Real-time communication in multihop networks

Communication in real-time systems has to be predictable, because unpredictable delays in the delivery of messages can adversely affect the execution of tasks dependent on these messages. We develop a scheme for providing predictable interprocess communication in real-time systems with (partially connected) point-to-point interconnection networks, which provide guarantees on the maximum delivery time for messages. This scheme is based on the concept of a real-time channel, a unidirectional connection between source and destination. A real-time channel has parameters that describe the performance requirements of the source-destination communication, e.g., from a sensor station to a control site. Once such a channel is established, the communications subsystem guarantees that these performance requirements will be met. We concentrate on methods to compute guarantees for the delivery time of messages belonging to real-time channels. We also address problems associated with allocating buffers for these messages and develop a scheme that preserves delivery time guarantees     

无线多媒体网络中一种基于测量网络状态的动态呼叫接纳控制算法

提出了一种无线多媒体网络中基于测量网络状态的动态呼叫接纳控制算法.它区分了实时和非实时业务,在网络带宽资源不足时可通过降低非实时业务带宽确保实时业务呼叫连接的可靠性;还可根据当前网络状况调整预留带宽大小,使小区实时业务切换呼叫掉线率低于设定的门限值.大量仿真结果显示该算法具有低实时业务切换呼叫掉线率和与固定预留方案相当的带宽利用率,而只以略高的新呼叫阻塞率为代价,适合各种不同概率发生时实际应用的情况.     

Real-time transport of MPEG video with a statistically guaranteedloss ratio in ATM networks

Unlike deterministic real-time communication in which excessive resources may be required for “absolute” performance guarantees, statistical real-time communication seeks to achieve both probabilistic performance guarantees and efficient resource sharing. This paper presents a framework for statistical real-time communication in ATM networks, providing delay-guaranteed transport of MPEG-coded video traffic with a statistically-guaranteed cell-loss ratio. Delay-guaranteed communication is achieved with a modified version of Traffic-Controlled Rate-Monotonic Priority Scheduling (TCRM). A set of statistical real-time channels that share similar traffic characteristics are multiplexed into a common macrochannel. Those statistical real-time channels which are multiplexed together share the resources of a macrochannel, and individual statistical real-time channels are given timeliness and probabilistic cell-loss guarantees. A macrochannel is serviced by the modified TCRM which improves link utilization and makes channel management simpler. Based on the analysis of an M/D/1/N queueing system, we propose a procedure for determining the transmission capacity of a macrochannel necessary to statistically guarantee a cell-loss ratio bound. Our extensive trace-driven simulation has shown the superiority of the proposed framework to the other approaches. The overall cell-loss ratios for multihop statistical real-time channels are shown to be smaller than the predetermined bounds, thus verifying our analytical results     

实时大规模远程实验通信方案研究

针对开放式远程实验平台的高并发、实时性、可靠性和安全性需求,设计并实现了一种高并发访问的远程实验通信方案。该方案能够实时连接大规模传感器网络,具有实验仪器与用户并发访问、实时可靠消息传输、网络安全控制和仪器安全保障功能,能有效提高远程实验的通信性能。在模拟大规模用户实时并发访问的情况下进行性能测试,测试结果表明该方案不仅能满足实验通信的并发需求,还能有效确保消息的实时可靠传输和安全控制,具有较高的应用价值。     

Advanced seamless vertical handoff architecture for WiMAX and WiFi heterogeneous networks with QoS guarantees

The development of wireless networks brings people great convenience. More state-of-the-art communication protocols of wireless networks are getting mature. People attach more importance to the connections between heterogeneous wireless networks as well as the transparency of transmission quality guarantees. In this paper, WiFi wireless networks and WiMAX mobile communication system are selected as our research subjects. VHTC (Vertical Handoff Translation Center Architecture) is proposed to improve the transmission QoS guarantees. Thus, the quality of transmission cannot be reduced enormously even by the effect of vertical handoff between heterogeneous wireless networks. This paper includes new approaches and architecture among Packet Translation, QoS Mapping, Bandwidth Borrowing Management and Vertical Handoff Protocol with a view to achieve the goal, that is, an advanced seamless heterogeneous wireless networks. Also, through the modification of WiFi module of TKN and WiMAX module of NIST, these two heterogeneous wireless networks can be connected and embedded in NS2 (Network Simulator version 2) simulation system. Afterwards, the methods, proposed in this paper, can be implemented in such simulation system. Finally, lots of satisfactory simulation results about throughput, delay, jitter and packet loss rate were given to show the brilliant performance of vertical handoff implemented by VHTC.     

Structuring communication software for quality-of-serviceguarantees

We propose architectural mechanisms for structuring host communication software to provide QoS guarantees. We present and evaluate a QoS sensitive communication subsystem architecture for end hosts that provides real time communication support for generic network hardware. This architecture provides services for managing communication resources for guaranteed QoS (real time) connections, such as admission control, traffic enforcement, buffer management, and CPU and link scheduling. The architecture design is based on three key goals: maintenance of QoS guarantees on a per connection basis, overload protection between established connections, and fairness in delivered performance to best effort traffic. Using this architecture we implement real time channels, a paradigm for real time communication services in packet switched networks. The proposed architecture features a process per channel model that associates a channel handler with each established channel. The model employed for handler execution is one of “cooperative” preemption, where an executing handler yields the CPU to a waiting higher priority handler at well defined preemption points. The architecture provides several configurable policies for protocol processing and overload protection. We present extensions to the admission control procedure for real time channels to account for cooperative preemption and overlap between protocol processing and link transmission at a sending host. We evaluate the implementation to demonstrate the efficacy with which the architecture maintains QoS guarantees on outgoing traffic while adhering to the stated design goals     

Methodologies for bandwidth allocation,transmission scheduling,and congestion avoidance in broadband ATM networks

The call types supported in high-speed packet networks vary widely in their bandwidth requirements and tolerance to message delay and loss. In this paper, we classify various traffic sources which are likely to be integrated in broadband ATM networks, and suggest schemes for bandwidth allocation and transmission scheduling to meet the quality and performance objectives. We propose ATM cell-multiplexing using a Dynamic Time-Slice (DTS) scheme which guarantees a required bandwidth for each traffic class and/or virtual circuit (VC), and is dynamic in that it allows the different traffic classes or VCs to share the bandwidth with a soft boundary. Any bandwidth momentarily unused by a class or a VC is made available to the other traffic present in the multiplexer. The scheme guarantees a desired bandwidth to connections which require a fixed wide bandwidth. Thus, it facilitates setting up circuit-like connections in a network using the ATM protocol for transport. The DTS scheme is an efficient way of combining constant bit-rate (CBR) services with variable bit-rate (VBR) stastically multiplexed services. We also described methodologies to schedule delivery of delay-tolerant data traffic within the framework of the DTS scheme. Important issues such as buffer allocations, guarantee of service quality, and ease of implementation are also discussed.     

Improving the real-time performance of Ethernet for plant automation （EPA） based industrial networks

Real-time Ethernet (RTE) control systems with critical real-time requirements are called fast real-time (FRT) systems. To improve the real-time performance of Ethernet for plant automation (EPA), we propose an EPA-FRT scheme. The minimum macrocycle of EPA networks is reduced by redefining the EPA network frame format, and the synchronization process is modified to acquire higher accuracy. A multi-segmented topology with a scheduling scheme is introduced to increase effective bandwidth utilization and reduce protocol overheads, and thus to shorten the communication cycle significantly. Performance analysis and practical tests on a prototype system show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, which achieves the best performance at small periodic payload in large scale systems.     

A cross-layer elastic CAC and holistic opportunistic scheduling for QoS support in WiMAX

QoS provisioning is an important issue in the deployment of broadband wireless access networks with real-time and non-real-time traffic integration. An opportunistic MAC (OMAC) combines cross-layer design features with opportunistic scheduling scheme to achieve high system utilization while providing QoS support to various applications. A single scheduling algorithm cannot guarantee all the QoS requirements of traffics without the support of a suitable CAC and vice versa. In this paper, we propose a cross-layer MAC scheduling framework and a corresponding opportunistic scheduling algorithm in tandem with the CAC algorithm to support QoS in WiMAX point-to-multipoint (PMP) networks. Extensive experimental simulations have been carried out to evaluate the performance of our proposal. The simulation results show that our proposed solution can improve the performance of WiMAX networks in terms of packet delay, packet loss rate and throughput. The proposed CAC scheme can guarantee the admitted connections to meet their QoS requirements.     

分簇式传感器网络多项式密钥预分配改进方案

针对分簇式传感器网络,提出一种改进的多项式密钥预分配方案。利用二元四次多项式密钥预分配方案,建立簇头节点之间的通信密钥,以解决阈值安全问题,降低节点开销,采用认证机制保证密钥建立过程的安全性,并支持节点加入与撤销。分析结果证明,该方案可以保证网络的连通性和安全性,节点的存储、通信及计算开销均较小。     

Hard real-time communication in multiple-access networks

With the increasing use of distributed hard real-time systems, the ability of computer networks to handle hard real-time message traffic is becoming more important. For traditional networks, maximizing the throughput or minimizing the average message delay is the most important performance criteria. In the hard real-time domain, however, concern focuses on satisfying the time constraints of individual messages. This paper examines recent developments in hard real-time communication in local area multiple-access networks. Two general strategies are used in hard real-time communication: the guarantee strategy and the best-effort strategy. In the former, messages are guaranteed to meet their deadlines during normal operation of the network. In the best-effort strategy, the network will attempt to send messages before their deadlines, but no guarantees are given. Real-time message traffic can be distinguished according to whether it is best suited for the guarantee strategy or the best-effort strategy. Although this paper concentrates on multiple-access networks, many of the concepts presented and lessons learned are also applicable to other types of networks.     

串行无线通信协议在钢厂行车调度系统中应用研究

根据工业控制网络的可靠性和实时性要求,为多种基于串口的无线通信设备,设计一种面向复杂工业环境的通信协议。详细讨论了该串行无线通信协议的分层结构、各层的具体含义以及通信处理过程,分析了通信协议层的延时问题。最后,将该通信协议应用于某钢铁厂的行车调度系统中,给出了基于VC＋＋的通信协议接口函数及其系统软件的主控和行车终端软件界面,经实际使用获得了较好的效果。     

Bandwidth Aggregation-Aware Dynamic QoS Negotiation for Real-Time Video Streaming in Next-Generation Wireless Networks

In next generation wireless networks, Internet service providers (ISPs) are expected to offer services through several wireless technologies (e.g., WLAN, 3G, WiFi, and WiMAX). Thus, mobile computers equipped with multiple interfaces will be able to maintain simultaneous connections with different networks and increase their data communication rates by aggregating the bandwidth available at these networks. To guarantee quality-of-service (QoS) for these applications, this paper proposes a dynamic QoS negotiation scheme that allows users to dynamically negotiate the service levels required for their traffic and to reach them through one or more wireless interfaces. Such bandwidth aggregation (BAG) scheme implies transmission of data belonging to a single application via multiple paths with different characteristics, which may result in an out-of-order delivery of data packets to the receiver and introduce additional delays for packets reordering. The proposed QoS negotiation system aims to ensure the continuity of QoS perceived by mobile users while they are on the move between different access points, and also, a fair use of the network resources. The performance of the proposed dynamic QoS negotiation system is investigated and compared against other schemes. The obtained results demonstrate the outstanding performance of the proposed scheme as it enhances the scalability of the system and minimizes the reordering delay and the associated packet loss rate.     

Preserving stability/performance when facing an unknown time-delay

Embedded controllers executed in real-time are, frequently, subject to a time-varying delay induced by task prioritization or communication over prioritized communication networks. Depending on the microprocessor or network load the delay value may vary. The control design that is based on the worst case assumption with respect to the delay may be very conservative and fail to deliver the adequate performance. On the other hand, the price for not properly dealing with the delay is instability. In this paper some of these issues are discussed in more detail and a control scheme is proposed which combines an unknown input observer to estimate the delayed value of the input, an on-line estimation scheme for the delay and a controller that adjusts its gains as needed to preserve system stability. Some of the aspects of the proposed scheme are discussed and illustrated with simulations on an automotive example.     

A priority media access control protocol for video communication support on CSMA/CD LANs

Real-time multimedia communication applications demand performance requirements which differ significantly from conventional data communication applications. Current local area networks (LANs) provide efficient transport for bursty data traffic; however, they cannot necessarily provide quality of service guarantees for real-time communications. In this work we introduce and investigate an experimental priority protocol for supporting real-time communication on Ethernet, a popular implementation of multiple-access broadcast bus LANs. We examine the new protocol, known as Priority Mode-CSMA/CD (PM-CSMA/CD), providing a high priority (HP) class with CSMA/CD employed for standard priority (SP) traffic. PM-CSMA/CD performance is examined through computer simulation of videotelephony workstations operating over the shared bus LAN. Over all observed traffic conditions, the priority protocol provides performance satisfying real-time packet transport requirements of audio and video streams. The primary advantage of our protocol over similar priority schemes is its physical layer compatibility with standard CSMA/CD. The protocol also provides improved channel utilization with increasing high priority load, with no penalty in SP class performance at low to medium network loads.     

适合于移动多媒体网络的呼叫接纳控制算法

移动多媒体网络应该能够同时支持传统的数据业务和实时交互式多媒体业务,并能够为用户提供QoS保证.在无线移动网中提供QoS保证,呼叫接纳控制扮演着重要的角色.通过对呼叫接纳算法中资源预留方案进行了分析总结,提出了一种适合于移动多媒体网络的自适应呼叫接纳控制算法.     

A control scheme for stable force-reflecting teleoperation over IP networks.

The problem of force-reflecting teleoperation over Internet protocol networks is addressed. The existence of time-varying communication delay and the possibility of data losses are taken into consideration. Since significant data loss may result in discontinuity of the reference trajectory transmitted through the communication channel, the proposed control scheme includes a filter that provides a smooth approximation of a possibly discontinuous reference trajectory. The stability of the overall system is guaranteed by a version of the input-to-output stable small-gain theorem for functional differential equations. If the communication delay in the forward channel is an "approximately smooth" function of time, the proposed scheme guarantees that the slave manipulator tracks the delayed trajectory of the master within a prescribed small error.     

基于服务质量机会测量的传感器网络协作控制机制*

为了消除制约无线传感器网络性能的因素和提高网络控制效率,基于实时网络服务质量机会测量,提出了传感器网络协作控制机制。首先,基于发送端节点和接收端节点状态以及中继节点的协作,测定无线传感器网络实时状态。其次,分析能耗品质和负载品质对网络性能的影响规律。接着,讨论不同分频调制方式对网络性能的影响规律。最后,制定了网络状态感知的机会分频调制的传感器网络协作控制机制。数学分析和实验结果表明,所提出的传感器网络协作控制机制对无线传感器网络的实时性、可靠性和吞吐率等方面具有较强的保障能力。     

Reliability improvement of the dual-priority protocol under unreliable transmission

The dual-priority is a scheduling policy providing the guarantees needed by periodic or sporadic hard real-time tasks while decreasing the response time for aperiodic soft real-time tasks. This scheduling policy can be applied to message scheduling and its performance on controller area network (CAN) will be assessed. Nevertheless, when used in an electromagnetic stressed environment (e.g. automotive communication) leading to transmission errors, this scheduling strategy could lead to serious disappointments. It will be explained why the hard real-time traffic is highly sensitive to transmission errors. The risks of deadline failure will be quantified and a simple mechanism that provides probabilistic guarantees to prevent hard real-time frames from missing their deadlines, will be proposed. This mechanism is compared in terms of performance to the original dual-priority strategy. The chosen performance metrics are the deadline failure probability for hard real-time traffic, the average response time and the variance in response time for soft real-time traffic.