System and method for interoperability between multiple networks

1. A system for interoperating between a time-sensitive (TS) network and a non-time-sensitive (NTS) network, the system comprising:

a TS network switch, comprising a first functional unit coupled to a plurality of ports, wherein a first port of the plurality of ports is configured to couple to an NTS node of the NTS network; and

a TS network interface controller (NIC), wherein the TS NIC is configured to couple to a second port of the plurality of ports of the TS network switch, wherein the TS NIC comprises:

a second functional unit;

a third port, coupled to the second functional unit;

a plurality of NTS receive packet queues, coupled to the second functional unit and the third port, configured to store received packets from respective NTS networks, wherein a first NTS receive packet queue corresponds to the NTS network; and

a corresponding plurality of NTS transmit packet queues, coupled to the second functional unit and the third port, configured to store packets received from a device coupled to the TS NIC for the respective NTS networks, wherein a first NTS transmit packet queue corresponds to the NTS network;

wherein the first functional unit is configured to:

insert a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag indicating the NTS network into each NTS packet received from the NTS network by the first port before routing each NTS packet to one or more other ports of the plurality of ports in the TS network switch, thereby generating tagged NTS packets;

remove the VLAN tag from each received VLAN tagged NTS packet before forwarding, via the first port, each received VLAN tagged NTS packet to the NTS node;

receive, via the second port, one or more of the tagged NTS packets from the first port and forward, via the second port, the one or more tagged NTS packets to the TS NIC; and

receive, via the second port, tagged NTS packets from the TS NIC and route tagged NTS packets to the first port;

wherein the second functional unit is configured to:

queue tagged NTS packets received via the third port in the first NTS receive packet queue for subsequent provision to the device coupled to the TS NIC; and

queue NTS packets received from the device coupled to the TS NIC in the first NTS transmit packet queue and insert the VLAN tag indicating the NTS network into each NTS packet received from the first NTS transmit packet queue before forwarding, via the third port, each NTS packet to the second port, thereby generating tagged NTS packets.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a TS network node comprises:

the TS NIC.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein a TS network node comprises:

the TS network switch; and

the TS NIC.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the TS network node is configured as a bridge between the TS network and the NTS network.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the system further comprises:

one or more additional TS network nodes, each comprising a respective TS network switch and TS NIC, wherein the TS network node and the one or more additional TS network nodes comprise a plurality of TS network nodes; and

wherein each TS network node of the plurality of TS network nodes is configured as a bridge between the TS network and a respective NTS network, thereby allowing interoperability between the TS network and a plurality of NTS networks.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein another one or more other ports of the plurality of ports of the TS network switch are each configured to:

couple to a corresponding other NTS network via a respective NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network, wherein the first functional unit is further configured to:

insert a VLAN tag into each NTS packet received by each of the another one or more other ports from the NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network before routing each NTS packet to one or more ports of the plurality of ports in the TS network switch, wherein the VLAN tag indicates the respective NTS network, thereby generating tagged NTS packets; and

remove the VLAN tag from received VLAN tagged NTS packets before forwarding, via each of the another one or more other ports, each of the received VLAN tagged NTS packets to the respective NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network.

7. A method for interoperating between a time-sensitive (TS) network and a non-time-sensitive (NTS) network, the method comprising:

configuring a TS network switch, comprising a plurality of ports and a first functional unit coupled to the plurality of ports, wherein said configuring comprises:

configuring a first port of the plurality of ports to couple to an NTS node of the NTS network; and

configuring a second port of the plurality of ports to couple to a TS network interface controller (NIC); and

configuring the first functional unit to:

insert a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag indicating the NTS network into each NTS packet received from the NTS network by the first port before routing each NTS packet to one or more other ports of the plurality of ports in the TS network switch, thereby generating tagged NTS packets; and

remove the VLAN tag from each received VLAN tagged NTS packet before forwarding, via the first port, each received VLAN tagged NTS packet to the NTS node;

receive one or more of the tagged NTS packets from the first port and forward, via the second port, the one or more tagged NTS packets to the TS NIC; and

receive, by the second port, tagged NTS packets from the TS NIC and route tagged NTS packets to the first port; and

configuring the TS NIC, wherein the TS NIC comprises:

a second functional unit;

a third port, coupled to the second functional unit;

a plurality of NTS receive packet queues, coupled to the second functional unit and the third port, configured to store received packets from respective NTS networks, wherein a first NTS receive packet queue corresponds to the NTS network; and

a corresponding plurality of NTS transmit packet queues, coupled to the second functional unit and the third port, configured to store packets received from a device coupled to the TS NIC for the respective NTS networks, wherein a first NTS transmit packet queue corresponds to the NTS network; and

wherein said configuring the TS NIC comprises:

configuring the second functional unit to:

queue tagged NTS packets received via the third port in the first NTS receive packet queue for subsequent provision to the device coupled to the TS NIC; and

queue NTS packets received from the device coupled to the TS NIC in the first NTS transmit packet queue and insert the VLAN tag indicating the NTS network into each NTS packet received from the first NTS transmit packet queue before forwarding, via the third port, each NTS packet to the second port, thereby generating tagged NTS packets.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

the first functional unit performing:

inserting the VLAN tag indicating the NTS network into each NTS packet received by the first port from the NTS network before routing each NTS packet to one or more other ports of the plurality of ports in the TS network switch, thereby generating tagged NTS packets; and

removing the VLAN tag from each received VLAN tagged NTS packet by the first port before forwarding each received VLAN tagged NTS packet to the NTS node;

receiving one or more of the tagged NTS packets from the first port and forwarding, via the second port, the one or more tagged NTS packets to the TS NIC; and

receiving, by the second port, tagged NTS packets from the TS NIC and routing tagged NTS packets to the first port; and

the second functional unit performing:

queuing tagged NTS packets received via the third port in the first NTS receive packet queue for subsequent provision to the device coupled to the TS NIC; and

queuing NTS packets received from the device coupled to the TS NIC in the first NTS transmit packet queue and insert the VLAN tag indicating the NTS network into each NTS packet received from the first NTS transmit packet queue before forwarding, via the third port, each NTS packet to the second port, thereby generating tagged NTS packets.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein a TS network node comprises the TS NIC.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein a TS network node comprises:

the TS network switch; and

the TS NIC.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

configuring the TS network node as a bridge between the TS network and the NTS network.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the TS network node and one or more additional TS network nodes, each comprising a respective TS network switch and TS NIC, comprise a plurality of TS network nodes, wherein the method further comprises:

configuring each TS network node of the plurality of TS network nodes as a bridge between the TS network and a respective NTS network, thereby allowing interoperability between the TS network and a plurality of NTS networks.

13. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

configuring each of another one or more other ports of the plurality of ports of the TS network switch to couple to a corresponding other NTS network via a respective NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network, wherein the first functional unit is further configured to:

insert a VLAN tag into each NTS packet received via each of the another one or more other ports from the NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network before routing each NTS packet to one or more ports of the plurality of ports in the TS network switch, wherein the VLAN tag indicates the respective NTS network, thereby generating tagged NTS packets; and

remove the VLAN tag from received VLAN tagged NTS packets before forwarding, via each of the another one or more other ports, each of the received VLAN tagged NTS packets to the respective NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

coupling each of the another one or more other ports to the corresponding other NTS network via the respective NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network; and

the first functional unit performing:

inserting a VLAN tag into each NTS packet received via each of the another one or more other ports from the NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network before routing each NTS packet to one or more ports of the plurality of ports in the TS network switch, wherein the VLAN tag indicates the respective NTS network, thereby generating tagged NTS packets; and

removing the VLAN tag from received VLAN tagged NTS packets before forwarding, via each of the another one or more other ports, each of the received VLAN tagged NTS packets to the respective NTS node of the corresponding other NTS network.

15. A time-sensitive (TS) network node for interoperating between a TS network and a non-time-sensitive (NTS) network, the TS network node comprising:

a functional unit;

a plurality of ports coupled to the functional unit, wherein a first port of the plurality of ports is configured to couple to an NTS node of the NTS network;

a plurality of NTS receive packet queues, coupled to the functional unit, and configured to store received packets from respective NTS networks, wherein a first NTS receive packet queue corresponds to the NTS network; and

a corresponding plurality of NTS transmit packet queues, coupled to the functional unit, and configured to store packets received from a device coupled to the TS NIC for the respective NTS networks, wherein a first NTS transmit packet queue corresponds to the NTS network;

wherein the functional unit is configured to:

communicate tagged NTS packets with the TS network via a second port;

insert a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag indicating the NTS network into each NTS packet received from the NTS network by the first port before routing each NTS packet to the second port, one or more other ports of the plurality of ports, or to the first NTS receive packet queue, thereby generating tagged NTS packets;

remove the VLAN tag from each VLAN tagged NTS packet received by the second port, the one or more other ports of the plurality of ports, or from the first NTS transmit packet queue before forwarding, via the first port, each received VLAN tagged NTS packet to the NTS node of the NTS network;

queue at least a subset of tagged NTS packets received by the TS network node in the first NTS receive packet queue for subsequent provision to the device coupled to the TS network node; and

queue NTS packets received from the device coupled to the TS network node in the first NTS transmit packet queue and insert the VLAN tag indicating the NTS network into each NTS packet queued in the first NTS transmit packet queue before forwarding each NTS packet to the first port, thereby generating tagged NTS packets.