Addressing the Challenges Created by Large Networked Ethernet FTI Systems

As Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI) systems move away from traditional PCM towards Ethernet [1], a whole new set of system level considerations must be taken into account. This is particularly true when these systems consist of dozens of data acquisition systems (DAUs) and multiple layers of switches. This paper discusses the challenges presented by very large Ethernet based systems and the methodologies developed to address these during a recent application.