The MoSaKa QoS system: Architecture and evaluation

The provision of Quality-of-Service (QoS) in packet-switched transmissions over highly mobile satellite terminals presents challenges not solved by existing schemes like Integrated Services and Differentiated Services. Such schemes rely on stable link conditions, a requirement that cannot be guaranteed in a mobile environment. To support robust audio and video conferencing, an end-to-end reservation-based approach is inevitable. This led to the development of the MoSaKa QoS System, which combines a reservation-based QoS scheme with the ability to deal with changing link conditions. The main idea was to enable applications to degrade gracefully if an unstable link deteriorates. Each router implements a crosslayer QoS agent, which tracks the network-layer-based QoS and takes the current status of the lower layers into account. Certain flows can be suspended without canceling them if the capacity of a link deteriorates. To select which flow has to be suspended, an optimizer was implemented which examines the flows for their priority and respective QoS requirements. To depict how this optimizer works and how the system performs, a testbed with an emulated satellite link was set up. The obtained results show, that the presented system is able to provide appropriate QoS over unstable links

NSIS Signaling Layer Protocol (NSLP) for Quality-of-Service Signaling

This specification describes the NSIS Signaling Layer Protocol (NSLP) for signaling Quality of Service (QoS) reservations in the Internet. It is in accordance with the framework and requirements developed in NSIS. Together with General Internet Signaling Transport (GIST), it provides functionality similar to RSVP and extends it. The QoS NSLP is independent of the underlying QoS specification or architecture and provides support for different reservation models. It is simplified by the elimination of support for multicast flows. This specification explains the overall protocol approach, describes the design decisions made, and provides examples. It specifies object, message formats, and processing rules

RMD-QOSM: The NSIS Quality-of-Service Model for Resource Management in Diffserv

This document describes a Next Steps in Signaling (NSIS) Quality-of- Service (QoS) Model for networks that use the Resource Management in Diffserv (RMD) concept. RMD is a technique for adding admission control and preemption function to Differentiated Services (Diffserv) networks. The RMD QoS Model allows devices external to the RMD network to signal reservation requests to Edge nodes in the RMD network. The RMD Ingress Edge nodes classify the incoming flows into traffic classes and signals resource requests for the corresponding traffic class along the data path to the Egress Edge nodes for each flow. Egress nodes reconstitute the original requests and continue forwarding them along the data path towards the final destination. In addition, RMD defines notification functions to indicate overload situations within the domain to the Edge nodes

Convergence vers IP des systèmes de télécommunication par satellite

Dans un contexte de convergence vers IP du monde des télécommunications, les systèmes de communication par satellite se doivent de suivre la tendance pour rester compétitifs et s'intégrer efficacement au monde Internet. Après avoir rappelé les enjeux d'une convergence dans les systèmes satellite et dressé un panorama des architectures de convergence envisageables, nous avons identifié les limites des systèmes actuels en termes de convergence vers IP. Notre choix se porte alors sur l'architecture IP/GSE pour la voie aller. Nous spécifions ensuite le protocole d'encapsulation GSE-Alt, inspiré de GSE mais adapté à la voie retour. Le déploiement de nouveaux services et l'évolution de services existants sont assurés et rendus plus aisés grâce à la couche IP. Les couches GSE et GSE-Alt optimisent le transport d'IP. Pour offrir un support de communication répondant à la diversité des exigences de qualité des services applicatif, nous définissons ensuite plusieurs mécanismes autorisant la mise en cohérence du traitement de la qualité de service (QoS) aux différents niveaux protocolaires dans les systèmes de communication par satellite. Enfin, pour permettre une interconnexion et une intégration du monde satellite au monde Internet, nous étudions les besoins en termes de déploiement du routage IP. Nous définissons alors une architecture permettant au satellite de réaliser de la commutation de niveau IP. Cette convergence vers un système « tout IP » du segment de communication par satellite est le fondement nécessaire à son insertion transparente au reste du monde des télécommunications. ABSTRACT : The world of telecommunications converging towards IP, the telecommunication satellite systems have to follow the trend to stay competitive and to be integrated to the Internet world. We first remind the issues of convergence in satellite communications, then we list the different convergence architectures conceivable in satellite systems and describe the limits of current systems in term of IP convergence. Our choice is devoted to the IP/GSE architecture for the forward link. Then, we specify the GSE-Alt protocol, inspired from GSE but adapted to the return link. The deployment of new services and the evolution of existing services are possible and made easier thanks to the IP layer. Both layers GSE and GSE-Alt optimize the transport of the IP packets. In order to propose a communication support allowing various quality of service (QoS) needs, we specify several mechanisms allowing a great coherence of the quality of service treatments at the different protocol levels. Finally, to allow an interconnection and an integration of the satellite world to the Internet world, we study the requirements in term of IP routing deployment. Therefore, we specify an architecture allowing the satellite to make the switching at the IP level. This convergence of the satellite towards an "all IP" system is the base required to its transparent insertion to the rest of the telecommunication world

A QoS-aware architecture for mobile internet

Tese de doutoramento InformáticaHoje em dia, as pessoas pretendem ter simultaneamente mobilidade, qualidade de serviço e estar sempre connectados à Internet. No intuito, de satisfazer estes clientes muito exigentes, os mercados das telecomunicações estão a impor novos e dificeis desafios às redes móveis, através da demanda, de heterogeneidade em termos de tecnologias de acesso rádio, novos serviços, niveis de qualidade de serviço adequados aos requisitos das aplicações de tempo real, elevada taxa de utilização do recursos disponiveis e melhor capacidade de desempenho. A Internet foi concebida para fornecer serviços sem qualquer tipo de garantias de qualidade às aplicações, apenas se comprometendo em oferecer o melhor serviço possível. No entanto, nos útlimos anos diversos esforços foram levados a cabo no sentido de dotar a Internet com o suporte à qualidade de serviço. Dos esforços desenvolvidos resultaram dois paradigmas para o suporte da qualidade de serviço: o modelo de Serviços Integrados (Integrated Services - IntServ) e o modelo de Serviços Diferenciados (Differentiated Services - DiffServ). Todavia, estes modelos de qualidade de serviço (QoS) foram concebido antes da existência da Internet móvel, portanto o desenvolvimento destes modelos não teve em consideração a questão da mobilidade. Por outro lado, o protocolo padrão actual para a Internet móvel, o MIPv6, revela algumas limitações nos cenários onde os utilizadores estão constantemente a moverem-se para outros pontos de acesso. Neste tipo de cenários, o MIPv6 introduz tempos de latência que não são sustentáveis para aplicações com requisitos de QoS mais restritos. Os factos revelados, demonstram que existe uma emergente necessidade de adaptar o actual protocolo de mobilidade, e também de adaptar os modelos de QoS, ou então criar modelos alternativos de QoS, para satisfazer às exigências do utilizador de hoje de redes móveis. Para alcançar este objectivo o presente trabalho propõe melhorias no sistema de gestão da mobilidade do protocolo MIPv6 e na gestão de recursos do modelo DiffServ. O MIPv6 foi melhorado para os cenários de micro-mobilidade com a abordagem para micro-mobilidade do F-HMIPv6. Enquanto que, o modelo DiffServ foi melhorado para os ambientes móveis com funcionalidades dinâmicas e adaptativas através da utilização de sinalização de QoS e da gestão distribuida dos recursos. A gestão da mobilidade e dos recursos foi também acoplada na solução proposta com o propósito de optimizar a utilização dos recursos num meio onde os recursos são tipicamente escassos. O modelo proposto é simples, é de fácil implementação, tem em consideração os requisitos da Internet móvel, e provou ser eficiente e capaz de fornecer serviços com QoS de elevada fiabilidade às aplicações.Over the last few years, several network communication challenges have arisen as a result of the growing number of users demanding Quality of Service (QoS) and mobility simultaneously. In order to satisfy these very demanding customers, the markets are imposing new challenges to wireless networks by demanding heterogeneity in terms of wireless access technologies, new services, suited QoS levels to real-time applications, high usability and improved performance. However, the Internet has been designed for providing application services without quality guarantees. That explains why, in the last years several efforts have been made to endow Internet with QoS support. From the developed efforts have resulted two QoS paradigms: Integrated Services (IntServ) which offers the guaranteed service model and the Differentiated Services (DiffServ) which offers the predictive service model. Although these QoS models have been designed before the existence of mobile Internet, so they do not consider the mobility issue. For instance, the guaranteed service model requires that whenever a Mobile Node (MN) wants to move to a new location, the allocated resources in the old path must be released and a new resource reservation in a new path must be made, resulting in extra signaling overhead, heavy processing and state load. Therefore, if handovers are frequent, large mobility and QoS signaling messages will be created in the access networks. Consequently, significant scalability problems may arise with this type of service model. The predicted service model, on the other hand, requires an additional features such as dynamic and adaptive resource management in order to be efficient in a very dynamic network such as a mobile network. A QoS solution for mobile environments must provide the capacity to adapt its resource utilization to a changeable nature of wireless networks because they have a more dynamic behavior due to incoming or outgoing handovers. For this reason, a QoS signalization for dynamic resource provisioning is necessary in order to supply adequate QoS levels to mobile users. On the other hand, the current standard protocol for mobile Internet, Mobile IPv6 (MIPv6), reveals limitations in scenarios where users are constantly moving to another point of attachment. In these situations, MIPv6 introduces latency times that are not sustainable for applications with strict QoS requirements. All things considered, reveal the emerging need to adapt the current standard mobility protocol and QoS models to satisfy today’s mobile user’s requirements. To accomplish this goal, the present work proposes enhancements in terms of the MIPv6 protocol mobility management scheme as well as in DiffServ QoS model resource management. The former was enhanced for micro-mobility scenarios with a specific combination of FMIPv6 (Fast Mobile IPv6) and HMIPv6 (Hierarchical Mobile IPv6) protocols. Whereas, the latter was enhanced for mobile environments with dynamic and adaptive features by using QoS signalization as well as distributed resource management. The mobility and resource management has also been coupled in the proposed solution with the objective of optimizing the resource utilization in a environment where resources are typically scarce. In order to assess model performance as well as its parametrization, a simulation model has been designed and implemented in the Network Simulator version two (NS-2). The model´s performance evaluation has been conducted based on the respective data acquired from statistical analysis in order to validate and consolidate the conclusions. Simulation results indicate that the solution avoids network congestion and starvation of less priority DiffServ classes. Moreover, the results also indicate that bandwidth utilization for priority classes increases and the QoS offered to MN’s applications, in each DiffServ class, remains unchangeable with MN mobility. The proposed model is simple and easy to implement. It considers mobile Internet requirements and has proven to be effective and capable of providing services with highly reliable QoS to mobile applications.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Bolsa SFRH/BD/35245/200