Generation Network Architecture Research Articles

Authentic NATFW NSLP Signaling in Next Generation Networks

Today, the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is widely used as the primary signaling protocol for multimedia communications over the Internet. It is also considered as the basic protocol of IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) of Next Generation Network architectures. However, security devices such as firewalls and NATs (Network Address Translation) prevent their traversal for SIP protocol. This issue has prompted several research works that led to a multitude of solutions such as NATFW NSLP. Nevertheless, the approach adopted by the latter weakens the NATs and firewalls from security point of view. Therefore, to prevent unauthenticated users and unauthorized access, authentication and authorization mechanisms should be included in this protocol. In this work, we proposed the HMAC authentication mechanism that we have integrated in NATFW NSLP protocol, and with a test platform, we evaluated its performance metrics.

Introduction to the special issue on Next Generation Network Architectures, Protocols, Theory, Systems and Applications

This special issue of Networking Science focuses on Next Generation Network (NGN) that enables the deployment of access independent services over converged fixed and mobile networks. NGN is a packet-based network and uses the Internet protocol (IP) to transport the various types of traffic (voice, video, data and signalling). NGN facilitates easy adoption of distributed computing applications by providing high speed connectivity in a converged networked environment. It also makes end user devices and applications highly intelligent and efficient by empowering them with programmability and remote configuration options. However, there are a number of important challenges in provisioning next generation network technologies in a converged communication environment. Some preliminary challenges include those that relate to QoS, switching and routing, management and control, and security which must be addressed on an urgent or emergency basis. The consideration of architectural issues in the design and pro- vision of secure services for NGN deserves special attention and hence is the main theme of this special issue.

Prospective of Fifth Generation Mobile Communications

This paper explores future mobile systems with emphasis on re-configurability based on cognitive and software defined radios. 5G (Fifth Generation) network architecture consisting of reconfigurable multitechnology core and a single fully reconfigurable terminal able to autonomously operate in different heterogeneous access networks is proposed. The proposed network is enforced by nanotechnology, cloud computing and based on All IP Platform. The paper highlights 5G main development challenges and illustrates why there is a need for 5G. It also reviews in brief the evolution of wireless and cellular systems focusing on four main key factors: radio access, data rates, bandwidth and switching schemes in addition to change in network architecture. The 3G transitional cellular and wireless systems toward 4G and the true 4G IMT-advanced systems are thoroughly presented.

Introducing multi-ID and multi-locator into network architecture

The present-day Internet has no separate namespace for host IDs. It uses IP addresses as host IDs, which are in fact locators. This dual role is problematic for mobility, multihoming, security, and routing on the Internet. To solve these problems, research has recently begun on ID/locator split architectures. Some standardization activities based on this concept are also progressing in ITU-T Study Group 13 and in the IETF. We expect that introduction of the ID/locator split concept into the new generation network or future Internet architecture can bring about additional functions, such as heterogeneous network protocol support, multicast, QoS, resource or service discovery, and flexible human-network interaction. Toward realization of these functions, this article discusses some approaches to introducing multi-ID and multilocator support into the network architecture. This also lists items that have the potential to be investigated and standardized in ITU-T.

QoS-Ensured Network Resource Federation Driven by Bandwidth Brokers in Open Access Network Architecture

Various network services, such as virtual private network, cloud computing and Internet protocol television, are often provided across multiple network operators. The difficulty in managing the quality of service across multiple operator domains is the barrier to adoption especially to service level agreement-sensitive and mission critical cases. Federating network resources among operators is necessary to manage the quality of service across operators. To manage network resources of other operator domains, the network operator's federation mechanisms aiming at a future open access network model are essential. In this paper, the mechanisms of the signaling process as well as the capability of the bandwidth broker are proposed for open access networking, where multiple operators are connected via a common access network operator. Considering that both the next generation network and the non-next generation network architectures must coexist, we have analyzed federation mechanisms for establishing practical functional extensions to existing bandwidth broker implementations for the federation signaling. Based on the analysis, the designs of the federation signaling and the required bandwidth broker functional models are proposed. The proposed design is prototyped and the demonstration of the federation signaling shows that the federation mechanism can assure the bandwidth of a targeted live data stream on demand across the trunk and the access network operators even under a congested situation.

Dependability of congregated next generation network architecture

Dependability of congregated next generation network architecture

ID/Locator Split-Based Mobility Scheme for Heterogeneous New Generation Network

The new generation network or the future Internet should treat mobile hosts as first-class objects and allow them to move freely across different networks that use heterogeneous protocols. For this purpose, this paper presents a mobility scheme, designed on the basis of the ID/locator split concept. The scheme provides mobility support from the identity layer, a shim layer inserted between the transport and network layers in the new generation network architecture. Mobility functions are independent of network layer protocols, thus they support mobility across heterogeneous network protocols. These functions are distributed in both end hosts and edge routers so that the scheme provides seamless mobility by reducing handover delay and consequent interruption in communication sessions.

Research on Data Reconstruction Method Based on Identifier/Locator Separation Architecture

In the study of next generation network architecture, the scheme of Identifier/Locator Separation is the focus of future development, but the relevant data reconstruction technology has not come out under this architecture. This paper provides a data reconstruction method based on Identifier/Locator Separation Architecture. Through introducing the non-collision hashing multi-bit Trie-tree algorithm, this method constructs Port Trie-tree and Identifier Trie-trees to accomplish the fast classification of packets in the multi-path parallel transmission mechanism. Besides, this method achieves the analysis and reconstruction of the packets with the multithreading scheme based on the CPU efficiency balancing. Experiments show that this method has high performance efficiency and a favorable success rate of data reconstruction.

Proposal of a Next Generation Network Architecture Based on Web Service Technologies

The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) establishes a session between end terminals as a client/server application in the Next Generation Network (NGN). These days, many application services are being provided as Web services. In this letter, we propose a new NGN architecture conforming to the architectural styles of Representational State Transfer (REST), which is a Web service technology for solving interoperability and traffic concentration problems in the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

Fifth Generation Networking Principles for a Service Driven Future Internet Architecture

The vision of all-IP networks where IP forms the simple common layer understandable across the whole network has undeniable advantages. However, such simplicity comes as a major hurdle to flexibility and functionality to the architecture. This is evident from the increasingly numerous and complex engineering solutions and optimizations required to accommodate essential qualities like mobility, security, realtime communication support etc or to mitigate the shortcomings inherent in the `traditional Internet' architecture. While a clean slate approach to address these shortcomings is not an option in a realistic scenario, it is important to examine the architecture as a whole to address emerging network requirements and overcome existing shortcomings at the architecture level rather than engineering solutions to an existing inefficient one. This architectural re-examination should also facilitate discussion into what design principles for future generations of Network Architectures which will eventually replace the design tenets for the current Internet. While 3G and 4G systems were more focussed on convergence towards an All-IP network and some improvements in the core network, the architectural design remains stagnant with layered paradigms and inherent inefficiencies. A departure from this shackled approach could be the distinguishing feature of 5G systems and beyond. We claim that there is a pressing need to move towards a Next Generation Network architecture built to natively support requirements such as network resource abstraction, mobility, security, enhanced routing, privacy, context communications, QoS, parallel processing, heterogeneous networking etc. Instead of treating the network as just providing connectivity specified by endpoints, it is of great advantage to applications to recognise it as a service characterized by attributes, abstracted to a higher level to represent a collection of capabilities that the network offers. This uniform high level abstraction can effectively mask the heterogeneity and implementation discrepancies in the underlying infrastructure. Besides, in a network environment where an connectivity instance might transverse diverse business/ownership/capability domains, the approach proposed in this article can provide a transparent abstraction for resource negotiations across the domain to be available for end-to-end setup. This architectural change should also be manifested according to the principles of SOA to ensure interoperability, backwards compatibility and migration. In this article, we introduce a Service Oriented framework and network architecture aimed at tackling the heterogeneity of emerging requirements and proposed solutions into a coherent interoperable architecture using Web Services specifications as the basic standards. We propose to model the new architecture on relationships between entities and discuss the motivation this new architecture in the form of a new framework called ROSA.

Extending next generation network (NGN) architecture for connection-oriented transport

Next Generation Network (NGN) is the architecture of the International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T in short) supporting the provisioning of Quality of Service (QoS)-guaranteed services over different packet transport technologies. Such capability derives from the effectiveness of a dynamic resource control performed by the Resource Admission Control Function (RACF) at service set-up. Control Plane (CP)-enabled connection-oriented transport networks can guarantee the QoS support for new bandwidth-greedy NGN services across the optical transport segment thanks to the ability of automatic path set-up and traffic segregation. But the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard for the CP in transport networks, i.e., the Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) is not yet included within the NGN supported transport technologies. In this work, we outline architectural guidelines and design strategies for ITU-T RACF employment across GMPLS-controlled networks while providing a viable solution for dynamic resource control that takes into account operational issues for the integration of GMPLS capabilities within NGN architecture (i.e., supported interfaces, actual node capabilities). An NGN prototype implementing the proposed architectural enhancement is also presented as a proof of concept. The prototype highlights how the extended ITU-T NGN can set-up Multimedia over IP (MoIP) services using GMPLS-controlled transport objects.

Network Virtualization as Foundation for Enabling New Network Architectures and Applications

Network virtualization has become a common research topic that many researchers consider a basis for defining a new generation network architectures. In this paper, we attempt to clarify the concept of network virtualization with its brief history, to introduce the benefit of network virtualization for the future network, to posit our strong belief in that the future network should adopt a form of a meta-architecture that accommodates multiple competing multiple architectures, and to identify challenges to achieving this architecture.

Analysis of QoS Requirements for e-Health Services and Mapping to Evolved Packet System QoS Classes

E-Health services comprise a broad range of healthcare services delivered by using information and communication technology. In order to support existing as well as emerging e-Health services over converged next generation network (NGN) architectures, there is a need for network QoS control mechanisms that meet the often stringent requirements of such services. In this paper, we evaluate the QoS support for e-Health services in the context of the Evolved Packet System (EPS), specified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as a multi-access all-IP NGN. We classify heterogeneous e-Health services based on context and network QoS requirements and propose a mapping to existing 3GPP QoS Class Identifiers (QCIs) that serve as a basis for the class-based QoS concept of the EPS. The proposed mapping aims to provide network operators with guidelines for meeting heterogeneous e-Health service requirements. As an example, we present the QoS requirements for a prototype e-Health service supporting tele-consultation between a patient and a doctor and illustrate the use of the proposed mapping to QCIs in standardized QoS control procedures.

EuQoS: End-to-End Quality of Service over Heterogeneous Networks

The EuQoS ( End-to-End QoS over Heterogeneous Networks) IST Integrated European Project aimed to define a Next Generation Network architecture that builds, uses and manages end-to-end QoS across different administrative domains and heterogeneous networks (UMTS, xDSL, Ethernet, WiFi, Satellite and IP/MPLS). The EuQoS architecture preserves the openness and the decentralized decision model of the actual Internet, runs on off-the-shelf hardware and network equipment, and allows end users to request various services without changing the Application Signaling protocol, while meeting regulators’ and users’ Net Neutrality requirements. This paper presents the key elements of the EuQoS architecture and describes the main results obtained in field trials performed on a fully-functional EuQoS system prototype developed over a pan-European testbed. Furthermore, the paper discusses the main strengths of the system and the issues related to its actually deployment on a large scale, from both technical and market points of view.

A Succeeding Transmission Scheme for Burst Transfer in Optical Burst Switched Networks

Optical Burst Switched (OBS) networks are considered as promising candidates for the next generation network architecture which does not need high-speed switch technologies. In OBS networks, contention resolution is one of the significant problems. Generally, setup reservations are operated per burst in OBS networks. To transmit multiple successive bursts successfully, the effective wavelength reservation must be implemented and enhanced network performance must be realized. In the proposed method, when an optical burst is generated and its destination is the same as that of the preceding burst or the path until the destination includes the entire path of the preceding burst, the subsequent burst is assigned to the same wavelength as the preceding burst and transmitted sequentially. The main aim in the proposed method is the efficient use of wavelength resources and the reduction of burst loss probability. We simulate and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. As a result, it is verified that the proposed method can reduce the burst loss probably.

Location-based assisted handover for the IP Multimedia Subsystem

The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is one promising candidate for merging currently deployed circuit-switched and packet-switched voice and data networks into a service-based All-IP architecture. One requirement common to all of these Next Generation Network (NGN) architectures is seamless user mobility – a mandatory feature in order to match with the tremendous success of today’s circuit-switched GSM voice networks. In addition most NGN architectures mandate the support for heterogeneous access technologies like WLAN, WiMAX, GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA which raises the need for seamless vertical handover between these access technologies. Despite ongoing standardisation and technology developments like Generic Access Network (GAN), Voice Call Continuity (VCC) or Media Independent Handover (MIH, IEEE 802.21) we argue that there is currently no solution to enable seamless and application-transparent vertical handover in the IMS. In this paper, we review vertical handover standards for IMS and propose a novel vertical handover architecture which relies on geographical location and global network information as primary trigger or support for handover initiation. The underlying Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) notification framework – a Terminal-Centric IMS Location Enabler (LE) – is based on the key concept that location information is one specific kind of presence information which is optimally provisioned by mobile devices: the terminal knows best where it is located. The Location Enabler solicits notifications from the mobile device on specific events – e.g., entering or leaving specific geographical areas – thus dramatically reducing the amount of data transferred over the radio interface when compared to tracking or polling. The SIP registration and Re-Invite message flow is used to convey all handover-relevant information between the IMS core network and the mobile terminal. Using accurate access network measurement results the paper presents a performance estimation of the proposed vertical handover architecture with respect to handover duration and required handover area width at different velocities.

Some Issues on Computer Networks: Architecture and Key Technologies

The evolution of computer networks has experienced several major steps, and research focus of each step has been kept changing and evolving, from ARPANET to OSI/RM, then HSN (high speed network) and HPN (high performance network). During the evolution, computer networks represented by Internet have made great progress and gained unprecedented success. However, with the appearance and intensification of tussle, along with the three difficult problems (service customizing, resource control and user management) of modern network, it is found that traditional Internet and its architecture no longer meet the requirements of next generation network. Therefore, it is the next generation network that current Internet must evolve to. With the mindset of achieving valuable guidance for research on next generation network, this paper firstly analyzes some dilemmas facing current Internet and its architecture, and then surveys some recent influential research work and progresses in computer networks and related areas, including new generation network architecture, network resource control technologies, network management and security, distributed computing and middleware, wireless/mobile network, new generation network services and applications, and foundational theories on network modeling. Finally, this paper concludes that within the research on next generation network, more attention should be paid to the high availability network and corresponding architecture, key theories and supporting technologies.

ESnet4: next generation network strategy, architecture, and implementation for DOE Science

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science is the largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the US. It directly supports the research of 15,000 PhDs, PostDocs and Graduate Students, and operates major scientific facilities at DOE laboratories that serve the entire US research community: other Federal agencies, universities, and industry, as well as the international research and education (R and E) community. ESnet's mission is to provide the network infrastructure that supports the mission of the Office of Science (SC). ESnet must evolve substantially in order to continue meeting the Office of Science mission needs and this paper discusses the development of ESnet's strategy to meet these requirements through a new network architecture and implementation approach.

Interconnection of Next Generation Networks - A Regulatory Perspective

The deployment of next generation networks by incumbent fixed-line operators presents a challenge to regulators. This challenge is to balance the needs of end-users with a desire to encourage workable competition between the incumbent and new entrants. The next generation network architecture has the potential to alter the liberalised regulatory environment and reinstate the incumbent as a monopoly provider. This paper analyses the issues that arise from such a deployment and proposes options available to regulators if intervention is required. The analysis sets out the architecture of next generation networks, the impact that their deployment has on competitors and potential access to the core network and access network of a next generation network. The paper concludes by setting out some of the regulatory options that are available.

BT Transform — an IP-enabled business platform

This paper describes how the concept of an IP-enabled infrastructure has been developed to deliver the next generation of ICT-based services. It will explore how the basic capability has been extended out into the customer’s premises and used to build more comprehensive solutions. In particular, it will look at the service layer as the pivot for component integration and as the key for providing an holistic family of capabilities. This is underpinned by an operational support systems infrastructure, aligned to emerging industry standards and which places more control in the end customer’s hands. Finally we will show how this capability, which is already rolled out to a number of large clients, fits closely with BT’s next generation network architecture strategy.