SpaceFibre Network Discovery and Configuration Protocol Development

The SpaceFibre Network Discovery & Configuration Protocol (NDCP) is intended to provide a standard mechanism to permit the detection of SpaceFibre Devices connected to a SpaceFibre (SpFi) network, which may be unknown. It is now applicable for laboratory use and, in the future, for Lunar Gateway type of modular spacecraft or the health check of known SpaceFibre Network. A SpFi Network shall be composed of a determined number of SpaceFibre Nodes and SpaceFibre Switches. Each of them will have a set of configuration parameters and status register, according to the requirements defined in the SpaceFibre standard. The paper proposes a SpaceFibre-NDCP, which builds on the packet format and semantics standardised as part of the Remote Memory Access Protocol (RMAP). It intends to extend the protocol described in the SpaceWire NDCP. Therefore, if possible, it uses the same definitions, schemes, and structures, adding the components necessary to support SpaceFibre Devices.