8/April/2005
Research Activities in 4G Networks at INESC Porto
Manuel Ricardo and José Ruela
Apartado 4433 4007-001 Porto Codex
www.inescporto.pt
tel (351)22 209 4000
fax (351)22 208 4172
Communication Networks and Services Group
• People
– 2 professors
– 2 senior researchers
– 6 PhD students
– 6 MSc students
– Variable number of Licenciatura students
• Located at
– INESC Porto
– “Campus da FEUP” – Faculdade de Engenharia da Univ. do Porto
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Research in Mobile Communications – Context
• Mobile communications networks vs fixed networks
– mobility of the terminals
– properties of wireless links
• variable bit rates, variable bit error ratios
– terminal characteristics
• low processing capabilities, low memory, low consumption
• 2 key research areas in Networking
– 4G networks
– Ambient networks
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Research in Mobile Communications – 4G Networks
•
4G mobile terminal
– Always Best Connected to the available networks
– Multiple network interfaces, of different radio technologies
– Information conveyed as IP packets
• Research problems include
– Mobility support, routing
– QoS, radio resource management, traffic accounting
– Security
– Ad-hoc, mobile networks
– Improvement of existing PLMNs (e.g. GPRS, UMTS)  VoIP, multicast
– Planning, management, and operation
• In Europe  focused on IPv6
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Research in Mobile Communications – Ambient Networks
• Ambient intelligence
– People immersed in reacting environments
– Persons carry small devices  may form a PAN
– Devices
• communicate over radio links; connections with neighbour networks
• Research problems include
– Plug-and-play of unknown devices and networks
– Network composition
– Mobility, security
– Multihoming
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Topics under Research at INESC Porto
• Ad-hoc networking
• Generic link layer
• QoS, congestion control
• Testing
• Multicast
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Integrating Ad-hoc with Infrastructure Networks
•
Ad-hoc used to extend the coverage of infrastrucure networks
• Current solution implements
– gateway discovery, address autoconfiguration, MIPv6, AODV + OLSR
•
Under work
– terminal handover between ad-hoc and infrastructure modes
– Multipath towards the infrastructure
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Automatic Networking
•
Plug-and-play of computers and networks
•
Development of new signaling, which
–
Detects/establishes links
–
Detects other (ambient) networks / devices
–
Forms networks using existing technologies
•
IPv4, NAT, DHCP, IPv6, MIPv6, HIP, tunnels, IPSec, PPox, PPTP
–
Exchanges information about routing, security, and QoS
–
Addresses also multi-homing, multicast and mobility
Control Plane
ANI
Ambient Control Space
User Plane
Interface tdb
Advanced Connectivity
Framework
User Applications
Transport Connectivity
Framework
Basic Connectivity
Framework
Data Plane
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Service Announcement over Ambient Networks
Services
gathering
phase
Form
gathering
phase
Periodic
annouce phase
PROVIDER
8/Apr/05
CLIENT
Announce (IP, FormId, ServicesId)
Client
arrival
Announce (IP, FormId, ServicesId)
FormRequest ()
FormReply (list of characteristic
variables required for a remote
evaluation)
ServicesRequest (user specific
values of the variables requested in
the form)
ServicesList (services that the
specific user can use, services wtth
conditions set for local evaluation)
If new
provider, or
different
form Id
If unknwon
list, or
different
service Id,
or Update
Message
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Generic Link Layer for Heterogeneous Networks – QoS
•
QoS reservation in heterogeneous wireless networks
–
QoS-enabled virtual channels between MN and AR
–
Technology-independent interface for
802.15.1, 802.11, 802.16, UMTS
•
Support for handover and multicast
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Generic Link Layer – RoHC, Robust Header Compression
• VoIP, mobile VideoIP - very small IP packets
• IP/UDP/RTP headers  significant overheads
• RoHC solution
– Adapts the IETF RoHC to heteregenous networks
– Compatible with QoS Generic Link layer
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Generic Link Layer – RoHC, Robust Header Compression
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End-to-End Quality of Service Framework – ScalServ
•
Evolved from IntServ over DiffServ
•
Provides end-to-end QoS to real time flows
•
3 service classes, with universal semantics
–
Less than Best Effort, Best Effort, Assured Delivery (AD)
Classification
Class filter
AD service class
Flow filter
–
Possible microflow aggregation
–
Uses end-to-end signalling
–
Interpreted at selected nodes in the access networks
Shaping
r1+r2, b1+b2
rn, bn
Scheduling
BE
AD
TS
,
G
PR
S
LBE
Host
(FG
boundary
node)
M
Host
(FG
interior
node)
U
•
intranet
LR
(BFG
Access Network
bounday (ex: Frame Relay)
node)
AR
(CG
Bundary
node)
Edge
Core Network
CG
Bounday
node
Backbone
Core Network
CG
boundary
node
Edge
Core Network
AR
(CG
Bundary
node)
N
LA
W
Access Network
(ex: xDSL)
LAN
LR
(FG
interior
node)
LAN
Host
(FG
interior
node)
8/Apr/05
p
Fine QoS
Granularity
Host
(FG
boundary
node)
Coarse QoS
Granularity
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Congestion Control
•
•
Assumption
–
(some) networks do not provide QoS mechanisms
–
but need to transport real time flows
Development of new congestion control mechanisms
–
preserve the network stability
–
are media friendly
–
can be combined with L4 (end-to-end) mobility solutions
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Passive Testing – Monitoring Mobile Flows
• Detection of mobile flows and representing them for
– Operator: traffic maps
– User: received QoS under wireless and mobile conditions
• Sampling
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Passive Testing – Monitoring Mobile Flows
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Testing – Monitoring Platform for a 4G Operator
• Passive Measurements
ISP Provider
RipeBox
Collector
– Traffic accounting
– Detection SLA violations
Probe
Probe
Probe
Access Network 1
Edge Router
Core Router
– User Location
MMSP
Probe
Collector
Access Network 2
Probe
• Active Measurements
– Bandwidth probing
Core Router
CMS
Probe
QoS Broker
Probe Core Router
Access Network 3
A4C
PBNMS
Administrative Domain 1
Probe
Collector
Administrative Domain 2
Edge Router
RipeBox
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Testing – Protocol Conformance
•
Protocol / system functional testing
•
Automatic generation of tests from specifications
•
Tests and results obtained on-the-fly
Tester
E
S
C
I
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Multicast
•
•
Addressed as an horizontal issue
–
As a rule, every new work/ thesis addresses multicast
–
Particular attention to video broadcast
Definition of a secure IP multicast solution
–
Transmission of multiple video channels
–
Each channel viewed only by authorized users
–
If a channel is not visualized, it is not transmitted
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Testbed 1 – Infrastrucure and Ad-hoc
VISNET
* Bluetooth AP
* Connected via gigabit to wlan AP
* Multicast support
QoS
* Arrows like solution
Intranet IPv6
connected to 6bone
(RCCN)
Intranet IPv6
connected to 6bone
(RCCN)
Network Composition
(AmbientNetworks PnP)
Service 1
Router
* Connected to Inesc IPv6 Network
* Connected indirectly to 6bone IPv6
RCCN network
* AAAC (Diameter/Radius)
* Monitoring (Filipe Solution)
AdHoc Gateway
* Adhoc Routing Advertisement (Jelger)
* Adhoc Multicast Routing (MMARP)
* QoS (SWAN or Abrantes Solution)
Home Agent
* MIPv6
AmI Services
* Running AmI protocol
* Providers advertising their
presence
* Position/distance dependable
services
* Custom services based on client
characteristics
Adhoc Network
* Multicast (MMARP)
* Autoconfiguration
* Heterogenius Network (Rui)
* QoS (Abrantes/SWAN)
* Services (AmI project)
Services are broadcasted to all the networks connected
Inesc IPv6
Intranet
Service 2
Service 3
RCCN
6Bone
Universal mobility
* UMTS/GPRS connectivity
* Wireless LAN
* Best interface selection
* MIPv6
* Multi-rate Streaming
Out-doors
3G/GPRS Operator
8/Apr/05
unn
6T
IPv
ve r
el O
4w
IPv
ith M
obil
v6
eIP
QoS Broker (??)
(DiffServ)
Monitoring
Main Server
Video
broadc
via ad
hoc m asts to all ad
ulticas
t rout hoc clients
ing (M
MARP)
AAAC Server
(Diameter)
Broadcast
Services
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Testbed 2 – QoS
Admission control
+
L2 link capacity
renegotiated
Server
Bluetooth
Access point
Admission control
+
LSP capacity
renegotiated
Admission control
+
L2 link capacity
renegotiated
Access Router
MPLS Core
Client
Service request
Data
Application
QoS Request
Access router
QoS Reserved
Path
Reservation
Protocol
IP-QoS
Reserve
IP-QoS
QoS-AL
QoS-AL
QoS-AL
BT-QoS
BT-QoS
BT-QoS
IP-QoS
Path
Reservation
Protocol
Reserve
IP-QoS
IP-QoS
Reserve
MPLS
Reservation
Protocol
IP-QoS
QoS-AL
BT-QoS
QoS-AL
MPLS
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Application
Path
Reservation
Protocol
802.11
Access Point
QoS-AL
802.11e
(?)
BT-QoS
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Conclusions
• Research in mobile communications networks at INESC Porto
– Ad-hoc networking, Generic link layer, QoS, Testing, Multicast
• Area appealing and rewarding for research and business
• Group active at national and international level
• Other national research groups have similar growth
• We feel that, in Portugal, we are starting to reach the critical mass
required to enable mobile communications to emerge as a relevant
industry
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