QoS and ATM in the COIAS, HICID and MECCANO Projects

Peter T. Kirstein

University College London

Presented at QUTE '98 Workshop, Heidelberg, 14-15 October, 1998

 

ABSTRACT

 

The presentation will provide the background of the COIAS, HICID and MECCANO projects. COIAS is an ACTS project exploring the use of IPv6 techniques to provide secured, quality services over a number of concatenated network technologies including: ATM, Direct Broadcasting (DBS) and mobile. The application domain is in airline applications, with emphasis to the types of activities undertaken by one of the sponsoring partners (EUROCONTROL), using the facilities of another one (EUTELSAT). MECCANO is a Telematics project aimed at deploying high quality multimedia conferencing tools over a concatenation of networks including: ATM, DBS Satellite, ISDN and normal Internet. Here the applications are secure conferencing, seminars, and use in other Telematics projects. HICID is a smaller National project, linked to two other projects in scaleable, robust, codec development and in assessment of user quality needs from an HCI viewpoint.

 

HICID is a single network activity. It is deploying highly flexible routers with a variety of Class of Service (CooS) algorithms over a three-sage IP system: first local, then a four-node IP/ATM network (LEARNET), and then a much larger US network (CAIRN) to which UCL is attached. The main value of HICID is to develop the QoS/CoS algorithms in a flexible rouer that can be used in the other two projecs.

 

Both COIAS and MECCANO are multi-country, and will have access to DBS satellite up-stations in the UK and France. Both have existing applications that are multicast, and run under IPv4; these are being ported to operate over IPv6 to use the QoS features in the IPv6 network layers. MECCANO will use both IPv4 and IPv6; COIAS only IPv6. Both are struggling with which QoS features must be provided at the IP level, and which could be signaled to the underlying ATM infrastructure where this is available. The projects will undertake testbed activities both with the whole of their constituent partners and with smaller subsets where the QoS infrastructure might be achieved.

 

Both projects have access to small, flexible ATM research networks, where a variety of facilities are available, and strategies can be explored. It is hoped that it will be possible to capitalise on the infrastructure that will become available with TEN-155, where QoS Virtual Private Networks can be set up.

 

The presentation will outline some of the mechanisms which will be explored to achieve the QoS in the applications.