Heterogeneous and dependable networks in industry – A survey

The real and effective ground of all new concepts dedicated to the current advanced factories, as well as to the future digital ones, is close cooperativity of scattered applications in highly heterogeneous systems. Communication is the key enabling component, and all new approaches are inspired in practice to the demanding characteristics of industrial networks. These kinds of computer networks, together with new technologies derived from distant application fields, are the main technological means to accelerate the fast evolution of modern factory systems. Due to various communication requirements coming from the plurality of structures, components and application contexts, communication subsystems must be increasingly heterogeneous. Let us say clearly: this evolution cannot be stopped at this stage, no special universal solution is possible, and thinking about monogamous networking is a kind of dreamland. This paper is an analysis of the state of the art in the matter of heterogeneous networking in industry. It deeply investigates both wired and wireless technologies from the point of view of technological aspects and relevant key performance indicators, such as those related to dependability, and it contains a prospective estimation of future trends.