Toward Software-Defined TSN Scheduling: An eBPF Approach for Stream Processing and Delay Analysis in Industry 5.0

Abstract

This paper presents a software-defined Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) architecture that implements the IEEE 802.1Qcr Asynchronous Traffic Shaper (ATS) using Extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) technology within Linux-based TSN bridges. By moving traffic shaping logic to the kernel level, our solution eliminates the need for dedicated hardware and enables dynamic, programmable control of frame filtering, metering, and queuing. A Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controller complements the design, providing centralized orchestration of TSN behavior through standardized interfaces and a unified network view. We implement the ATS scheduling model to compute and enforce per-stream eligibility times, supporting time-aware scheduling of concurrent streams within the same priority class. This enables deterministic traffic delivery, which is critical for industrial automation and control. Our approach allows seamless integration into existing infrastructures and aligns with the flexibility objectives of Industry 5.0. Performance evaluations demonstrate accurate scheduling behavior under heterogeneous traffic conditions and quantify the delay introduced by a TSN bridge for multiple coexisting streams.