior. However, if the deterministic behavior of a system needs to be ensured exhaustively, formal verification techniques, like model-checking are more appropriate. Unfortunately the state-space explosion problem constitutes a serious obstacle. Considering a real-time Ethernet network as a case-study, this paper describes sophisticated modeling-techniques, which help to alleviate the state-space explosion, for the timed model-checker Uppaal.      «

Ethernet networks are promising for the harmonization of the communication technologies in manufacturing automation but they have not been specifically intended for industrial control applications. Investigations have thus become necessary to evaluate their performance. Most analysis approaches use probabilistic models to validate the system's behavior. However, if the deterministic behavior of a system needs to be ensured exhaustively, formal verification techniques, like model-checking are mor...     »