Substation automation system with dynamic multicast filter

1. A substation automation system for operating a high or medium voltage substation of an electric power transmission or distribution network, the substation automation system comprising:

a bus system and a multitude of secondary devices;

wherein each of the multitude of secondary devices

is adapted to at least one of send and receive multicast messages via the bus system,

includes a processor adapted to execute an application stored in a non-transitory memory to operate a primary device of the substation automation system,

includes a packet filter integrated circuit adapted to select multicast messages, based on a rule of the packet filter integrated circuit, and to forward the selected multicast messages from the bus system towards the application executed by the processor;

wherein the processor is adapted to execute rule adaptor instructions to dynamically adapt the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit during runtime of the substation automation system in case of a change in multicast packet needs of the application, the rule adaptor instructions being adapted to determine an identifier used by the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit to identify and forward the selected multicast messages, the identifier being determined from a Substation Configuration Description (SCD) of the substation automation system; and

wherein the adaptation of the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit during runtime of the substation automation system is effective to identify and forward the selected multicast messages which are currently needed by the application executed by the processor;

wherein the adaptation of the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit during runtime of the substation automation system is effective to reduce the processing load imposed on the processor by limiting the identification and the forwarding to only the selected multicast messages which are currently needed by the application executed by the processor;

wherein a secondary device, which sends a multicast packet, is adapted to write an identifier in a header field of the multicast packet, and wherein the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit involves said identifier.

2. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the packet filter integrated circuit comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

3. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit is implemented at a hardware level of a protocol stack of the secondary device.

4. A method of adapting rules in a packet filter integrated circuit of a secondary device of a substation automation system for operating a high or medium voltage substation of an electric power transmission or distribution network, the substation automation system including a bus system and a multitude of secondary devices each adapted to at least one of send and receive multicast messages via the bus system, the method comprising:

executing, with a processor of a secondary device of the multitude of secondary devices, an application stored in a non-transitory memory to operate a primary device of the substation automation system;

selecting with a packet filter integrated circuit multicast messages received by said secondary device based on a rule of the packet filter integrated circuit;

forwarding with the packet filter integrated circuit the selected multicast messages from the bus system towards the application executed by the processor; and

executing with the processor a rule adaptor instruction to dynamically adapt the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit during runtime of the substation automation system in response to a change in multicast packet needs of the application, the rule adaptor instruction being adapted to determine an identifier used by the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit to identify and forward the selected multicast messages, the identifier being determined from a Substation Configuration Description (SCD) of the substation automation system;

wherein the adaptation of the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit during runtime of the substation automation system is effective to identify and forward the selected multicast messages which are currently needed by the application executed by the processor,

the adaptation of the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit during runtime of the substation automation system is effective to reduce the processing load imposed on the processor by limiting the identification and the forwarding to only the selected multicast messages which are currently needed by the application executed by the processor, and

the acts of selecting and forwarding with the packet filter integrated circuit are adapted to utilize an identifier in a header field of the selected multicast packet, and wherein the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit involves said identifier.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the adaptation of the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit comprises adapting the rule in a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit is implemented at a hardware level of a protocol stack of the secondary device.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured with instructions executable by a processor of a secondary device of a substation automation system for operating a high or medium voltage substation of an electric power transmission or distribution network, the instructions executable to perform a plurality of acts comprising:

executing an application on the processor to operate a primary device of the substation automation system;

executing a rule adaptor instruction on the processor to dynamically adapt a packet filter rule during runtime of the substation automation system in response to a change in multicast packet needs of the application, execution of the rule adaptor instruction providing an identifier indicating a current multicast packet need of the application, the identifier being determined from a Substation Configuration Description (SCD) of the substation automation system;

providing the adapted packet filter rule from the processor to a packet filter integrated circuit of the secondary device; and

receiving with the processor a multicast message selected by the packet filter integrated circuit based upon the adapted packet filter rule and forwarded by the packet filter integrated circuit from a bus system toward the application executed by the processor;

wherein the adaptation of the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit during runtime of the substation automation system is effective to identify and forward the selected multicast message which is currently needed by the application executed by the processor;

wherein the adaptation of the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit during runtime of the substation automation system is effective to reduce the processing load imposed on the processor by limiting the identification and the forwarding to only the selected multicast messages which are currently needed by the application executed by the processor;

wherein the adapted packet filter rule utilizes an identifier which is written into a header filed of the selected multicast message by a sending device which sends selected multicast message.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein the packet filter integrated circuit comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and the rule adaptor instruction is configured to adapt the rule in the FPGA.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein the rule of the packet filter integrated circuit is implemented at a hardware level of a protocol stack of the secondary device.