Apart from the large backward compatibility, the second conceivable improvement compared with classical fieldbus technology is that despite all proprietary modifications, Ethernet and, to a large extent, also the IP suite are being recognized
as a technological basis for the new generation of industrial communication systems. All approaches allow for a standard TCP/UDP/IP communication channel in parallel to process data communication. Even the real-time Ethernet solutions (such as
PROFINET, Ethernet Powerlink, EtherCAT, etc.) have such a conventional channel for configuration purposes. The separation of real- and nonreal-time traffic is accomplished on an Ethernet MAC level with prioritization or time-division
multiple-access (TDMA) schemes, together with appropriate
bandwidth allocation strategies such as time-slotting mechanisms or token passing.