Securing communications overAtm networks: the remoteAtm private networks interconnection example

When remoteAtm sites communicate through anAtm public network, a number of security problems arise, such as hacking, eavesdropping and traffic tampering. This paper proposes three contributions to these security problems. Firstly, risks due toAtm technology usage are detailed. Secondly, a survey of existing techniques aiming at securingAtm communications is presented with emphasis on theAtm Forum’s security specifications. Thirdly, a new solution called Safe (which stands for Solution for anAtm Frequent communications Environment) developed in the Démostène project is described. Safe realizes both firewall’s filtering functions and communications protection over theAtm network. The main idea of Safe is to use signaling (Uni 3.1) as a means to exchange security information over the network. This idea has been implemented and introduced to theAtm Forum.     

Transport layer statistical multicast based on the XTP bucket algorithm

Multicast or point-to-multipoint transmission is becoming a major issue for supporting distributed multimedia applications. In this paper, we analyze the service provided by theXtp reliable multicast. We discover several problems and drawbacks, such as multiple retransmission of the same data packets or the protocol inefficiency when performing with large group size and non-broadcast networks. To overcome some of these problems, we introduce new constraints at the sender side to prevent any unnecessary retransmissions. We introduce the service semantic calledstatistical reliable to cope with large group size while keeping a high level of reliability (related to error recovery issues). The quality of service provided by this modified protocol is assessed by simulation experiments for two different network environments :Fddi andAtm. We show that the reliability is almost binary, i.e. all reliable or unreliable at all. If the parameters are correctly sized, we can expect to get an all reliable semantic while using the statistical reliable protocol with the benefit of low protocol overhead. We are now working on a modified version of the proposed protocol to specifically adressAtm based networks.     

Multimedia communication in wireless sensor networks

The technological advances in Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (Mems) and wireless communications have enabled the realization of wireless sensor networks (Wsn) comprised of large number of low-cost, low-power, multifunctional sensor nodes. These tiny sensor nodes communicate in short distances and collaboratively work toward fulfilling the application specific objectives ofWsn. However, realization of wide range of envisionedWsn applications necessitates effective communication protocols which can address the unique challenges posed by theWsn paradigm. Since many of these envisioned applications may also involve in collecting information in the form of multimedia such as audio, image, and video; additional challenges due to the unique requirements of multimedia delivery overWsn, e.g., diverse reliability requirements, time constraints, high bandwidth demands, must be addressed as well. Thus far, vast majority of the research efforts has been focused on addressing the problems of conventional data communication inWsn. Therefore, there exists an urgent need for research on the problems of multimedia communication inWsn. In this paper, a survey of the research challenges and the current status of the literature on the multimedia communication inWsn is presented. More specifically, the multimediaWsn applications, factors influencing multimedia delivery overWsn, currently proposed solutions in application, transport, and network layers, are pointed out along with their shortcomings and open research issues.     

Design and performance of a product code turbo encoding-decoding prototype

This paper presents the latest results on a block turbo decoder design. We propose a block turbo decoder circuit for the error protection of small data blocks such asAtm cells on anAwgn (additive white Gaussian noise) channel with a code rate close to 0.5. A prototype was developed atEnst Bretagne. It allowsBer (bit error rate) measurements down to 10^?9 and uses programmable gate arrays (Fpga Xilinx circuits). The elementary extendedBch code and the data block size can be modified to fit specifications of different applications.     

Characterization and evaluation of TCP and UDP-based transport on real networks

StandardTcp (RenoTcp) does not perform well on fast long distance networks, due to its AMD congestion control algorithm. In this paper we consider the effectiveness of various alternatives, in particular with respect to their applicability to a production environment. We then characterize and evaluate the achievable throughput, stability and intra-protocol fairness of differentTcp stacks (Scalable,Hstcp,Htcp, FastTcp, Reno,Bictcp, hstcp-lp andLtcp) and aUdp based application level transport protocol (Udtv2) on both production and testbed networks. The characterization is made with respect to both the transient traffic (entry and exit of different streams) and the steady state traffic on production Academic and Research networks, using paths withRtts differing by a factor of 10. We also report on measurements made with 10 Gbit/secNics with and withoutTcp Offload Engines, on 10 Gbit/s dedicated paths set up forSc2004.     

WLAN standards and evolutions

Wireless Local Area Networks technologies have known an important technological and commercial development. Multiplicity of standards and variety of domains of use make necessary to compose with different technologies that can be seen either as concurrent or complementary. In this article, after positioning the different types of wireless networks (IEEE 802.11, HomeRF,HIPERLAN/2, Bluetooth) for mass market and professional applications destination, some generalities are briefly reminded such as centralised and ad-hoc architectures, regulatory constraints in the 2.45 and 5GHZ frequency bands used forWLAN, typical ranges, mobility and security features and limitations. Then the differentIEEE (802.11, 802.11a et 802.11b) andETSI (HIPERLAN/2) standards are described in details as well as their foreseen evolutions. It appears that 802.11 family of standards would take benefit of the currently existing products to evolve smoothly while integrating new features (broadband 802.11a physical layer, necessary radio features to meet European regulatory requirements, future introduction of Quality of Service schemes…). In the meantime,HIPERLAN/2 which has been specified as a complete system already supports most of those important features and is able to be adapted to various kinds of higher network layers. Lastly, it is shown that interworking schemes between 3G cellular systems andWLAN currently under investigations in 3GPP andETSI BRAN should permit in the future to easily operate wide area and multi-access technology based mobile networks.     

Mobility-awareness in group key management protocols within MANETs

Several sensitive applications deployed within wireless networks require group communications. A high level of security is often required in such applications, like military or public security applications. The most suitable solution to ensure security in these services is the deployment of a group key management protocol, adapted to the characteristics ofManets, especially to mobility of nodes. In this paper, we present theOmct (Optimized Multicast Cluster Tree) algorithm for dynamic clustering of multicast group, that takes into account both nodes localization and mobility, and optimizes the energy and bandwidth consumptions. Then, we show how we integrateOmct within our group key management protocolBalade, in a sequential multi-source model. The integration ofBalade andOmct allows an efficient and fast key distribution process, validated through simulations, by applying various models of mobility (individual mobility and group mobility). The impact of the mobility model on the performance and the behaviour of the group key management protocolBalade coupled withOmct, is also evaluated.     

Performance evaluation of DCCP: A focus on smoothness and TCP-friendliness

Recent years have seen dramatic increases of the use of multimedia applications on the Internet, which typically either lack congestion control or use proprietary congestion control mechanisms. This can easily cause congestion collapse or compatibility problems. Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (Dccp) fills the gap betweenUdp andTcp, featuring congestion control rather than reliability for packet-switched rich content delivery with high degree of flexibility. We present aDccp model designed and implemented withOpnet Modeler, and the experiments and evaluation focused on largely the smoothness of the data rates, and the fairness between concurrentDccp flows andTcp flows. We foundDccp-ccid3 demonstrates stable data rates under different scenarios, and the fairness betweenDccp andTcp is only achieved under certain conditions. We also validated that the throughput ofDccp-Ccid3 is proportional to the average packet size, and relatively fixed packet size is critical for the optimal operation ofDccp. Problems in the slow start phase and insufficient receiver buffer size were identified and we hereby proposed solutions on this.     

Optimizing IP networks in a hybrid IGP/MPLS environment

In this paper, we consider a traffic engineering (te) approach toip networks in a hybridigp/mpls environment. Thoughigp (Interior Gateway Protocol) routing has proven its scalability and reliability, effective traffic engineering has been difficult to achieve in public IP networks because of the limited functional capabilities of conventionalip technologies.mpls (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) on the one hand enhances the possibility to engineer traffic onip networks by allowing explicit routes. But on the other hand it suffers from the scalability (n-square) problem. Hybridigp/mpls approaches rely onip native routing as much as possible and usempls only if necessary. In this work we propose a novel hybrid traffic engineering method based on genetic algorithms, which can be considered as an offlinete approach to handle long or medium-term traffic variations in the range days, weeks or months. In our approach the maximum number of hops anlsp (Label Switched Path) may take and the number oflsps which are applied solely to improve the routing performance, are treated as constraints due to delay considerations and the complexity of management. We apply our method to the German scientific network (b-win) for which a traffic matrix is available and also to some other networks with a simple demand model. We will show results comparing this hybridigp/mpls routing scenario with the result of pureigp routing and that of a full meshmpls with and without traffic splitting.     

Rogue-base station detection in WiMax/802.16 wireless access networks

We address the problem of detecting a rogue base station (Bs) in WiMax/802.16 wireless access networks. A rogueBs is a malicious station that impersonates a legitimate access point (Ap). The rogueBs attack represents a major denial-of-service threat against wireless networks. Our approach is based on the observation that inconsistencies in the signal strength reports received by the mobile stations (Mss) can be seen if a rogueBs is present in a network. These reports can be assessed by the legitimate base stations, for instance, when a mobile station undertakes a handover towards anotherBs. Novel algorithms for detecting violations of received signal strength reports consistency are described in this paper. These algorithms can be used by an intrusion detection system localized on the legitimateBss or on a global network management system operating theBss.     

Investigation de la gestion de qualité de service dans le réseau UMTS

Bit rate announced for the future standards of telecommunication, as well as the level of integration reached are, as many factors, determining for the establishment of new applications in mobile terminals. Nowadays, mobile video streaming services are possible. Mobile users expect to receive multimedia traffic with some performance guarantees, so we must ensure the necessary quality of service during the video transmission. This paper aims at investigating quality of service issue inUmts network. More specifically, we explore the main challenge of quality of service management to dynamically optimize the distribution of load inUmts networks. Our investigation is organized in the following way. We formalize the optimization problem which is based on the graph theory and modellingUmts network as well as mobile users and applications to be used. The simulation of our optimization model show a clear improvement of the quality of service perceived by anUmts user in terms of bit rate, blocking and connection drop.     

nOBS: an ns2 based simulation tool for performance evaluation of TCP traffic in OBS networks

Performance evaluation of tcp traffic in obs networks has been under intensive study, since tcp constitutes the majority of Internet traffic. As a reliable and publicly available simulator, ns2 has been widely used for studying tcp/ip networks; however ns2 lacks many of the components for simulating optical burst switching networks. In this paper, an ns2 based obs simulation tool (nobs), which is built for studying burst assembly, scheduling and contention resolution algorithms in obs networks is presented. The node and link objects in obs are extended in nobs for developing optical nodes and optical links. The ingress, core and egress node functionalities are combined into a common optical node architecture, which comprises agents responsible for burstification, routing and scheduling. The effects of burstification parameters, e.g., burstification timeout, burst size and number of burstification buffers per egress node, on tcp performance are investigated using nobs for different tcp versions and different network topologies.     

Wideband and dynamic characterization of the 60GHZ indoor radio propagation — future homeWLAN architectures

This paper presents some results of a study concerning the radio propagation at 60GHZ in residential environments performed by theIETR (Electronic and Telecommunication Institute of Rennes, France). This study is part of aRNTR project named “COMMINDOR”. This exploratory project concerns the very high data rate (155 Mbit/s) and small range (about 10 m) radio communication systems for future home networks, which will permit multimedia equipment interconnection and control. The study is based on several measurement campaigns realized with a channel sounder based on the sliding correlation technique. This channel sounder has a 500MhZ bandwidth and a 2.3 ns effective time resolution. The measurements have been performed in residential furnished environments. The study of the angles-of-arrival (AOA) emphases the importance of openings (such as doors, staircase, etc.) for the radio propagation between adjacent rooms. A particular attention is paid to the influence of human activity on radio propagation. It is shown that people movements can make the propagation channel unavailable during about one second. From the characterization study of the indoor radio propagation, several recommendations concerning the deployment of the very high data rate 60GHZ wireless networks are derived.     

An evaluation oftcp with explicit congestion notification

We study the effect of Explicit Congestion Notification (ecn) ontcp for relatively large but finite file transfers inip networks, and compare it to other congestion avoidance mechanisms, namely Drop Tail (dt) and Random Early Detection (red). We use simulation to measuretcp performance for transfers initiated by a varying number of end hosts. In contrast to previous work, we focus on situations in which all nodes in the network operate uniformly under the same mechanism (dt orred orecn). Our results show that under such uniform conditionsecn does not necessarily lead to significant improvement intcp goodput, although in no case does it lead to an actual degradation in performance. Our results also show that, withecn, tcp flows benefit from lower overhead for unsuccessful transmissions. Furthermore, lockouts are largely avoided. In other words, in an all-ecn network resources are shared more fairly. Finally, we show that global synchronization is no longer an issue, and argue that currenttcp versions have essentially solved the problem, regardless of the queue management scheme employed.     

Software defined radio architecture for cellular networks base stations: TheSunbeam project

With the arrival of 3G radio mobile communications standards namelyUmts, new requirements arose for the wireless cellular networks. They concern the quality of the transmissions, the compatibility with pre-existing 2G networks and between different 3G networks and of course the increasing bandwidth to bring new high data rate demanding services through IP connections. TheSunbeam project was at the convergence of two key enabling technologies for 3G: software radio and smart antennas. Software radio appears to be an unavoidable approach to fulfil these specifications, but it needs to be used with new hardware architectures designed to support it.Acts European projectSunbeam just covered partially this subject as it concerned flexible multi-standard smart CBTS architecture study in the context of the migration of European networks from 2G (Gsm, Dcs 1800) to 3 G (Acts/Fdd, Acts/Tdd), concentrating on the physical layer. Digital smart antennas techniques were central in the scope ofSunbeam, since they are to bring the decisive performance improvements 3G transmissions require. This paper summarises the essential results achieved within the project and makes an attempt to establish global specifications for CBTS architecture design to achieve the flexibility, the reconfigurability and the scalability needed to implement software radio.     

A MC-CDMA system analysis in a software radio context

This paper presents a Multi-Carrier Code Division Multiple Access (Mc-Cdma) system analysis in a software radio context. Based on a combination of multi-carrier modulation and code division multiple access,Mc-Cdma benefits from the main advantages from both schemes: high spectral efficiency, high flexibility, multiple access capabilities, etc. It is firstly shown why, nowadays,Mc-Cdma is undoubtedly a high potential candidate for the air interface of the 4G cellular networks. TheMc-Cdma concept and the block-diagrams of the transmitter and the receiver are presented first. Afterwards, the technical issues concerning the processing devices for the implementation ofMc-Cdma systems in a software radio context are analysed. The advantages and disadvantages of Digital Signal Processors (Dsps) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (Fgpas) components are discussed. The implementation ofMc-Cdma systems and the integration of signal processing algorithms as Fast Hadamard Transform (Fht) and Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (Ifft) are considered and analysed for the first time. Finally, implementation results with a mixed prototyping board are presented. Then, it is shown that a new combination of the flow graphs ofFht andIfft leads to interesting computation savings and that hardware structures asFgpas are more adapted thanDsps to those intensive computation functions. Finally, for the completeMc-Cdma modem implementation, the necessity of a Co-Design methodology is highlighted in order to obtain the best matching between algorithms and architecture.     

Bandwidth sharing under the assured forwarding Per-Hop behavior

The DiffServ’s Assured Forwarding (af) Per-Hop Behavior (phb) Group defines a differentiated forwarding of packets in four independent classes, each class having three levels of drop precedence. Specific end-to-end services based on thisphb are still being defined. A particular type of service that could assure a given rate to a traffic aggregate has been outlined elsewhere. In such a service, a fair distribution of bandwidth is one of the main concerns. This paper presents experimental work carried out to evaluate howaf distributes bandwidth among flows under different load conditions and traffic patterns. We focused on the effect that marking mechanisms have on bandwidth sharing among flows within a singleaf class. The traffic types we used includeudp flows, individual and aggregatedtcp flows, mix oftcp andudp, tcp sessions with heterogeneous round-trip times, as well as color-blind and color-aware re-marking at the aggregation point fortcp flows. Tests were performed on real and simulated networks. We have found certain conditions under whichaf distributes bandwidth fairly among nonadaptiveudp flows andtcp aggregates. Finally, we evaluate a basic rule for setting the parameters of the two-rate Three-Color Marker conditioning algorithm (trtcm) in order to achieve a better bandwidth distribution fortcp flows.     

Les outils du commerce électronique

Electronic commerce (ec) is a combination of practices, strategies, processes, applications and technologies, enabling business transactions. This paper focuses on software and technologies forec. In the first part, the different categories of applications forec are reviewed. A fully integrated solution does not seem to be the major trend. However, the “best of breed” approach implies an integration problem. The second part of the paper includes modeling languages andec applications core technologies. Theuml appears to be used at different levels in the development of anec solution. Web technologies are continually evolving:XML could be the language of the future for information exchanges between heterogeneous applications. The third part deals with component and application integration. In spite of converging standards for languages as well as for models, system interoperability is a major problem, when informations are to be shared and processes to be jointed. Two major trends can be identified: Web services andEDI approaches.     

AIMD-based online MPLS traffic engineering for TCP flows via distributed multi-path routing

With this paper, we propose a distributed online traffic engineering architecture formpls networks. In this architecture, a primary and secondarympls lsp are established from an ingresslsr to every other egresslsr. We propose to split thetcp traffic between the primary and secondary paths using a distributed mechanism based onecn marking andaimd-based rate control. Inspired by the random early detection mechanism for active queue management, we propose a random early reroute scheme to adaptively control the delay difference between the primary and secondarylsps. Considering the adverse effect of packet reordering ontcp performance for packet-based load balancing schemes, we propose that thetcp splitting mechanism operates on a per-flow basis. Using flow-based models developed for Internet traffic and simulations, we show that flow-based distributed multi-path traffic engineering outperforms on a consistent basis the case of a single path in terms of per-flow goodputs. Due to the elimination of out-of-order packet arrivals, flow-based splitting also enhancestcp performance with respect to packet-based splitting especially for longtcp flows that are hit hard by packet reordering. We also compare and contrast two queuing architectures for differential treatment of data packets routed over primary and secondarylsps in thempls data plane, namely first-in-first-out and strict priority queuing. We show through simulations that strict priority queuing is more effective and relatively more robust with respect to the changes in the traffic demand matrix than first-in-first-out queuing in the context of distributed multi-path routing.     

Network-controlled mobility within radio access networks based onWLAN technologies

This article presents a network-controlled approach of user terminal mobility within anIP based WirelessLAN Access Network. In a first part, this article makes a review of the mobility support, on the subject of emergingWLAN technologies asHIPERLAN/2 andIEEE 802.11, on the one hand, and, regardingIP networks as currently studied withinIETF, on the other hand. Both types ofIP mobility protocols are presented, either global mobility protocols such as MobileIP, or local mobility management protocols (micro mobility). In the next part, the overall principles of our mobility management approach are explained; this approach is based on the implementation of a new network entity dedicated to the control of user terminal mobility. The last part details a practical implementation of this approach. The implementation is carried out on the basis of Hierarchical MobileIPv6 (HMIPv6). The experimental results confirm the importance to carefully plan and control the user terminal mobility within largeIP based Access Networks, as this brings benefit to the user as well as to the operator.