Softswitch Design and Performance Analysis

The increasing number of subscribers’ demands in telecommunication sector has motivated the operators to provide high quality of service in cost effective way. Moreover, operators need to have an open structure system so that they can move their systems to the next generation network architecture. For this purpose, Softswitch is an appropriate technology because it is a safe and cost efficient solution and though it can migrate from traditional circuit-switching based telephone system to internet protocol packet-switching based networking. Softswitch network divides the logical switch into several parts with different functions such as signaling gateway, media gateway, media server, etc. Standard communication protocols are implemented between those parts. Softswitch is software-based system to make connection between devices, and moreover to control voice calls, data and routes calls through different entities of the networks. Softswitch supports management functions such as provisioning, fault handling and reporting, billing, operational support, etc. Softswitch suitable for all types of traffic and services so it is very demanding in the competitive world of mobile operators. In this thesis, Softswitch has been studied and analyzed in details. Softswitch network consisted of different integrated modules such as transportation, calling and signaling, service application and management. Each module provides different services such as call control, routing, billing and network management. Each module is discussed from functional and service point of views. Softswitch based wireless network architecture as well as variety of service solutions is presented. Different protocol interfaces in softswitch network such as signaling system number 7 are explained. Moreover, bearer calls, independent call control protocol, gateway control protocol, IP bearer control protocol are explained as well. Variety of softswitch network architectures analysis has been done based on their performance and the applicability. Three Softswitch network architectures are proposed which are validated through simulations.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Transition to SDN is HARMLESS: Hybrid ARchitecture for Migrating Legacy Ethernet Switches to SDN

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) offers a new way to operate, manage, and deploy communication networks and to overcome many long-standing problems of legacy networking. However, widespread SDN adoption has not occurred yet due to the lack of a viable incremental deployment path and the relatively immature present state of SDN-capable devices on the market. While continuously evolving software switches may alleviate the operational issues of commercial hardware-based SDN offerings, namely lagging standards-compliance, performance regressions, and poor scaling, they fail to match the cost-efficiency and port density. In this paper, we propose HARMLESS, a new SDN switch design that seamlessly adds SDN capability to legacy network gear, by emulating the OpenFlow switch OS in a separate software switch component. This way, HARMLESS enables a quick and easy leap into SDN, combining the rapid innovation and upgrade cycles of software switches with the port density and cost-efficiency of hardware-based appliances into a fully dataplane-transparent and vendor-neutral solution. HARMLESS incurs an order of magnitude smaller initial expenditure for an SDN deployment than existing turnkey vendor SDN solutions while, at the same time, yields matching, or even better, data plane performance for smaller enterprises

A performance comparison of three SIP softswitches: Asterisk, FreeSWITCH, and Yate

In the telecommunications network or the public Internet, softswitches are the software implementation of central devices that connect calls between phone lines, usually executing on a general-purpose computer system. “Softswitch” is short for “software switch”, which implies the use of general purpose servers and VoIP technology, instead of purpose-built electronic hardware. This paper presents (1) an overview of some of the main characteristics of three popular softswitches: Asterisk, FreeSWITCH, and Yate; (2) measures their performances on a designed scenario with identical initial parameters, and (3) presents the results of conducted performance tests. The methodology is comprised of two test scenarios; Test 1 implies generating 800 active calls on a freshly booted system, and sustaining them for 20 minutes. Monitored parameters include CPU utilization and Linux 5 minute system load. Test 2 consists of sustained 5 calls per second, and monitored parameter is the number of active calls; the purpose is to obtain the maximum active calls sustained. By analyzing test outcomes of the performed simulations, FreeSWITCH showed highest performance results in both scenarios

Securing softswitches from malicious attacks

Traditionally, real-time communication, such as voice calls, has run on separate, closed networks. Of all the limitations that these networks had, the ability of malicious attacks to cripple communication was not a crucial one. This situation has changed radically now that real-time communication and data have merged to share the same network. The objective of this project is to investigate the securing of softswitches with functionality similar to Private Branch Exchanges (PBX) from malicious attacks. The focus of the project will be a practical investigation of how to secure ILANGA, an ASTERISK-based system under development at Rhodes University. The practical investigation that focuses on ILANGA is based on performing six varied experiments on the different components of ILANGA. Before the six experiments are performed, basic preliminary security measures and the restrictions placed on the access to the database are discussed. The outcomes of these experiments are discussed and the precise reasons why these attacks were either successful or unsuccessful are given. Suggestions of a theoretical nature on how to defend against the successful attacks are also presented

Major: Electronics and Communication Engineering

Today, information technology is strategically important to the goals and aspirations of the business enterprises, government and high-level education institutions – university. Universities are facing new challenges with the emerging global economy characterized by the importance of providing faster communication services and improving the productivity and effectiveness of individuals. New challenges such as provides an information network that supports the demands and diversification of university issues. A new network architecture, which is a set of design principles for build a network, is one of the pillar bases. It is the cornerstone that enables the university’s faculty, researchers, students, administrators, and staff to discover, learn, reach out, and serve society. This thesis focuses on the network architecture definitions and fundamental components. Three most important characteristics of high-quality architecture are that: it’s open network architecture; it’s service-oriented characteristics and is an IP network based on packets. There are four important components in the architecture, which are: Services and Network Management, Network Control, Core Switching and Edge Access. The theoretical contribution of this study is a reference model Architecture of University Campus Network that can be followed or adapted to build a robust yet flexible network that respond next generation requirements. The results found are relevant to provide an important complete reference guide to the process of building campus network which nowadays play a very important role. Respectively, the research gives university networks a structured modular model that is reliable, robust and can easily grow

Elaboração de um roteiro de testes para comprovação de adequação de um PABX IP às recomendações do SIPconnect

Este trabalho destina-se a estudar o conjunto de recomendações do SIPconnect e a sua aplicação em testes realizados nos elementos de uma rede VoIP baseada no protocolo SIP. Um roteiro de testes seguindo as recomendações do SIPconnect foi elaborado para comprovar se um PABX IP adere ou não à norma SIPconnect. O objetivo do SIPconnect é a criação de um conjunto de regras pré-estabelecidas que garanta interoperabilidade entre todos os elementos de uma rede VoIP baseada no protocolo SIP. O PABX utilizado foi o Asterisk. Ele é considerado uma central telefônica híbrida, pois gerencia o áudio trafegando em canais de comunicação analógicos, digitais e em redes TCP/IP. A hipótese inicial é a de que o PABX IP Asterisk adere à norma SIPconnect. O roteiro de testes deve então provar que a hipótese é verdadeira ou apontar onde o PABX IP Asterisk apresenta falha sem relação aos requisitos das normas do SIPconnect. Assim,com a disponibilidade de um roteiro de testes para certificação de PABX IPs, será possível testar e avaliar se um determinado PABX IP se adequa ou não às recomendações SIPconnect

Introducing Network-Aware Scheduling Capabilities in OpenStack

This paper motivates and describes the introduction of network-aware scheduling capabilities in OpenStack, the open-source reference framework for creating public and private clouds. This feature represents the key for properly supporting the Network Function Virtualization paradigm, particularly when the physical infrastructure features servers distributed across a geographical region. This paper also describes the modifications required to the compute and network components, Nova and Neutron, and the integration of a network controller into the cloud infrastructure, which is in charge of feeding the network-aware scheduler with the actual network topology