A first qualitative evaluation of star replication schemes for FTT-CAN

Highly dependable distributed embedded systems (DES) have traditionally been developed using static approaches, i.e., assuming a mostly constant environment. However, the little flexibility of such approaches does not allow continuous operation under dynamic environments. The Flexible Time-Triggered (FTT) communication paradigm is a promising approach to introduce the required flexibility. However, for continuous operation reliability is also crucial. Replicated star topologies are particularly well-suited to provide an increased reliability. Nevertheless, for FTT-CAN, the implementation of FTT for CAN, no replicated star topology that takes advantage of FTT-CAN's features to increase reliability and error containment exists. This paper discusses important design questions that need to be solved to create such a novel solution.