Interference-immune transmission of data messages in a communications network

A network component for operation in a communications network having a first subnetwork and a second subnetwork, the network component comprising:

• two communication connections for connection to the communications network;
• the network component being configured to be directly connected to one of the subnetworks of the communications network using one of said two communication connections and to be connected to another network component using the other of said two communication connections;
• and
• the network component being configured to transmit only those data messages via the communication connection that can be connected to the subnetwork which comprise a network qualifier indicating the respectively corresponding subnetwork.

A method for an interference-immune transmission of data messages in a communications network, the communications network having a plurality of network components, a first subnetwork and a second subnetwork network component being connected to both subnetworks, the method comprising:

• transmitting a data message from one transmitting network component to a further network component, the transmitting network component emitting data messages in a direction of the first subnetwork and in a direction of the second subnetwork, the emitted data messages being identical in terms of a useful data content thereof and including a network qualifier that indicates the respective subnetwork in the direction of which the messages are emitted;
• receiving with the receiving network component the first data message arriving at the receiving network component and rejecting the second arriving data message;
• the communications network including at least some network components connected to one another in a chain, with each chain of network components having a first network component, which is directly connected to the first subnetwork, and a second network component, which is directly connected to the second subnetwork;
• transmitting from the first network component in the chain of network components to the first subnetwork, only those data messages whose network qualifier indicates the first subnetwork;
• and
• transmitting from the second network component in the chain of network components to the second subnetwork, only those data messages whose network qualifier indicates the second subnetwork.