Applicability of Software Defined Networking in industrial Ethernet

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a hot topic in high speed networking. The paper shows how SDN could be applied in industrial networks to enhance system stability and allow simpler life-cycle management. An overview on current state of the art in SDN is given and after the possible connection points and interfaces to industrial Ethernet is given. The gain with applying SDN is supported with examples, where current industrial efforts combined with SDN concepts would lead to a positive result.