New Challenges in Quality of Services Control Architectures in Next Generation Networks

A mesura que Internet i les xarxes IP s'han anat integrant dins la societat i les corporacions, han anat creixent les expectatives de nous serveis convergents així com les expectatives de qualitat en les comunicacions. Les Next Generation Networks (NGN) donen resposta a les noves necessitats i representen el nou paradigma d'Internet a partir de la convergència IP. Un dels aspectes menys desenvolupats de les NGN és el control de la Qualitat del Servei (QoS), especialment crític en les comunicacions multimèdia a través de xarxes heterogènies i/o de diferents operadors. A més a més, les NGN incorporen nativament el protocol IPv6 que, malgrat les deficiències i esgotament d'adreces IPv4, encara no ha tingut l'impuls definitiu.Aquesta tesi està enfocada des d'un punt de vista pràctic. Així doncs, per tal de poder fer recerca sobre xarxes de proves (o testbeds) que suportin IPv6 amb garanties de funcionament, es fa un estudi en profunditat del protocol IPv6, del seu grau d'implementació i dels tests de conformància i interoperabilitat existents que avaluen la qualitat d'aquestes implementacions. A continuació s'avalua la qualitat de cinc sistemes operatius que suporten IPv6 mitjançant un test de conformància i s'implementa el testbed IPv6 bàsic, a partir del qual es farà la recerca, amb la implementació que ofereix més garanties.El QoS Broker és l'aportació principal d'aquesta tesi: un marc integrat que inclou un sistema automatitzat per gestionar el control de la QoS a través de sistemes multi-domini/multi-operador seguint les recomanacions de les NGN. El sistema automatitza els mecanismes associats a la configuració de la QoS dins d'un mateix domini (sistema autònom) mitjançant la gestió basada en polítiques de QoS i automatitza la negociació dinàmica de QoS entre QoS Brokers de diferents dominis, de forma que permet garantir QoS extrem-extrem sense fissures. Aquesta arquitectura es valida sobre un testbed de proves multi-domini que utilitza el mecanisme DiffServ de QoS i suporta IPv6.L'arquitectura definida en les NGN permet gestionar la QoS tant a nivell 3 (IP) com a nivell 2 (Ethernet, WiFi, etc.) de forma que permet gestionar també xarxes PLC. Aquesta tesi proposa una aproximació teòrica per aplicar aquesta arquitectura de control, mitjançant un QoS Broker, a les noves xarxes PLC que s'estan acabant d'estandarditzar, i discuteix les possibilitats d'aplicació sobre les futures xarxes de comunicació de les Smart Grids.Finalment, s'integra en el QoS Broker un mòdul per gestionar l'enginyeria del tràfic optimitzant els dominis mitjançant tècniques de intel·ligència artificial. La validació en simulacions i sobre un testbed amb routers Cisco demostra que els algorismes genètics híbrids són una opció eficaç en aquest camp.En general, les observacions i avenços assolits en aquesta tesi contribueixen a augmentar la comprensió del funcionament de la QoS en les NGN i a preparar aquests sistemes per afrontar problemes del món real de gran complexitat.A medida que Internet y las redes IP se han ido integrando dentro de la sociedad y las corporaciones, han ido creciendo las expectativas de nuevos servicios convergentes así como las expectativas de calidad en las comunicaciones. Las Next Generation Networks (NGN) dan respuesta a las nuevas necesidades y representan el nuevo paradigma de Internet a partir de la convergencia IP. Uno de los aspectos menos desarrollados de las NGN es el control de la Calidad del Servicio (QoS), especialmente crítico en las comunicaciones multimedia a través de redes heterogéneas y/o de diferentes operadores. Además, las NGN incorporan nativamente el protocolo IPv6 que, a pesar de las deficiencias y agotamiento de direcciones IPv4, aún no ha tenido el impulso definitivo.Esta tesis está enfocada desde un punto de vista práctico. Así pues, con tal de poder hacer investigación sobre redes de prueba (o testbeds) que suporten IPv6 con garantías de funcionamiento, se hace un estudio en profundidad del protocolo IPv6, de su grado de implementación y de los tests de conformancia e interoperabilidad existentes que evalúan la calidad de estas implementaciones. A continuación se evalua la calidad de cinco sistemas operativos que soportan IPv6 mediante un test de conformancia y se implementa el testbed IPv6 básico, a partir del cual se realizará la investigación, con la implementación que ofrece más garantías.El QoS Broker es la aportación principal de esta tesis: un marco integrado que incluye un sistema automatitzado para gestionar el control de la QoS a través de sistemas multi-dominio/multi-operador siguiendo las recomendaciones de las NGN. El sistema automatiza los mecanismos asociados a la configuración de la QoS dentro de un mismo dominio (sistema autónomo) mediante la gestión basada en políticas de QoS y automatiza la negociación dinámica de QoS entre QoS brokers de diferentes dominios, de forma que permite garantizar QoS extremo-extremo sin fisuras. Esta arquitectura se valida sobre un testbed de pruebas multi-dominio que utiliza el mecanismo DiffServ de QoS y soporta IPv6. La arquitectura definida en las NGN permite gestionar la QoS tanto a nivel 3 (IP) o como a nivel 2 (Ethernet, WiFi, etc.) de forma que permite gestionar también redes PLC. Esta tesis propone una aproximación teórica para aplicar esta arquitectura de control, mediante un QoS Broker, a las noves redes PLC que se están acabando de estandardizar, y discute las posibilidades de aplicación sobre las futuras redes de comunicación de las Smart Grids.Finalmente, se integra en el QoS Broker un módulo para gestionar la ingeniería del tráfico optimizando los dominios mediante técnicas de inteligencia artificial. La validación en simulaciones y sobre un testbed con routers Cisco demuestra que los algoritmos genéticos híbridos son una opción eficaz en este campo.En general, las observaciones y avances i avances alcanzados en esta tesis contribuyen a augmentar la comprensión del funcionamiento de la QoS en las NGN y en preparar estos sistemas para afrontar problemas del mundo real de gran complejidad.The steady growth of Internet along with the IP networks and their integration into society and corporations has brought with it increased expectations of new converged services as well as greater demands on quality in communications. The Next Generation Networks (NGNs) respond to these new needs and represent the new Internet paradigm from the IP convergence. One of the least developed aspects in the NGNs is the Quality of Service (QoS) control, which is especially critical in the multimedia communication through heterogeneous networks and/or different operators. Furthermore, the NGNs natively incorporate the IPv6 protocol which, despite its shortcomings and the depletion of IPv4 addresses has not been boosted yet.This thesis has been developed with a practical focus. Therefore, with the aim of carrying out research over testbeds supporting the IPv6 with performance guarantees, an in-depth study of the IPv6 protocol development has been conducted and its degree of implementation and the existing conformance and interoperability tests that evaluate these implementations have been studied. Next, the quality of five implementations has been evaluated through a conformance test and the basic IPv6 testbed has been implemented, from which the research will be carried out. The QoS Broker is the main contribution to this thesis: an integrated framework including an automated system for QoS control management through multi-domain/multi-operator systems according to NGN recommendations. The system automates the mechanisms associated to the QoS configuration inside the same domain (autonomous system) through policy-based management and automates the QoS dynamic negotiation between peer QoS Brokers belonging to different domains, so it allows the guarantee of seamless end-to-end QoS. This architecture is validated over a multi-domain testbed which uses the QoS DiffServ mechanism and supports IPv6.The architecture defined in the NGN allows QoS management at level 3 (IP) as well as at level 2 (e.g. Ethernet, WiFi) so it also facilitates the management of PLC networks. Through the use of a QoS Broker, this thesis proposes a theoretical approach for applying this control architecture to the newly standardized PLC networks, and discusses the possibilities of applying it over the future communication networks of the Smart Grids.Finally, a module for managing traffic engineering which optimizes the network domains through artificial intelligence techniques is integrated in the QoS Broker. The validations by simulations and over a Cisco router testbed demonstrate that hybrid genetic algorithms are an effective option in this area.Overall, the advances and key insights provided in this thesis help advance our understanding of QoS functioning in the NGNs and prepare these systems to face increasingly complex problems, which abound in current industrial and scientific applications

Optimização de recursos para difusão em redes de próxima geração

Doutoramento em ElectrotecniaEsta tese aborda o problema de optimização de recursos de rede, na entrega de Serviços de Comunicação em Grupo, em Redes de Próxima Geração que suportem tecnologias de difusão. De acordo com esta problemática, são feitas propostas que levam em atenção a evolução espectável das redes 3G em Redes Heterogéneas de Próxima Geração que incluam tecnologias de difusão tais como o DVB. A optimização de recursos em Comunicações em Grupo é apresentada como um desafio vertical que deve cruzar diversas camadas. As optimizações aqui propostas cobrem tanto a interface entre Aplicação e a Plataforma de Serviços para a disponibilização de serviços de comunicação em grupo, como as abstracções e mapeamentos feitos na interface entre a Rede Central e a Rede de Acesso Rádio. As optimizações propostas nesta tese, assumem que o caminho evolutivo na direcção de uma Rede de Próxima Geração é feito através do IP. Em primeiro lugar são endereçadas as optimizações entre a Aplicação e a Plataforma de Serviços que já podem ser integradas nas redes 3G existentes. Estas optimizações podem potenciar o desenvolvimento de novas e inovadoras aplicações, que através do uso de mecanismos de distribuição em difusão podem fazer um uso mais eficiente dos recursos de rede. De seguida são apresentadas optimizações ao nível da interface entre a Rede Central e a Rede de Acesso Rádio que abordam a heterogeneidade das redes futuras assim como a necessidade de suportar tecnologias de difusão. É ainda considerada a possibilidade de aumentar a qualidade de serviço de serviços de difusão através do mapeamento do IP multicast em portadoras unidireccionais. Por forma a validar todas estas optimizações, vários protótipos foram desenvolvidos com base num router avançado para redes de acesso de próxima geração. As funcionalidades e arquitectura de software desse router são também aqui apresentadas.This thesis addresses the problem of optimizing network resource usage, for the delivery of Group Services, in Next Generation Networks featuring broadcast technologies. In this scope, proposals are made according to the expected evolution of 3G networks into Next Generation Heterogeneous Networks that include broadcast technologies such as DVB. Group Communication resource optimization is considered a vertical challenge that must cross several layers. The optimizations here proposed cover both Application to Service Platform interfaces for group communication services, and Core Network to Radio Access Network interface abstractions and mappings. The proposed optimizations are also presented taking into consideration network evolution path towards an All-IP based Next Generation Network. First it is addressed the Application to Service Platform optimization, which can already be deployed over 3G networks. This optimization could potentiate the development of new and innovative applications that through the use of broadcast/multicast service delivery mechanisms could be more efficient network wise. Next proposals are made on the Core Network to Radio Access Network interfaces that address the heterogeneity of future networks and consider the need to support broadcast networks. It is also considered the possibility to increase the Quality of Service of broadcast/multicast services based on the dynamic mapping of IP multicast into unicast radio bearers. In order to validate these optimizations, several prototypes were built based on an advanced access router for next generation networks. Such access router functionalities and software architecture are also presented here

Esquema de controlo para redes multicast baseadas com classes

Doutoramento em Engenharia ElectrotécnicaThe expectations of citizens from the Information Technologies (ITs) are increasing as the ITs have become integral part of our society, serving all kinds of activities whether professional, leisure, safety-critical applications or business. Hence, the limitations of the traditional network designs to provide innovative and enhanced services and applications motivated a consensus to integrate all services over packet switching infrastructures, using the Internet Protocol, so as to leverage flexible control and economical benefits in the Next Generation Networks (NGNs). However, the Internet is not capable of treating services differently while each service has its own requirements (e.g., Quality of Service - QoS). Therefore, the need for more evolved forms of communications has driven to radical changes of architectural and layering designs which demand appropriate solutions for service admission and network resources control. This Thesis addresses QoS and network control issues, aiming to improve overall control performance in current and future networks which classify services into classes. The Thesis is divided into three parts. In the first part, we propose two resource over-reservation algorithms, a Class-based bandwidth Over-Reservation (COR) and an Enhanced COR (ECOR). The over-reservation means reserving more bandwidth than a Class of Service (CoS) needs, so the QoS reservation signalling rate is reduced. COR and ECOR allow for dynamically defining over-reservation parameters for CoSs based on network interfaces resource conditions; they aim to reduce QoS signalling and related overhead without incurring CoS starvation or waste of bandwidth. ECOR differs from COR by allowing for optimizing control overhead minimization. Further, we propose a centralized control mechanism called Advanced Centralization Architecture (ACA), that uses a single state-full Control Decision Point (CDP) which maintains a good view of its underlying network topology and the related links resource statistics on real-time basis to control the overall network. It is very important to mention that, in this Thesis, we use multicast trees as the basis for session transport, not only for group communication purposes, but mainly to pin packets of a session mapped to a tree to follow the desired tree. Our simulation results prove a drastic reduction of QoS control signalling and the related overhead without QoS violation or waste of resources. Besides, we provide a generic-purpose analytical model to assess the impact of various parameters (e.g., link capacity, session dynamics, etc.) that generally challenge resource overprovisioning control. In the second part of this Thesis, we propose a decentralization control mechanism called Advanced Class-based resource OverpRovisioning (ACOR), that aims to achieve better scalability than the ACA approach. ACOR enables multiple CDPs, distributed at network edge, to cooperate and exchange appropriate control data (e.g., trees and bandwidth usage information) such that each CDP is able to maintain a good knowledge of the network topology and the related links resource statistics on real-time basis. From scalability perspective, ACOR cooperation is selective, meaning that control information is exchanged dynamically among only the CDPs which are concerned (correlated). Moreover, the synchronization is carried out through our proposed concept of Virtual Over-Provisioned Resource (VOPR), which is a share of over-reservations of each interface to each tree that uses the interface. Thus, each CDP can process several session requests over a tree without requiring synchronization between the correlated CDPs as long as the VOPR of the tree is not exhausted. Analytical and simulation results demonstrate that aggregate over-reservation control in decentralized scenarios keep low signalling without QoS violations or waste of resources. We also introduced a control signalling protocol called ACOR Protocol (ACOR-P) to support the centralization and decentralization designs in this Thesis. Further, we propose an Extended ACOR (E-ACOR) which aggregates the VOPR of all trees that originate at the same CDP, and more session requests can be processed without synchronization when compared with ACOR. In addition, E-ACOR introduces a mechanism to efficiently track network congestion information to prevent unnecessary synchronization during congestion time when VOPRs would exhaust upon every session request. The performance evaluation through analytical and simulation results proves the superiority of E-ACOR in minimizing overall control signalling overhead while keeping all advantages of ACOR, that is, without incurring QoS violations or waste of resources. The last part of this Thesis includes the Survivable ACOR (SACOR) proposal to support stable operations of the QoS and network control mechanisms in case of failures and recoveries (e.g., of links and nodes). The performance results show flexible survivability characterized by fast convergence time and differentiation of traffic re-routing under efficient resource utilization i.e. without wasting bandwidth. In summary, the QoS and architectural control mechanisms proposed in this Thesis provide efficient and scalable support for network control key sub-systems (e.g., QoS and resource control, traffic engineering, multicasting, etc.), and thus allow for optimizing network overall control performance.À medida que as Tecnologias de Informação (TIs) se tornaram parte integrante da nossa sociedade, a expectativa dos cidadãos relativamente ao uso desses serviços também demonstrou um aumento, seja no âmbito das atividades profissionais, de lazer, aplicações de segurança crítica ou negócios. Portanto, as limitações dos projetos de rede tradicionais quanto ao fornecimento de serviços inovadores e aplicações avançadas motivaram um consenso quanto à integração de todos os serviços e infra-estruturas de comutação de pacotes, utilizando o IP, de modo a extrair benefícios económicos e um controlo mais flexível nas Redes de Nova Geração (RNG). Entretanto, tendo em vista que a Internet não apresenta capacidade de diferenciação de serviços, e sabendo que cada serviço apresenta as suas necessidades próprias, como por exemplo, a Qualidade de Serviço - QoS, a necessidade de formas mais evoluídas de comunicação tem-se tornado cada vez mais visível, levando a mudanças radicais na arquitectura das redes, que exigem soluções adequadas para a admissão de serviços e controlo de recursos de rede. Sendo assim, este trabalho aborda questões de controlo de QoS e rede com o objetivo de melhorar o desempenho do controlo de recursos total em redes atuais e futuras, através da análise dos serviços de acordo com as suas classes de serviço. Esta Tese encontra-se dividida em três partes. Na primeira parte são propostos dois algoritmos de sobre-reserva, o Class-based bandwidth Over-Reservation (COR) e uma extensão melhorada do COR denominado de Enhanced COR (ECOR). A sobre-reserva significa a reserva de uma largura de banda maior para o serviço em questão do que uma classe de serviço (CoS) necessita e, portanto, a quantidade de sinalização para reserva de recursos é reduzida. COR e ECOR consideram uma definição dinâmica de sobre-reserva de parâmetros para CoSs com base nas condições da rede, com vista à redução da sobrecarga de sinalização em QoS sem que ocorra desperdício de largura de banda. O ECOR, por sua vez, difere do COR por permitir a otimização com minimização de controlo de overhead. Além disso, nesta Tese é proposto também um mecanismo de controlo centralizado chamado Advanced Centralization Architecture (ACA) , usando um único Ponto de Controlo de Decisão (CDP) que mantém uma visão ampla da topologia de rede e de análise dos recursos ocupados em tempo real como base de controlo para a rede global. Nesta Tese são utilizadas árvores multicast como base para o transporte de sessão, não só para fins de comunicação em grupo, mas principalmente para que os pacotes que pertençam a uma sessão que é mapeada numa determinada árvore sigam o seu caminho. Os resultados obtidos nas simulações dos mecanismos mostram uma redução significativa da sobrecarga da sinalização de controlo, sem a violação dos requisitos de QoS ou desperdício de recursos. Além disso, foi proposto um modelo analítico no sentido de avaliar o impacto provocado por diversos parâmetros (como por exemplo, a capacidade da ligação, a dinâmica das sessões, etc), no sobre-provisionamento dos recursos. Na segunda parte desta tese propôe-se um mecanismo para controlo descentralizado de recursos denominado de Advanced Class-based resource OverprRovisioning (ACOR), que permite obter uma melhor escalabilidade do que o obtido pelo ACA. O ACOR permite que os pontos de decisão e controlo da rede, os CDPs, sejam distribuídos na periferia da rede, cooperem entre si, através da troca de dados e controlo adequados (por exemplo, localização das árvores e informações sobre o uso da largura de banda), de tal forma que cada CDP seja capaz de manter um bom conhecimento da topologia da rede, bem como das suas ligações. Do ponto de vista de escalabilidade, a cooperação do ACOR é seletiva, o que significa que as informações de controlo são trocadas de forma dinâmica apenas entre os CDPs analisados. Além disso, a sincronização é feita através do conceito proposto de Recursos Virtuais Sobre-Provisionado (VOPR), que partilha as reservas de cada interface para cada árvore que usa a interface. Assim, cada CDP pode processar pedidos de sessão numa ou mais árvores, sem a necessidade de sincronização entre os CDPs correlacionados, enquanto o VOPR da árvore não estiver esgotado. Os resultados analíticos e de simulação demonstram que o controlo de sobre-reserva é agregado em cenários descentralizados, mantendo a sinalização de QoS baixa sem perda de largura de banda. Também é desenvolvido um protocolo de controlo de sinalização chamado ACOR Protocol (ACOR-P) para suportar as arquitecturas de centralização e descentralização deste trabalho. O ACOR Estendido (E-ACOR) agrega a VOPR de todas as árvores que se originam no mesmo CDP, e mais pedidos de sessão podem ser processados sem a necessidade de sincronização quando comparado com ACOR. Além disso, E-ACOR introduz um mecanismo para controlar as informações àcerca do congestionamento da rede, e impede a sincronização desnecessária durante o tempo de congestionamento quando os VOPRs esgotam consoante cada pedido de sessão. A avaliação de desempenho, através de resultados analíticos e de simulação, mostra a superioridade do E-ACOR em minimizar o controlo geral da carga da sinalização, mantendo todas as vantagens do ACOR, sem apresentar violações de QoS ou desperdício de recursos. A última parte desta Tese inclui a proposta para recuperação a falhas, o Survivability ACOR (SACOR), o qual permite ter QoS estável em caso de falhas de ligações e nós. Os resultados de desempenho analisados mostram uma capacidade flexível de sobrevivência caracterizada por um tempo de convergência rápido e diferenciação de tráfego com uma utilização eficiente dos recursos. Em resumo, os mecanismos de controlo de recursos propostos nesta Tese fornecem um suporte eficiente e escalável para controlo da rede, como também para os seus principais sub-sistemas (por exemplo, QoS, controlo de recursos, engenharia de tráfego, multicast, etc) e, assim, permitir a otimização do desempenho da rede a nível do controlo global

Study, Analysis and Modeling of IP Multimedia systems on next generation networks providing mobile and fixed multimedia services

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Flexible cross layer optimization for fixed and mobile broadband telecommunication networks and beyond

In der heutigen Zeit, in der das Internet im Allgemeinen und Telekommunikationsnetze im Speziellen kritische Infrastrukturen erreicht haben, entstehen hohe Anforderungen und neue Herausforderungen an den Datentransport in Hinsicht auf Effizienz und Flexibilität. Heutige Telekommunikationsnetze sind jedoch rigide und statisch konzipiert, was nur ein geringes Maß an Flexibilität und Anpassungsfähigkeit der Netze ermöglicht und darüber hinaus nur im begrenzten Maße die Wichtigkeit von Datenflüssen im wiederspiegelt. Diverse Lösungsansätze zum kompletten Neuentwurf als auch zum evolutionären Konzept des Internet wurden ausgearbeitet und spezifiziert, um diese neuartigen Anforderungen und Herausforderungen adäquat zu adressieren. Einer dieser Ansätze ist das Cross Layer Optimierungs-Paradigma, welches eine bisher nicht mögliche direkte Kommunikation zwischen verteilten Funktionalitäten unterschiedlichen Typs ermöglicht, um ein höheres Maß an Dienstgüte zu erlangen. Ein wesentlicher Indikator, welcher die Relevanz dieses Ansatzes unterstreicht, zeichnet sich durch die Programmierbarkeit von Netzwerkfunktionalitäten aus, welche sich aus der Evolution von heutigen hin zu zukünftigen Netzen erkennen lässt. Dieses Konzept wird als ein vielversprechender Lösungsansatz für Kontrollmechanismen von Diensten in zukünftigen Kernnetzwerken erachtet. Dennoch existiert zur Zeit der Entstehung dieser Doktorarbeit kein Ansatz zur Cross Layer Optimierung in Festnetz-und Mobilfunknetze, welcher der geforderten Effizienz und Flexibilität gerecht wird. Die übergeordnete Zielsetzung dieser Arbeit adressiert die Konzeptionierung, Entwicklung und Evaluierung eines Cross Layer Optimierungsansatzes für Telekommunikationsnetze. Einen wesentlichen Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit stellt die Definition einer theoretischen Konzeptionierung und deren praktischer Realisierung eines Systems zur Cross Layer Optimierung für Telekommunikationsnetze dar. Die durch diese Doktorarbeit analysierten wissenschaftlichen Fragestellungen betreffen u.a. die Anwendbarkeit von Cross Layer Optimierungsansätzen auf Telekommunikationsnetzwerke; die Betrachtung neuartiger Anforderungen; existierende Konzepte, Ansätze und Lösungen; die Abdeckung neuer Funktionalitäten durch bereits existierende Lösungen; und letztendlich den erkennbaren Mehrwert des neu vorgeschlagenen Konzepts gegenüber den bestehenden Lösungen. Die wissenschaftlichen Beiträge dieser Doktorarbeit lassen sich grob durch vier Säulen skizzieren: Erstens werden der Stand der Wissenschaft und Technik analysiert und bewertet, Anforderungen erhoben und eine Lückenanalyse vorgenommen. Zweitens werden Herausforderungen, Möglichkeiten, Limitierungen und Konzeptionierungsaspekte eines Modells zur Cross Layer Optimierung analysiert und evaluiert. Drittens wird ein konzeptionelles Modell - Generic Adaptive Resource Control (GARC) - spezifiziert, als Prototyp realisiert und ausgiebig validiert. Viertens werden theoretische und praktische Beiträge dieser Doktorarbeit vertiefend analysiert und bewertet.As the telecommunication world moves towards a data-only network environment, signaling, voice and other data are similarly transported as Internet Protocol packets. New requirements, challenges and opportunities are bound to this transition and influence telecommunication architectures accordingly. In this time in which the Internet in general, and telecommunication networks in particular, have entered critical infrastructures and systems, it is of high importance to guarantee efficient and flexible data transport. A certain level of Quality-of-Service (QoS) for critical services is crucial even during overload situations in the access and core network, as these two are the bottlenecks in the network. However, the current telecommunication architecture is rigid and static, which offers very limited flexibility and adaptability. Several concepts on clean slate as well as evolutionary approaches have been proposed and defined in order to cope with these new challenges and requirements. One of these approaches is the Cross Layer Optimization paradigm. This concept omits the strict separation and isolation of the Application-, Control- and Network-Layers as it enables interaction and fosters Cross Layer Optimization among them. One indicator underlying this trend is the programmability of network functions, which emerges clearly during the telecommunication network evolution towards the Future Internet. The concept is regarded as one solution for service control in future mobile core networks. However, no standardized approach for Cross Layer signaling nor optimizations in between the individual layers have been standardized at the time this thesis was written. The main objective of this thesis is the design, implementation and evaluation of a Cross Layer Optimization concept on telecommunication networks. A major emphasis is given to the definition of a theoretical model and its practical realization through the implementation of a Cross Layer network resource optimization system for telecommunication systems. The key questions answered through this thesis are: in which way can the Cross Layer Optimization paradigm be applied on telecommunication networks; which new requirements arise; which of the required functionalities cannot be covered through existing solutions, what other conceptual approaches already exist and finally whether such a new concept is viable. The work presented in this thesis and its contributions can be summarized in four parts: First, a review of related work, a requirement analysis and a gap analysis were performed. Second, challenges, limitations, opportunities and design aspects for specifying an optimization model between application and network layer were formulated. Third, a conceptual model - Generic Adaptive Resource Control (GARC) - was specified and its prototypical implementation was realized. Fourth, the theoretical and practical thesis contributions was validated and evaluated

Leveraging cloud computing for IPTV : moving the set-top box to the cloud

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia de InformáticaP Television (IPTV) has changed the way we perceive our TV sets. It has given us the ability to take control of our TV viewing activities. We can now interact with our TV set in a way we might have thought impossible a few decades ago. With the push of a button we can schedule TV recordings, stop and even rewind the broadcast. Users are now able to control what they want to view, when they want to view it. TV sets have also evolved and gained a new set of functionalities, they have become smart, allowing us to connect o the Internet and decode media files that are inputed through usb ports and streamed through the network or the Internet. But the TV is no longer the center of our multimedia experience, now we have new ways to access the TV content we have subscribed. Viewing TV on a laptop, a smartphone or even a tablet is now more and more common. Cloud Computing (CC) has also brought us some revolutions, we can now have systems that grow and adapt on-the-fly to the conditions presented to them. An application can extend it’s storage capacity in a matter of minutes, and the same can be said of the processing power of the underlying platform. Our objective in this work is to discuss the possibility of creating a synergy between both services. By creating a system where IPTV and CC would interact, we could create a service that would provide IPTV anytime and anywhere. With the possibilities CC brings we can move the Set-top Box (STB) to the cloud and create new service functionalities and reduce the cost of having to install a STB in every client. We have focussed our work in the simulation of a CC infrastructure that would host Virtual STB’s that would be accessible from wherever there would be a network connection

Context-awareness for ubiquitous media service delivery in next generation networks

Les récentes avancées technologiques permettent désormais la fabrication de terminaux mobiles de plus en plus compacts et dotés de plusieurs interfaces réseaux. Le nouveau modèle de consommation de médias se résume par le concept "Anytime, Anywhere, Any Device" et impose donc de nouvelles exigences en termes de déploiement de services ubiquitaires. Cependant la conception et le developpement de réseaux ubiquitaires et convergents de nouvelles générations soulèvent un certain nombre de défis techniques. Les standards actuels ainsi que les solutions commerciales pourraient être affectés par le manque de considération du contexte utilisateur. Le ressenti de l'utilisateur concernant certains services multimédia tels que la VoIP et l'IPTV dépend fortement des capacités du terminal et des conditions du réseau d'accès. Cela incite les réseaux de nouvelles générations à fournir des services ubiquitaires adaptés à l'environnement de l'utilisateur optimisant par la même occasion ses resources. L'IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) est une architecture de nouvelle génération qui centralise l'accès aux services et permet la convergence des réseaux fixe/mobile. Néanmoins, l'évolution de l'IMS est nécessaire sur les points suivants :- l'introduction de la sensibilité au contexte utilisateur et de la PQoS (Perceived QoS) : L'architecture IMS ne prend pas en compte l'environnement de l'utilisateur, ses préférences et ne dispose pas d'un méchanisme de gestion de PQOS. Pour s'assurer de la qualité fournit à l'utilisateur final, des informations sur l'environnement de l'utilisateur ainsi que ses préférences doivent transiter en cœur de réseau afin d'y être analysés. Ce traitement aboutit au lancement du service qui sera adapté et optimisé aux conditions observées. De plus pour le service d'IPTV, les caractéristiques spatio-temporelles de la vidéo influent de manière importante sur la PQoS observée côté utilisateur. L'adaptation des services multimédias en fonction de l'évolution du contexte utilisateur et de la nature de la vidéo diffusée assure une qualité d'expérience à l'utilisateur et optimise par la même occasion l'utilisation des ressources en cœur de réseau.- une solution de mobilité efficace pour les services conversationnels tels que la VoIP : Les dernières publications 3GPP fournissent deux solutions de mobilité: le LTE proposeMIP comme solution de mobilité alors que l'IMS définit une mobilité basée sur le protocoleapplicatif SIP. Ces standards définissent le système de signalisation mais ne s'avancent pas sur la gestion du flux média lors du changement d'interface réseau. La deuxième section introduit une étude comparative détaillée des solutions de mobilité dans les NGNs.Notre première contribution est la spécification de l'architecture globale de notre plateforme IMS sensible au contexte utilisateur réalisée au sein du projet Européen ADAMANTIUM. Nous détaillons tout d'abord le serveur MCMS intelligent placé dans la couche application de l'IMS. Cet élément récolte les informations de qualité de services à différents équipements réseaux et prend la décision d'une action sur l'un de ces équipements. Ensuite nous définissons un profil utilisateur permettant de décrire son environnement et de le diffuser en coeur de réseau. Une étude sur la prédiction de satisfaction utilisateur en fonction des paramètres spatio-temporels de la vidéo a été réalisée afin de connaître le débit idéal pour une PQoS désirée.Notre deuxième contribution est l'introduction d'une solution de mobilité adaptée aux services conversationnels (VoIP) tenant compte du contexte utilisateur. Notre solution s'intègre à l'architecture IMS existante de façon transparente et permet de réduire le temps de latence du handover. Notre solution duplique les paquets de VoIP sur les deux interfaces actives pendant le temps de la transition. Parallèlement, un nouvel algorithme de gestion de mémoire tampon améliore la qualité d'expérience pour le service de VoIP.The latest advances in technology have already defied Moore s law. Thanks to research and industry, hand-held devices are composed of high processing embedded systems enabling the consumption of high quality services. Furthermore, recent trends in communication drive users to consume media Anytime, Anywhere on Any Device via multiple wired and wireless network interfaces. This creates new demands for ubiquitous and high quality service provision management. However, defining and developing the next generation of ubiquitous and converged networks raise a number of challenges. Currently, telecommunication standards do not consider context-awareness aspects for network management and service provisioning. The experience felt by the end-user consuming for instance Voice over IP (VoIP) or Internet Protocol TeleVision (IPTV) services varies depending mainly on user preferences, device context and network resources. It is commonly held that Next Generation Network (NGN) should deliver personalized and effective ubiquitous services to the end user s Mobile Node (MN) while optimizing the network resources at the network operator side. IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a standardized NGN framework that unifies service access and allows fixed/mobile network convergence. Nevertheless IMS technology still suffers from a number of confining factors that are addressed in this thesis; amongst them are two main issues :The lack of context-awareness and Perceived-QoS (PQoS):-The existing IMS infrastructure does not take into account the environment of the user ,his preferences , and does not provide any PQoS aware management mechanism within its service provisioning control system. In order to ensure that the service satisfies the consumer, this information need to be sent to the core network for analysis. In order to maximize the end-user satisfaction while optimizing network resources, the combination of a user-centric network management and adaptive services according to the user s environment and network conditions are considered. Moreover, video content dynamics are also considered as they significantly impact on the deduced perceptual quality of IPTV services. -The lack of efficient mobility mechanism for conversational services like VoIP :The latest releases of Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) provide two types of mobility solutions. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) uses Mobile IP (MIP) and IMS uses Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) mobility. These standards are focusing on signaling but none of them define how the media should be scheduled in multi-homed devices. The second section introduces a detailed study of existing mobility solutions in NGNs. Our first contribution is the specification of the global context-aware IMS architecture proposed within the European project ADAptative Management of mediA distributioN based on saTisfaction orIented User Modeling (ADAMANTIUM). We introduce the innovative Multimedia Content Management System (MCMS) located in the application layer of IMS. This server combines the collected monitoring information from different network equipments with the data of the user profile and takes adaptation actions if necessary. Then, we introduce the User Profile (UP) management within the User Equipment (UE) describing the end-user s context and facilitating the diffusion of the end-user environment towards the IMS core network. In order to optimize the network usage, a PQoS prediction mechanism gives the optimal video bit-rate according to the video content dynamics. Our second contribution in this thesis is an efficient mobility solution for VoIP service within IMS using and taking advantage of user context. Our solution uses packet duplication on both active interfaces during handover process. In order to leverage this mechanism, a new jitter buffer algorithm is proposed at MN side to improve the user s quality of experience. Furthermore, our mobility solution integrates easily to the existing IMS platform.BORDEAUX1-Bib.electronique (335229901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Acesso banda larga sem fios em ambientes heterogéneos de próxima geração

Doutoramento em Engenharia InformáticaO acesso ubíquo à Internet é um dos principais desafios para os operadores de telecomunicações na próxima década. O número de utilizadores da Internet está a crescer exponencialmente e o paradigma de acesso "always connected, anytime, anywhere" é um requisito fundamental para as redes móveis de próxima geração. A tecnologia WiMAX, juntamente com o LTE, foi recentemente reconhecida pelo ITU como uma das tecnologias de acesso compatíveis com os requisitos do 4G. Ainda assim, esta tecnologia de acesso não está completamente preparada para ambientes de próxima geração, principalmente devido à falta de mecanismos de cross-layer para integração de QoS e mobilidade. Adicionalmente, para além das tecnologias WiMAX e LTE, as tecnologias de acesso rádio UMTS/HSPA e Wi-Fi continuarão a ter um impacto significativo nas comunicações móveis durante os próximos anos. Deste modo, é fundamental garantir a coexistência das várias tecnologias de acesso rádio em termos de QoS e mobilidade, permitindo assim a entrega de serviços multimédia de tempo real em redes móveis. Para garantir a entrega de serviços multimédia a utilizadores WiMAX, esta Tese propõe um gestor cross-layer WiMAX integrado com uma arquitectura de QoS fim-a-fim. A arquitectura apresentada permite o controlo de QoS e a comunicação bidireccional entre o sistema WiMAX e as entidades das camadas superiores. Para além disso, o gestor de cross-layer proposto é estendido com eventos e comandos genéricos e independentes da tecnologia para optimizar os procedimentos de mobilidade em ambientes WiMAX. Foram realizados testes para avaliar o desempenho dos procedimentos de QoS e mobilidade da arquitectura WiMAX definida, demonstrando que esta é perfeitamente capaz de entregar serviços de tempo real sem introduzir custos excessivos na rede. No seguimento das extensões de QoS e mobilidade apresentadas para a tecnologia WiMAX, o âmbito desta Tese foi alargado para ambientes de acesso sem-fios heterogéneos. Neste sentido, é proposta uma arquitectura de mobilidade transparente com suporte de QoS para redes de acesso multitecnologia. A arquitectura apresentada integra uma versão estendida do IEEE 802.21 com suporte de QoS, bem como um gestor de mobilidade avançado integrado com os protocolos de gestão de mobilidade do nível IP. Finalmente, para completar o trabalho desenvolvido no âmbito desta Tese, é proposta uma extensão aos procedimentos de decisão de mobilidade em ambientes heterogéneos para incorporar a informação de contexto da rede e do terminal. Para validar e avaliar as optimizações propostas, foram desenvolvidos testes de desempenho num demonstrador inter-tecnologia, composta pelas redes de acesso WiMAX, Wi-Fi e UMTS/HSPA.Ubiquitous Internet access is one of the main challenges for the telecommunications industry in the next decade. The number of users accessing the Internet is growing exponentially and the network access paradigm of “always connected, anytime, anywhere” is a central requirement for the so-called Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN). WiMAX, together with LTE, was recently recognized by ITU as one of the compliant access technologies for 4G. Nevertheless, WiMAX is not yet fully prepared for next generation environments, mainly due to the lack of QoS and mobility crosslayer procedures to support real-time multimedia services delivery. Furthermore, besides the 4G compliant WiMAX and LTE radio access technologies, UMTS/HSPA and Wi-Fi will also have a significant impact in the mobile communications during the next years. Therefore, it is fundamental to ensure the coexistence of multiple radio access technologies in what QoS and mobility procedures are concerned, thereby allowing the delivery of real-time services in mobile networks. In order to provide the WiMAX mobile users with the demanded multimedia services, it is proposed in this Thesis a WiMAX cross-layer manager integrated in an end-to-end all-IP QoS enabled architecture. The presented framework enables the QoS control and bidirectional communication between WiMAX and the upper layer network entities. Furthermore, the proposed cross-layer framework is extended with media independent events and commands to optimize the mobility procedures in WiMAX environments. Tests were made to evaluate the QoS and mobility performance of the defined architecture, demonstrating that it is perfectly capable of handling and supporting real time services without introducing an excessive cost in the network. Following the QoS and mobility extensions provided for WiMAX, the scope of this Thesis is broaden and a seamless mobility architecture with QoS support in heterogeneous wireless access environments is proposed. The presented architecture integrates an extended version of the IEEE 802.21 framework with QoS support, as well as an advanced mobility manager integrated with the IP level mobility management protocols. Finally, to complete the work within the framework of this Thesis, it is proposed an extension to the handover decisionmaking processes in heterogeneous access environments through the integration of context information from both the network entities and the enduser. Performance tests were developed in a real testbed to validate the proposed optimizations in an inter-technology handover scenario involving WiMAX, Wi-Fi and UMTS/HSPA

Telecommunication Economics

This book constitutes a collaborative and selected documentation of the scientific outcome of the European COST Action IS0605 Econ@Tel "A Telecommunications Economics COST Network" which run from October 2007 to October 2011. Involving experts from around 20 European countries, the goal of Econ@Tel was to develop a strategic research and training network among key people and organizations in order to enhance Europe's competence in the field of telecommunications economics. Reflecting the organization of the COST Action IS0605 Econ@Tel in working groups the following four major research areas are addressed: - evolution and regulation of communication ecosystems; - social and policy implications of communication technologies; - economics and governance of future networks; - future networks management architectures and mechanisms

Telecommunication Economics

This book constitutes a collaborative and selected documentation of the scientific outcome of the European COST Action IS0605 Econ@Tel "A Telecommunications Economics COST Network" which run from October 2007 to October 2011. Involving experts from around 20 European countries, the goal of Econ@Tel was to develop a strategic research and training network among key people and organizations in order to enhance Europe's competence in the field of telecommunications economics. Reflecting the organization of the COST Action IS0605 Econ@Tel in working groups the following four major research areas are addressed: - evolution and regulation of communication ecosystems; - social and policy implications of communication technologies; - economics and governance of future networks; - future networks management architectures and mechanisms