Frequently Asked Questions
How do I join TIACC?
TIACC is a collaboration between Avnu, CLPA, ODVA, OPCF and PI. There is no TIACC organization to join.
How can I / my company participate in TIACC?
Companies and individuals can contribute to the collaboration via one of the participating organizations.
How is this related to IEC/IEEE 60802?
TIACC is a collaboration between organizations whose members will be implementing the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile of TSN for Industrial Automation in their products. The collaboration will not be developing the profile (i.e. there is no overlap with IEC/IEEE 60802) or the underlying TSN specs on which the profile is based (i.e. there is no overlap with IEEE 802.1’s TSN Working Group). The output from the collaboration will be a single, shared test plan against which all the participating organizations can test their products for conformance with the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile.
How will the test plan be made available to the broader Industrial Automation ecosystem?
Each participating organization will have the flexibility to use and publish the single, shared test plan as they wish. Some may choose to make it publicly available. Also, the participating organizations may submit / intend to submit the single, shared test plan to IEC 61802. The IEC group may choose to adopt it, via the usual IEC review and approval process, as an IEC specification.
When will the test plan be available?
The goal is to have the final version of the single, shared test plan available a few months after the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile is published. Early drafts of the test plan, based on early drafts of the profile, will be available to participating organizations ahead of that date.
When will the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile of TSN for Industrial Automation be finished?
The participating organizations aren’t in charge of that schedule, and there are a range of possibilities. Please check with IEC/IEEE 60802 for the latest schedule.
When will the TSN specifications finally be finished/ratified?
Many of the TSN specifications that the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile is expected to reference, based on early drafts, are already complete and very mature (e.g. IEEE 802.1AS). A smaller subset is being developed in parallel (e.g. IEEE 802.1Qdj) and will be completed prior to the publication of the profile.
Will the test plan only be for Industrial Automation?
Yes and no. The single, shared test plan that the collaboration will develop is for the IEC/IEEE 60802 profile of TSN for Industrial Automation. However, that profile is based on underlying TSN specifications that are applicable to many other markets. The starting point for the TIACC test plan is existing Avnu Test plans that are similarly broad in their relevance. A lot of the work on the TIACC test plan will benefit test plans used across the broader TSN ecosystem.
When will IEC/IEEE 60802 compliant products be available?
For TSN features and capabilities to be useful, Industrial Automation protocols and/or applications need to be written to take advantage of them. So, this may vary depending by protocol or application. In general, technologies similar to TSN usually see first product availability 6 to 18 months after the specification is finalized.
Who is going to certify that a product complies with the test spec?
All the participating organizations operate conformance certification programs. It is likely that all of them will expand those programs to include aspects of IEC/IEEE 60802 conformance certification based on the single, shared test plan. The test plan will also be made available to the broader Industrial Automation ecosystem and other certification programs may do the same. Any detailed plans will be announced in the future.