Fuchun Joseph Lin

Policy-enabled mechanisms for feature interactions: reality, expectations, challenges

This paper is based on the discussion during a panel that took place at the 7th Workshop on Feature Interactions in Telecommunications and Software Systems in Ottawa, Canada, June 2003. It presents a holistic picture on two paradigms, namely feature and policy, and their intertwining. The guest panelists brought examples from complementary areas and presented their experiences on using the concept of policy for defining features and for treating the feature interaction problem. The intrinsic interactions commonly called policy conflicts within policy-based systems were also discussed. The panelists considered methodological issues, such as the use of deontic logic and the representation of features through policies, as well as industrial applications, such as service provisioning and policy-based management applications for service bundling. They also brought out different views that reflect some disparity between the communities involved in this research.

Mobility Management Schemes for Heterogeneity Support in Next Generation Wireless Networks

Seamless mobility support in a heterogeneous roaming environment poses several challenging issues in the choice of network architecture design and mobility protocol. Several standards organizations are designing next generation wireless network architectures with a suite of new network elements and protocols that provide service continuity for intra-and inter-provider roaming. However, each of these mobility solutions provides its own set of signaling mechanisms and methods of interaction with different functional network elements. Thus, it becomes a challenging task for the network operators and service providers to support roaming to the visited networks with diverse capabilities while supporting service continuity. In this paper, we first highlight some of the next generation standards and then describe the main functional components of a generic next generation wireless architecture as described in several evolving standards. We then focus on the operational usage of network layer mobility protocols such as Client Mobile IP, Proxy Mobile IP and application layer mobility protocol for next generation networks, and address the operational issues associated with roaming and service continuity. Finally, we propose comprehensive mobility solutions that support the heterogeneity associated with the intra-and inter-provider roaming.

Incorporating OMA Lightweight M2M protocol in IoT/M2M standard architecture

IoT/M2M aims to integrate a large number of heterogeneous devices which are constantly required to be discovered and reconfigured in order to bring them up to date or to recover from their failures. A device management protocol enables the abstraction of an IoT/M2M device as a managed object to ease the management of the device. The M2M standards, such as ETSI and OneM2M, have adopted the use of OMA Lightweight M2M Device Management Protocol to manage and configure the IoT/M2M devices from the IoT/M2M platform. However, how to incorporate and do resource mapping of OMA LWM2M in the IoT/M2M standard architecture is not well addressed by those standards. In this paper, we present and analyze how to incorporate the OMA LWM2M in the IoT/M2M standard architecture. Through this seamless incorporation, an IoT/M2M application is enabled to manage IoT/M2M devices from the IoT/M2M service platform at a higher level of abstraction.

A methodology for feature interaction detection in the AIN 0.1 framework

We propose an integrated methodology for specifying AIN (advanced intelligent networks) and switch based features and analyzing their interactions in the AIN 0.1 framework. The specification of each individual feature is tied to the AIN call model and requires only a minimum amount of information in terms of control and data for interaction analysis. Once a feature is specified, its specification is then validated for consistency with respect to control and data. Interaction analysis is conducted for a set of features based on the sharing of call variables between the SSP and the SCP. With this approach, one can detect the following interactions involving AIN features: (1) side effects, where a call variable modified by one feature is used by another feature and (2) disabling, where one feature disconnects a call, preventing another feature from execution. We also develop a theory that is based on the computation of sequences of messages exchanged between the SSP and the SCP and their call variable usage. This theory is shown to dramatically reduce the number of cases considered during the analysis. A brief overview of a tool that makes use of this methodology to aid in the task of feature interaction detection is also given.

Protocol validation for large-scale applications

A threefold strategy incorporating formal modeling, structural decomposition and functional abstraction, and reachability analysis is described, and the role of each part in managing complexity is examined. Formal modeling helps weed out extraneous detail so that later work on decomposition and abstraction is easier. Decomposition and abstraction help divide complexity into manageability parts that the reachability algorithm can solve. Examples of the use of each are given.<<ETX>>

Converging MQTT Resources in ETSI Standards Based M2M Platform

One of the key challenges of the Internet of Things (IoT) is the integration of heterogeneous technologies and communications solutions. This paper proposes a method to integrate Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol with the ETSI M2M architecture via a new network function called MQTT proxy. The MQTT proxy, on the one side, acts as an MQTT broker to the MQTT clients. While on the other side, it serves as a Gateway Application (GA) for interfacing with the ETSI M2M-compliant architecture, specifically OpenMTC developed by Fraunhofer FOKUS. By the MQTT Proxy, MQTT resources can be converged in the ETSI M2M architecture. Finally, we compare the MQTT Proxy with our previous HTTP Proxy.

A Feasibility Study on Developing IoT/M2M Applications over ETSI M2M Architecture

A common service platform is considered as the key enabler to catalyze the development of IoT/M2M applications for a large variety of vertical markets such as smart energy, smart transportation, home and industry automation, eHealth and connected vehicles. This paper reports an initial effort at National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan with such an experimental approach. We first train our graduate students with an ETSI M2M architecture-compliant service platform OpenMTC from FOKUS, and then charter them with the tasks of developing diverse M2M applications. The effort is used as a feasibility study to investigate how useful the notion of a common service platform for IoT/M2M is and how urgent an international standard is required in defining such a platform. We intend to use the result of the study to create a suitable IoT/M2M curriculum for our students.

Gap Analysis and Deployment Architectures for 3GPP2 MMD Networks

Mobile and fixed operators are offering broadband access to the Internet by either adding wireless access to their existing core networks (e.g., CDMA IxEVDO. GPRS, and WiFi) or continuing to evolve existing broadband infrastructures (e.g., DSL, Cable and FTTx). Consequently, IMS and MMD architectures as defined by 3GPP and 3GPP2 are becoming increasingly important to network operators, in particular, for offering ubiquitous service and seamless mobility to end users, along with management and control Although 3GPP2 MMD architecture has adopted most of the 3GPP IMS core functionalities and interfaces, it added several other unique functional components and interfaces to fit the specific need of CDMA2000 access networks Therefore, it is important to understand the gaps and issues associated with the 3GPP2 MMD architecture with regard to the 3GPP IMS architecture. In this paper, we first analyze the functional and protocol level differences between IMS and MMD architectures. Based on our analysis, we then articulate several deployment architectural alternatives for 3GPP2 MMD networks and finally analyze the pros and cons of each architecture.

Challenges of incorporating OMA LWM2M gateway in M2M standard architecture

The Internet of Things (IoT) enables the connections of billions of devices to the Internet. It is thus very important to effectively manage this huge amount of devices. Among many available device management protocols, Open Mobile Alliance Lightweight M2M (OMA LWM2M) has been adopted by the global M2M standards, ETSI M2M and oneM2M as the standard for device management. However, OMA LWM2M-supported devices are still not widely available because the standard is relatively recently published. On the other hand, there are millions of legacy devices and sensors that do not support the OMA LWM2M protocol. Consequently, how to integrate non-OMA LWM2M devices so that they can be managed by OMA LWM2M Server is urgently needed. Moreover, how to exercise OMA LWM2M device management from the M2M standards is also not well addressed by the standard. In this paper, we address both challenges by first designing an OMA LWM2M gateway between OMA LWM2M server and non-OMA LWM2M devices (legacy devices). Then we further integrate this gateway in the ETSI M2M and oneM2M-like standard architecture. The paper not only explains the capabilities of our system in detail but also analyzes the differences between the OMA system standalone and the one embedded in the M2M standard architecture.

A survey on wireless/wireline integration

Summary form only given. Telecommunication operators started to address the issues of wireless/wireline integration since mid 1990s. Back then, the emphases were (1) how to make wireline voice features such as call waiting, call forwarding, three way calling, voice mails available to wireless subscriber; (2) how to add mobility to wireline services via calling card, prepaid service, and personal toll free number; and (3) how to merge network infrastructures such as wireless and wireline intelligent networks (WIN, CAMEL, AIN, and IN) to maximize resource sharing. While the work from mid 1990s is still continued (e.g., wireless E-911, number portability are still under deployment in many parts of the world), the wireless/wireline integration today has taken a new form due to the emergency of (1) new wireless access technologies and (2) network evolution toward a convergent IP architecture. This talk will survey the most recent development in this area of wireless/wireline integration. We will look at the short-term wireless/wireline integration efforts by telecommunications operators such as Verizon, SBC, BellSouth, BT, and KT etc. We will also look at more exciting, long-term efforts in standards bodies such as 3GPP, ETSI TISPAN, and ATIS of using IMS (IP multimedia subsystem) as the core for this integration. Moreover, we believe devices and service management will play an important role in making this integration happen and will comment about their necessity in the talk.