Home
Publications
Education & Positions
Graduate Courses
Optical
QoS
Inter-relationship
Closing lines ...

Satisfying Application Requirements over a Single Packet Switching Network

Course description

Over the past few decades, it has become clear that there is a need for a transition to a single packet switched network that can support all applications, and in particular can replace the existing circuit switching network (which was optimized for telephony). However, challenges remain in realizing this transition. One of the major challenges is how to satisfy new interactive streaming media applications. Another challenge is how to effectively satisfy distributed computing with bursty data sources.

Networking scenarios, as seen by users as well as providers, envision the future Internet as the platform unifying various types of communications: (i) providing the end-user with a high bit rate of optical and wireless access supporting various data and streaming media applications, and (ii) carrying the aggregated traffic on an optical infrastructure. A networking scenario such as this demands a tight coupling between the wireless and optical components. Combining high-speed optical transport with wireless mobility, while satisfying the applications requirements, is challenging. Two other challenges are how to satisfy interactive and non-interactive streaming media applications and how to effectively and efficiently satisfy distributed grid computing and storage with bursty data sources. Business and technical questions remain in the transition from different network types to a single IP packet network, which is able to satisfy all applications, and in particular can replace the existing wired/wireless circuit-switching network.
Top

Course objective:

This course primary objective is to provide Ph.D. students with in depth understanding of the current IP networking challenges, so they can formulate meaningful questions and pursue their solutions. The perspective on the various issues is satisfying both computing and streaming applications over combined optical and wireless networks.
Top

Reference list:

Will be provided.
Top

Course structure

Introduction and challenges
Satisfying computing and storage applications – such as massive grid networks and massive resilient storage; Satisfying streaming media applications – such as high fidelity audio/video content delivery, videoconferencing, virtualization and gaming.
Local and metropolitan area networks
From token ring and Ethernet to resilient packet ring (RPR) – networking in the metro with Sonet/SDH, Ethernet, MPLS and WDM rings; Understanding the fairness and provisioning issues in ring networks with spatial bandwidth reuse.
Switching and switches
The many-to-one and one-to-many asynchronous switching challenges; Understanding switch fabric and memory speedup, and various switch control and scheduling mechanisms.
Flow control in packet switching networks
Basic flow control issues: sliding window, rate-based and credit-based; Deterministic vs. non-deterministic routing (e.g., hot-potato and convergence routing).
IP/MPLS routing and signaling
The transition from connectionless to connection oriented in MPLS Signaling with RSVP and LDP.
Traffic engineering
Understanding delay and jitter in asynchronous packet switching – with switch and link bottlenecks; Satisfying applications requirements with over-provisioning in IP/MPLS.
Streaming media.
Traffic shaping at the boundaries of the network (e.g., leaky bucket) vs. traffic shaping inside the network (e.g., WFQ/PGPS); Traffic shaping with local clocks (e.g., WFQ/PGPS) vs. traffic shaping with coordinated universal time (UTC a.k.a. GMT).
Optical Networking.
Basic optical transmission and switching: optical vs. electronics; Provisioning, protection and restoration.
Optical packet switching
What is optical burst switching? Dynamic optical networking analysis and solutions.
Multicasting and discussion
Reliable and real-time multicast over asynchronous network: one-to-many and many-to-many – why it is still so challenging?
Summary and discussion.
Why networking is still evolving and challenging, do we have a single packet switching network that can satisfy all applications?

Course requirements

Individual project with presentation, written report and oral exam.
Top

Pages hosted by "Computer Networks and Mobility Group" - DIT - Università di Trento - Italy.
© Yoram Ofek Homepage, All Rights Reserved.
Last updated: 2009-07-02 07:02:30