A non-broadcast address resolution protocol for SpaceWire networks

SpaceWire is a switched network designed for space environments. To support the Internet protocol (IP) and other high level network protocols, SpaceWire requires a method for mapping the physical interface addresses to global network protocol addresses. Standard address resolution protocol (ARP) cannot be used because SpaceWire does not have a broadcast mechanism. This paper describes a non-broadcast SpaceWire ARP (SW-ARP) that supports any higher network protocol, including IPv4, IPv6, and the CCSDS SCPS-NP address family. Our protocol includes forward and reverses ARP mappings, and is applicable to all devices that conform to the SpaceWire standard specification. SW-ARP can be implemented in node software drivers and requires no changes to the interface hardware, SpaceWire routing switches, or the SpaceWire standard specification.