Protection of industrial equipment from network storms emanating from a network system

A computer-readable memory medium comprising program instructions to protect a networked industrial controller from network storms, the networked industrial controller has a real-time operating system and communication components performing communication exchanges with connected networks, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

• (a) Initializing a watchdog thread monitor thread within the real-time operating system's kernel to have the watchdog thread monitor thread a kernel level priority;
• (b) configuring a watchdog thread to periodically (every TAlive time) send an alive event signal to the watchdog thread monitor thread if all other threads of application programs are operating normally;
• (c) start the watchdog thread monitor thread waiting for receiving the alive event signal within a timeout period TAliveTout (TAliveTout is longer than TAlive);
• (d) identify a network storm in response to the alive event signal;
• and
• (e) control the communication exchanges in response to the alive event signal and current phase of the watchdog thread monitor thread;
• wherein the watchdog thread monitor thread has four different phases:
• (i) Normal;
• indicating that the networked industrial controller is communicating with the connected networks normally;
• (ii) Disabling Communication Exchanges;
• indicating that the networked industrial controller is in the process of disabling communication exchanges with the connected network;
• (iii) Communication Exchanges Disabled;
• indicating that the communication exchanges from the networked industrial controller have been disabled and no data is exchanged with the connected network;
• (iv) Re-enabling Communication Exchanges;
• indicating that the networked industrial controller is in the process of enabling communication exchanges with the connected network.