RAD-Galaxy User’s Guide
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© 2016 Intrepid Control Systems, Inc.
Version 1.2 - November 28, 2017
Note:
The term “tap” has a dual meaning: it refers to the act of
tapping into a network (such as used in the phrase “wire tap”).
It also is sometimes considered an acronym for “test access point”,
since a tap does indeed act as an access point for testing, though
you can do much more than that with the RAD-Galaxy. For simplicity,
in this document we will just use the word “tap”.
Once configuration is complete, the RAD-Galaxy is set up as a “middle man” in the network,
managed by a custom-designed processor within the unit. When a node or switch port
transmits, the RAD-Galaxy receives the message and retransmits it to the device that
the sending node or port was formerly directly connected to, with only a minor delay for
processing. The processor also sends a copy of the message over the Gigabit Ethernet
connection to the PC, so it can be viewed and analyzed within Vehicle Spy.
The interface provided by the RAD-Galaxy is full-duplex and bidirectional. This means that in
addition to using the PC to monitor messages sent by the Automotive Ethernet nodes attached
to it, you can create and send custom messages from the PC to the nodes as well. This allows
you to query, test, configure and manage these nodes using Vehicle Spy.
Figure 2 depicts how the RAD-Galaxy functions when inserted into a typical Automotive
Ethernet network with 6 AE nodes connected to a switch. (Note that in the diagram, 3 node
connections are omitted for greater clarity).
