Switch and Method for Providing a Name Service within an Industrial Automation System by Distributing Supplemented Router Advertisement Messages

A method for providing a name service within an industrial automation system including a plurality of cells which each have a plurality of automation devices and a cell switch which connects the plurality of automation devices within its cell to one another at least indirectly, cell switches being connected to an assigned router which broadcasts IPv6 prefixes into subordinate subnetworks via router advertisement messages, at least one of the cell switches and the plurality of automation devices determining their respective IPv6 address utilizing the IPv6 prefixes contained in the router advertisement messages, the method comprising:

• forwarding router advertisement messages from the assigned router, which are received by the cell switches, to a distributor unit of the respective cell switch and supplementing, by the distributor unit, the received router advertisement messages with information relating to a name service server assigned to the respective cell;
• distributing, by the cell switches distribute, the router advertisement messages, supplemented by their distributor units, to the automation devices in their respective cell;
• forwarding information contained in received router advertisement messages and relating to the name service server assigned to the respective cell to a name service functional unit of the respective automation device by the automation devices and utilizing said forwarded information contained in received router advertisement messages by the name service functional unit for its configuration;
• and
• transmitting name resolution queries from the automation devices, via a respective name service functional unit, in accordance with a configuration thereof, to an assigned name service server.

A switch for a cell of an industrial automation system, comprising:

• a plurality of communication connections for connection to automation devices contained in the cell and for connection to a router;
• a plurality of transmission and reception units each assigned to a communication connection;
• a coupling element which is utilized to connect the transmission and reception units to one another in a switchable manner;
• a distributor unit for router advertisement messages;
• wherein the switch is configured to determine its IPv6 address based on an IPv6 prefix contained in a received router advertisement message and to forward received router advertisement messages to the distributor unit;
• wherein the distributor unit is configured to supplement received router advertisement messages with information relating to a name service server assigned to the cell;
• and
• wherein the switch is configured to distribute the router advertisement messages, supplemented by the distributor unit, to the automation devices in the cell and configured to transmit name resolution queries from the automation devices contained in the cell to the name service server assigned to the cell.