An Integrated Medium Access Control and Traffic Management Architecture for DVB-RCS SkyplexNet Satellite Systems

The growing development of standard Internet services and the emerging exploitation of several broadband multimedia contents disclosing in the last years, significantly promoted scenarios where Satellite Networks can play key roles. Several satellite networks are currently implemented according to the Digital Video Broadcasting-Return Channel via Satellite (DVB-RCS) standard, assuming to operate with a transparent satellite and an hub-centric (star) network topology. The present work addresses the SkyplexNet (SKN) system: an advanced Broadband Satellite Network for meshed connectivity developed by Alenia Spazio, within the framework of ESA Artes 3 – Line 1 Program, according to the DVB-RCS standard with duly extensions for the on-Board multiplexing capability of the Skyplex Units currently embarked on HotBird VI and W3A satellites. In this paper an architecture design study aiming at integrating the Medium Access Control (MAC) and Traffic Management (TM) functionality in a DVB-RCS like Network is presented. The envisaged Traffic Management schemes shall enable the SKN System to guarantee an adequate support of various Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and their application according to pre-defined Traffic Profiles established at connection set up phase with the support of physical medium access management functions. The functional architectures studied for the SKN Inter-Working Layer, from Internet protocols to SkyplexNet ones, and the SKN MAC layer have been also analysed on the interoperability level of these layers in order to deploy such functions as SKN connection mapping, packet scheduling and Bandwidth on Demand (BoD) policies. In this paper two different schemes of Traffic Management and MAC are presented reporting a detailed analysis of advantages and drawbacks of both approaches to be taken into account for future SkyplexNet system implementations. Fabrizio Di Cola is a Network and System Engineer of the Telecommunication Mission Unit of Alenia Spazio company (Italy). He received the M.S. degree in Telecommunication Engineering from University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 1998 and he is in Alenia Spazio since 2000. He is currently involved in the design and deployment of the Ground Segment of EuroSkyWay and SkyplexNet satellite systems as responsible for the Satellite User terminals Design and Development. He also contributes to System Engineering in the framework of several ESA and EC projects. From 1999 up to 2000, he worked as Researcher in the University of Bradford (Bradford, UK), Telecommunication Research Centre, within the “Satellite Mobile Group”. His activity focused on several aspects of the Mobility Management within telecommunications network integrating satellite and terrestrial networks. Emiliano Micaloni was born in Rome, Italy, in 1977. He is a Junior Telecommunication System Engineer involved since 2003 in a collaboration between University of Rome “La Sapienza” and the TLC Mission Unit of Alenia Spazio company (Italy). He received his Master Degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy, in 2002, defending a thesis on Connection and Congestion Control for Geostationary Satellite Networks. Currently his area of interest concerns the Medium Access Control in the SkyplexNet Satellite Network, also contributing at the development activities for the SkyplexNet Satellite Terminals. In 2002–03 he collaborated with the “Computer Science and Systems” Department of “La Sapienza“ implementing solutions for Traffic Management and Quality of Service in Satellite Networks. All his activities are carried out in the framework of different ESA and EU IST projects. Luigi Secondiani received his M.S. degree in Telecommunication Engineering from University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 1997. From 1998 to 1999 he received a post-degree grant issued by the “Infocom” Department of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in the frame of the ACTS 4th framework programme. Since December 1999 he works as a Network Engineer in Alenia Spazio-TLC Mission Unit, and he is currently involved in Alenia's activities on EC, ESA and NATO programmes. His main research interests mainly lie on interworking between Next Generation Satellite Systems (NGSS) and IP networks, with particular emphasis on network architectures, terminal's architectures and routing issues. Giuseppe Tomasicchio is a Senior Telecommunication System Engineer of the TLC Mission Unit of Alenia Spazio company (Italy). He received his degree in 1989 from University of Bari (Italy) in the Artificial Intelligence field. He received a Post-degree Diploma on Technologies of Educational Communication in 1991 and a Post-degree Engineering Specialisation Diploma in Signal Processing in 1994 from University of Bari. Currently he is responsible of the Ground System Design of EuroSkyWay/SkyplexNet satellite systems and of the Network Operations and Service Centres engineering in satellite networks devoted to multimedia applications in the framework of different ESA and EC projects. In 1997–98 he was responsible at CERN (Geneva, Switzerland) of the Data Acquisition System involving the readout, calibration, event display and the networking setup tasks of high energy physics experiments. From 1994 to 1998 he was at INFN (Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics) as researcher. In 1994 he was an IS-specialist in the Italian Government data processing centre and collaborated with the Government Seismic Service for GIS processing. He worked in 1991–92 as a fellow of DIGITAL Corporation for a join research activity at INFN in the field of Image processing and Pattern recognition applied to raw-data images produced from detectors in high energy physics experiments at CERN. He is author of several scientific and engineering papers.