Replicated Memory for Industrial and Real-Time Systems

Today, in the era of rapid automation, real-time data collection and transmission is essential to the function of various systems and applications even the shortest delays are not acceptable as they can cause errors and interruptions of other processes.   Complex industrial automation applications operating in parallel exchange real time data constantly and the data must be available on all systems with the least amount of latency possible to achieve uninterruptible operations.   

All of this increases the market demand for high-speed, low latency memory networks capable of supporting real-time systems with strict performance requirements. Communication technologies that are commonly used in industrial systems, such as Ethernet and Fiber Channel, aren’t able to satisfy these requirements. Replicated memory is one solution to this problem that we at Tauro Technologies would like to present to you today. 

What is Replicated Memory 

Replicated memory is a technology that allows you to build hardware accelerated shared memory networks able to communicate data between independent systems deterministically, with high speed and low latency. Replicated memory networks, which consist of a number of replicated memory devices connected together (usually with fiber optic cables) in a ring topology, allow organizations to build complex real-time systems where all the parts of the system are able to acquire data and write it to local memory, while sharing it with the systems connected to the replicated memory network. This way, each device in a replicated memory network has a local up-to-date copy of all the data that needs to be shared among the systems. 

Developed in the 1980s and originally used for VME systems, replicated memory networks are getting increasingly popular for various applications where highly deterministic data communications with timed performance, simple implementation and low software overhead are required. Applications include distributed control systems, simulators, and other comprehensive computer systems where real-time communication is top priority. 

How Replicated Memory Works

As you may know, traditional shared memory networks consist of several individual systems accessing a single centralized memory block. The key distinctive feature of replicated memory networks is the fact that an independent copy of the entire memory block is placed in each system component attached to such a network separately. Each component of the system has full rights to access and update this memory block in real time. 

Replicated memory networks consist of memory boards, also known as nodes, equipped with local memory, which is simultaneously synchronized with other nodes across the network. Local processors of individual memory boards access and read this information, allowing each part of the system to have up-to-date local copies of the shared memory.    

Replicated memory solutions produced by Tauro Technologies can be used in various computer architectures, including PCIe, VME, PMC and XMC, as well as custom proprietary systems. Replicated Memory by Tauro Technologies provides a ring-structured network for data insertion with 10Gbit/sec transmission rate and as low as 1us latency per node. Inherent to the architecture, such networks can be easily implemented on top of diverse hardware platforms running different operating systems.

Benefits of Using Replicated Memory Networks 

We already mentioned several strengths of replicated memory systems. Let’s now try to summarize all the key benefits of this technology and the reasons to utilize it. 

1. Low latency.

Low latency is one of the key advantages of replicated memory networks. As mentioned above, solutions by Tauro Technologies can achieve as low as 1us latency per node. It means that it only takes about 1 microsecond for each computer in the network to receive an up-to-date copy of the updated memory slice. The latency can slightly increase depending on the network traffic, but would still remain extremely low compared to other communication technologies. 

2. High speed. 

The ability to support even the most demanding real-time high-speed communications is another key feature, making replicated memory systems indispensable for those solutions where such a quality is decisive. 

3. Simple implementation. 

Replicated memory systems are also very easy to implement. They can work with any operating system (Windows, Linux and VxWorks, etc.) or processor, and each replicated memory network node has its own local copy of the data, which always mirrors other copies on the network. 

4. Flexibility. 

Finally, replicated memory systems are incredibly flexible. They can be connected to various computers and bus structures, including standard platforms and custom solutions, support large separation distances between work nodes (range between nodes can be up to 10 km), and require easy to use software. 

Applications of Replicated Memory 

We would also like to shed some light on the most common applications of replicated memory systems. As we mentioned in the beginning, with rapid development of new technologies, such as AI, IoT, Big data, etc., and their implementation in real life, the demand for replicated memory solutions is growing, and this technology gets new additional applications every year. 

• Business processes automation

Automation platforms of various kinds, which are getting increasingly popular across industries, is one example of systems that can utilize a replicated memory network with great benefit as such platforms typically require deterministic data transfers, high speed and, most importantly, real-time updates. 

• Simulations. 

Complex technical simulations, such as various military equipment simulators, flight and aerospace simulators, construction industry simulators, etc., is one of the original applications of replicatedmemory systems. As low latency, determinism and real-time data integration among all systems are crucial for such simulations, reflecting memory fits them perfectly. 

• Data collection and analysis solutions. 

Smart data collection and analysis is another rising trend of today, and replicated memory networks are often perceived as the best choice due to their high flexibility and ease of integration. 

• Industrial automation. 

Finally, organizations implementing industrial automation systems of various kinds with specific requirements for low latency and high performance are among the most frequent users of replicated memory systems. 

Replicated memory is best applied in the following industries: 

• Metallurgy (aluminum or steel rolling),

• Communications (networking service providers, wireless carriers, cable operators),

• Electronics and machinery manufacturing, 

• Test and measurement sector (manufacturing processes measurement equipment). 

Summary 

Replicated memory is an advanced solution that can be a perfect match for various applications that require almost no network latency, high performance, and real-time communication as top priority. 

Tauro Technologies delivers innovative Replicated memory solutions for all kinds of applications across industries. We are able to develop and implement custom replicated memory-based solutions to perfectly match the needs and requirements of each individual customer. 

Interested to know more? Get in touch with us for details.