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Cybersecurity attacks exploit vulnerabilities related to the increased complexity and connectivity of critical infrastructure systems. This paper investigates the context and use of key security technologies, processes, challenges and use cases for the design of advanced integrated architectures with security, safety, and real-time performance considerations. In such architectures, deterministic Ethernet standards are used as a baseline for system integration in closed embedded systems or open mixed criticality systems. Security-informed safety development processes for integrated architectures are required to prevent catastrophic failures caused by environmental and cyber threats, due to expanding number of security vulnerabilities in complex and increasingly open systems. State-of-art safety/security processes for integrated systems in cross-industry environments are considered and similarities examined, for different types of integrated architectures.

Integrated modular architectures and IMA reduce the physical complexity of electronic architecture by integrating many functions on common embedded resources. As the reduction of physical complexity means that the embedded resources are shared by many functions, the logical complexity of system configuration, functional alignment and resource sharing increases significantly. Modern integrated embedded platforms are designed for parameter-based architecture design and integration. IMA is not only a set of platform components, networking and computing devices and configurable middleware and platform abstraction layers. Integrated Architectures and IMA require mature design and verification tools, and a well-defined design and integration methodology are required to avoid expensive and error-prone manual analyses and configuration tasks. Therefore, integrated architectures cannot be separated from design methodologies and processes.

VPX, as a switched fabric, supports the design of advanced integrated systems using technologies such as deterministic Ethernet. Deterministic Ethernet can be used in backplane and backbone applications. In cases where functional interrelationships and Ethernet network bandwidth sharing is deterministic and all logical links among critical function have configurable quality of service with guaranteed timing, the complexity challenges in design of advanced integrated architectures can be much simpler to handle and mitigate. VPX switches in 3/6U format with ARINC664 and SAE AS6802 services enable deterministic integration of many critical functions hosted on common embedded computing and networking resources. Both ARINC664 (asynchronous real-time) and SAE AS6802 (synchronous hard real-time), as Layer 2 enhancements, do not affect existing Ethernet services.

The design of complex integrated systems and avionics architectures relies on the system architect's capability to manage key system interfaces, and share computing and networking resources. The capability of Ethernet-based ARINC 664 avionics networks to handle critical traffic with μs-jitter and fixed latency can be expanded using the Layer 2 Quality Of Service (QoS) protocol enhancements described in SAE AS6802. All existing critical distributed functions using ARINC 664 Virtual Links (VLs) can operate without congestion and with prescribed maximum latencies. This paper discusses basic considerations for how time-triggered services based on AS6802 standard could enable integration of hard real-time and audio/video capabilities in advanced ARINC 664-based IMA architectures.