一种卫星网络中基于Agent的可靠组播传输协议

IP 组播技术是一种可以把单个数据信息同时分发到不同的用户去的网络技术。卫星网络固有的广播信道特性使得它很适合组播应用。然而目前针对卫星网络的可靠组播服务研究很少,虽然已经有一些关于地面Internet组播协议建议,但他们并不适合于卫星网络。在卫星网络组播传输中的一个关键技术是传输协议设计。该文提出一种基于Agent的宽带卫星网络可靠组播传输协议(ASMTP)。该协议利用接收端Agent来实现卫星组播,采用分组级FEC和本地差错恢复纠正传播中的非相关错误和相关错误。在ASMTP中,还实现了流量控制和拥塞控制机制。仿真结果表明,在卫星网络环境中,ASMTP性能优于MFTP(Multicast File Transport Protocol),同时具有较好的网络可扩展性。     

ASON组播技术及其应用研究

业务的多样性和不断出现的新业务正在驱动网络的发展，以IPTV为代表的基于流媒体的业务对光网络提出了新的挑战，光网络需要引入组播功能，支持组播业务。组播功能的引入使得光网络的带宽利用率得到有效提高。组播是未来光网络必不可少的技术。层叠网络的进一步演进，将进一步融合IP组播和光网络组播。未来，可以通过降低光网络组播树的粒度来降低光组播的使用门槛，这将有利于促进组播技术的更广泛使用。     

IPTV--三网融合的开端

IPTV与目前的3个运营网（有线电视网、Internet和电信网）及其业务直接相关。但不同运营商对IPTV业务有不同定位。电信运营商认为IPTV业务体现于电视节目在IP网中的组织和传送形式，有线电视网络运营商认为IPTV业务是利用有线电视网来提供数字电视节目和电视节目以外的信息服务。由于IPTV业务分为广播业务和交互型业务两大类，支撑这两类业务的承载网也相应地分别采用单向广播网和双向交互网，因而在承载网层很难融合。融合工作将在业务层发生，即充分利用已经存在的两个承载网来经济、高效地发展业务。IPTV中既拥有广播型业务，又拥有组播型业务，还拥有交互型业务，将是三网融合的开端。     

On Multicast Routing for Wavelength-Routed WDM Networks with Dynamic Membership

Future broadband networks must support integrated services and offer flexible bandwidth usage. In our previous work in [1], we explored the optical link control (OLC) layer on the top of optical layer that enables the possibility of bandwidth on-demand (BoD) service directly over wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks. Today, more and more applications and services such as video-conferencing software and Virtual LAN service require multicast support over the underlying networks. Currently, it is difficult to provide wavelength multicast over optical switches without optical/electronic conversions although the conversion takes extra cost. In this paper, based on the proposed wavelength router architecture (equipped with ATM switches to offer O/E and E/O conversions when necessary), a dynamic multicast routing algorithm is proposed to furnish multicast services over WDM networks. The goal is to join a new group member into the multicast tree so that the cost, including the link cost and the optical/electronic conversion cost, is kept as low as possible. The same algorithm can be applied to other wavelength routing architectures with redefinition of electronic copy cost. The effectiveness of the proposed wavelength router architecture as well as the dynamic multicast algorithm is evaluated by simulation.     

Key Management in Secure Satellite Multicast Using Key Hypergraphs

Satellite networks play an important role in today’s information age because they can provide the global coverage services. Information security is an important concern in satellite multicast communications, where eavesdropping can be performed much easier than the fixed terrestrial networks. In this work, a novel multicast key management scheme based on key hypergraph for satellite networks on a predefined communication scenario is proposed. We use logical key hierarchy and distributed-logical key hierarchy as reference models for performance comparisons. It is shown that the proposed multicast key management scheme is scalable to large dynamic groups and minimizes satellite bandwidth usage.     

Scalable architecture and evaluation for multiparty conferencing over satellite links

This paper describes the architecture of a proposed multiparty conferencing system for satellites. Different conferencing models are discussed and compared. A session initiation protocol (SIP)-based conference signaling model and an extension to protocol-independent multicast sparse mode that supports quality-of-service (QoS) in DiffServ networks are proposed, as particularly suitable for multiparty conferencing applications over satellite links. The paper also presents key issues and potential solutions of scalable QoS multicast services for multiparty conferences over satellite. End-to-end QoS parameters for voice and video are measured and analyzed on a prototype.     

An Advanced Satellite UMTS Testbed for Laboratory and Over-the-Air Experiments of Third-Generation Mobile Services—Part II: Experimental Results

This paper complements its companion paper by reporting the key experimental results obtained both in the laboratory and via satellite, using the Satellite Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems (S-UMTS) Advanced TestBed (ATB) - a comprehensive facility developed under a European Space Agency contract whose intention was to demonstrate a set of technical solutions for the efficient provision of the so-called S-UMTS services, i.e., third-generation (3G) point-to-point (i.e., interactive) and point-to-multipoint (i.e., multicasting/broadcasting) mobile services based on wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA). After addressing the architecture of the overall via satellite ATB demonstrator, the main test results obtained in the laboratory, as well as over the air, are summarized. Then, bit error rate and frame error rate measurement results that were taken from the forward and return links are shown for both the additive white Gaussian noise and the Ricean channels, with different orders of space diversity and different coding schemes, which were classified as either convolutional or turbo 3G partnership project coding. Finally, key results of via satellite L-band measurements are reported for both unicast and reliable multicast applications. Because of the extensive test campaign presented in this paper, the viability of adapting W-CDMA to support point-to-point (packet) and point-to-multipoint multicast services in the satellite environment, as standardized by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, has been widely validated and experimentally confirmed. Reliable multicast techniques, exploiting a forward error correction that operates at the upper layer, were shown to be a powerful way of counteracting satellite channel impairments, thus allowing the multicast of multimedia contents in quasi-real time with good quality of service.     

Performance analysis of multicast routing and wavelength assignment protocol with dynamic traffic grooming in WDM networks

The need for on‐demand provisioning of wavelength‐routed channels with service‐differentiated offerings within the transport layer has become more essential because of the recent emergence of high bit rate Internet protocol (IP) network applications. Diverse optical transport network architectures have been proposed to achieve the above requirements. This approach is determined by fundamental advances in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technologies. Because of the availability of ultra long‐reach transport and all‐optical switching, the deployment of all‐optical networks has been made possible. The concurrent transmission of multiple streams of data with the assistance of special properties of fiber optics is called WDM. The WDM network provides the capability of transferring huge amounts of data at high speeds by the users over large distances. There are several network applications that require the support of QoS multicast, such as multimedia conferencing systems, video‐on‐demand systems, real‐time control systems, etc. In a WDM network, the route decision and wavelength assignment of lightpath connections are based mainly on the routing and wavelength assignment (RWA). The multicast RWA's task is to maximize the number of multicast groups admitted or minimize the call‐blocking probability. The dynamic traffic‐grooming problem in wavelength‐routed networks is generally a two‐layered routing problem in which traffic connections are routed over lightpaths in the virtual topology layer and lightpaths are routed over physical links in the physical topology layer. In this paper, a multicast RWA protocol for capacity improvement in WDM networks is designed. In the wavelength assignment technique, paths from the source node to each of the destination nodes and the potential paths are divided into fragments by the junction nodes and these junction nodes have the wavelength conversion capability. By using the concept of fragmentation and grouping, the proposed scheme can be generally applied for the wavelength assignment of multicast in WDM networks. An optimized dynamic traffic grooming algorithm is also developed to address the traffic grooming problem in mesh networks in the multicast scenario for maximizing the resource utilization and minimizing the blocking probability. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

光网络中的一种基于虚拟源的动态多播保护算法

随着各种多播业务的不断出现,如何在网络的光层实现多播业务的可靠性传输已成为光网络研究中的一个热点问题,而多播保护算法是这一问题的核心.目前多播保护算法的研究都是在假设网络所有节点具有多播功能的条件下进行的,然而由于成本的限制,实际光网络往往是一个稀疏多播光网络,即网络中只有部分节点具有多播功能.针对这一问题,提出了一种基于虚拟源的动态多播保护算法.仿真结果表明:该算法不仅能在稀疏多播光网络中满足多播业务可靠传输的要求,还具有较高的网络资源的利用率和较低的时间复杂度.     

Dynamic Bandwidth and Carrier Allocation for Video Broadcast/Multicast Over Multi-Cell Environments

Recently, broadcast/multicast over cellular networks has been actively discussed over commercial wireless mobile terminals. Compared to conventional terrestrial or satellite broadcasting systems, the quality-of-service (QoS) for edge users is an important issue due to inter-cell interference over multi-cell environments. In this paper, we introduce a dynamic bandwidth and carrier allocation (DBCA) technique by fully utilizing different visual importance of each layer in multi-layer video for broadcast/multicast services when the number of users is limited over macro/micro/femto cell environments. To ensure an acceptable video quality for edge users, the bandwidth and the loading ratio are dynamically controlled to enhance the utility through the radio resource control in accordance with the visual importance. The simulation results show that DBCA exhibits much better QoS by sending visually more important data with high priority in the cell border region.     

Securing multicast in DVB-RCS satellite systems

While TV broadcasting is probably the best known application of satellite technology, satellite service providers are now expanding their services to include Internet data transmission. Consequently, security of satellite data is becoming an important issue. This article examines the current DVB-RCS security standard and identifies the principal gaps in the provision of secure multicast over DVB-RCS. The main contribution of this article is a proposal for adapting the current DVB-RCS two-way satellite standard to provide secure multicast services over satellites.     

Traffic management for TCP/IP over satellite ATM networks

Several Ka-band satellite systems have been proposed that will use ATM technology to seamlessly transport Internet traffic. The ATM UBR, GFR, and ABR service categories have been designed for data. However, several studies have reported poor TCP performance over satellite ATM networks. We describe techniques to improve TCP performance over satellite ATM networks. We first discuss the various design options available for TCP end systems, IP-ATM edge devices, as well as ATM switches for long-latency connections. We discuss buffer management policies, guaranteed rate services, and the virtual source/virtual destination option in ATM. We present a comparison of ATM service categories for TCP transport over satellite links. The main goal of this article is to discuss design and performance issues for the transport of TCP over UBR, GFR, and ABR services for satellite ATM networks     

Providing differentiated service to TCP flows over bandwidth on demand geostationary satellite networks

The elasticity of transmission control protocol (TCP) traffic complicates attempts to provide performance guarantees to TCP flows. The existence of different types of networks and environments on the connections' paths only aggravates this problem. In this paper, simulation is the primary means for investigating the specific problem in the context of bandwidth on demand (BoD) geostationary satellite networks. Proposed transport-layer options and mechanisms for TCP performance enhancement, studied in the single connection case or without taking into account the media access control (MAC)-shared nature of the satellite link, are evaluated within a BoD-aware satellite simulation environment. Available capabilities at MAC layer, enabling the provision of differentiated service to TCP flows, are demonstrated and the conditions under which they perform efficiently are investigated. The BoD scheduling algorithm and the policy regarding spare capacity distribution are two MAC-layer mechanisms that appear to be complementary in this context; the former is effective at high levels of traffic load, whereas the latter drives the differentiation at low traffic load. When coupled with transport layer mechanisms they can form distinct bearer services over the satellite network that increase the differentiation robustness against the TCP bias against connections with long round-trip times. We also explore the use of analytical, fixed-point methods to predict the performance at transport level and link level. The applicability of the approach is mainly limited by the lack of analytical models accounting for prioritization mechanisms at the MAC layer and the nonuniform distribution of traffic load among satellite terminals.     

Exploring the design space of reliable multicast protocols for wireless mesh networks

Many important applications in wireless mesh networks require reliable multicast communication, i.e., with 100% packet delivery ratio (PDR). Previously, numerous multicast protocols based on automatic repeat request (ARQ) have been proposed to improve the packet delivery ratio. However, these ARQ-based protocols can lead to excessive control overhead and drastically reduced throughput. In this paper, we present a comprehensive exploration of the design space for developing high-throughput, reliable multicast protocols that achieve 100% PDR.Motivated by the fact that 802.11 MAC layer broadcast, which is used by most wireless multicast protocols, offers no reliability, we first examine if better hop-by-hop reliability provided by unicasting the packets at the MAC layer can help to achieve end-to-end multicast reliability. We then turn to end-to-end solutions at the transport layer. Previously, forward error correction (FEC) techniques have been proved effective for providing reliable multicast in the Internet, by avoiding the control packet implosion and scalability problems of ARQ-based protocols. In this paper, we examine if FEC techniques can be equally effective to support reliable multicast in wireless mesh networks. We integrate four representative reliable schemes (one ARQ, one FEC, and two hybrid) originally developed for the Internet with a representative multicast protocol ODMRP and evaluate their performance.Our experimental results via extensive simulations offer an in-depth understanding of the various choices in the design space. First, compared to broadcast-based unreliable ODMRP, using unicast for per-hop transmission only offers a very small improvement in reliability under low load, but fails to improve the reliability under high load due to the significantly increased capacity requirement which leads to congestion and packet drop. Second, at the transport layer, the use of pure FEC can significantly improve the reliability, increasing PDR up to 100% in many cases, but can be inefficient in terms of the number of redundant packets transmitted. In contrast, a carefully designed ARQ–FEC hybrid protocol, such as RMDP, can also offer 100% reliability while improving the efficiency by up to 38% compared to a pure FEC scheme. To our best knowledge, this is the first in-depth study of high-throughput, reliable multicast protocols that provide 100% PDR for wireless mesh networks.     

适于低轨卫星IP网络的特定源组播算法

为了解决低轨卫星IP网络中现有特定源组播算法的信道资源浪费问题,本文提出了一套新的特定源组播算法,即基于核心群的特定源组播算法(CSSM)和加权的CSSM算法(w-CSSM).CSSM算法以源节点作为初始核心群,通过核心群和剩余组成员的最短路径方法逐步扩展直至整棵组播树构建完成,所得的树代价最小,从而大大提高了网络的带宽利用率和传输效率.在w-CSSM算法中,加权因子可以自适应调整以适度增大树代价、降低端到端传播时延,以支持某些有严格端到端时延要求的实时组播业务.通过与低轨卫星IP网络中典型特定源组播算法MRA的仿真比较,可以看出CSSM和w-CSSM算法的树代价性能比MRA有较大改善,不过端到端传播时延略高.     

Channel islands in a reflective ocean: large-scale eventdistribution in heterogeneous networks

We discuss the design of a multicast event distribution service intended to support extremely large-scale event distribution. To date, event notification services have been limited in their scope due to limitations of the infrastructure. At the same time, Internet network and transport layer multicast services have seen limited deployment due to lack of user demand (with the exception of streaming services, e.g., on Sprint's US core network and in the Internet II). Research in active networks and reflective middleware suggests a way to resolve these two problems at one go. The goal of this article is to describe a reflective middleware system that integrates the network, transport, and distributed middleware services into a seamless whole. The system integrates this "low-level" technology into an event middleware system, suitable for telemetry, novel mobile network services, and other as yet unforeseen applications     

Multicast routing and bandwidth dimensioning in overlay networks

Multicast services can be provided either as a basic network service or as an application-layer service. Higher level multicast implementations often provide more sophisticated features and can provide multicast services at places where no network layer support is available. Overlay multicast networks offer an intermediate option, potentially combining the flexibility and advanced features of application layer multicast with the greater efficiency of network layer multicast. In this paper, we introduce the multicast routing problem specific to the overlay network environment and the related capacity assignment problem for overlay network planning. Our main contributions are the design of several routing algorithms that optimize the end-to-end delay and the interface bandwidth usage at the multicast service nodes within the overlay network. The interface bandwidth is typically a key resource for an overlay network provider, and needs to be carefully managed in order to maximize the number of users that can be served. Through simulations, we evaluate the performance of these algorithms under various traffic conditions and on various network topologies. The results show that our approach is cost-effective and robust under traffic variations.     

Evaluation of SCTP for space networks

The stream control transmission protocol has recently been standardized as a new transport layer protocol in the IP protocol suite. SCFP is based on the TCP protocol, but incorporates a number of advanced and unique features that are not available in TCP. Although the suitability of TCP over satellite networks has been widely studied, the suitability of SCTP over satellite networks remains to be evaluated. The objective of this article is to investigate the suitability of SCTP for data communications over satellite networks. We focus on the advanced features of SCTP that enhance its performance in satellite networks. Finally, we provide recommendations on the use of SCTP over satellite networks.