Tweet

Kithara »Packet Toolkit«

The Berlin company Kithara Software announces the new »Packet Toolkit«—a tool to realize Ethernet data communication in real-time. The mechanisms are usable very easily, because the compact API of the functions is available from the usual programming environment (C++ or Delphi).
In the last years Ethernet as a communication standard has captured, also in industry, huge areas. But especially real-time features, which are often required by industrial applications, are not easily available under Windows.
The »Packet Toolkit« avoids the slow Windows driver mechanisms. So, it provides the entire transmission bandwidth and allows immediate reaction to incoming data packets. It is usable, where industrial data communication is necessary to be done in real-time, especially in control engineering, drives and automation.
Software developers and engineers can for example replace conventional field bus technology or serial interfaces, because it is possible to communicate much faster and over considerably longer distances using Ethernet. This is helpful for fast data logging and measurement acquirement or industrial image processing.
The »Packet Toolkit« also allows the transport of raw Ethernet packets or IP packets and provides functions for CRC calculation and byte order conversion. It supports IP and MAC multicast and provides automatic address determination by ARP support.
The software requires specific hardware. At the moment are Fast Ethernet cards, e.g. with RealTek or Intel controllers, supported. Operation over Gigabit Ethernet is in preparation.
Windows operating systems including Windows Vista (32-bit) are supported. To simplify programming an interface for device communication (ReadFile, WriteFile, DeviceIoControl) is provided, which allows any desired device names or the generation of virtual COM ports.
The software will be delivered including application examples and is integrated in the product range Kithara »RealTime Suite«. Under „www.kithara.de“ a free demo version, further information and a price list are provided.