On the management of aggregation networks with rapidly moving traffic demands

In this paper, the focus is on the management aspects for delivery of multimedia services to fast moving users (e.g., users in trains, cars or airplanes). The considered network architecture consists of two parts: an aggregation network part and an access network part. We designed a management system for the aggregation network. The main functionalities of this management system are: (i) pre-configuration of the QoS (quality of service) tunnels, based on the results of the network capacity planning process, (ii) activation of the QoS tunnels when required and (iii) tunnel reconfiguration when the activated tunnels are insufficient to carry the instantaneous demand or in case of other failures. The main difference with existing management systems is that it is designed to deal with the rapidly moving nature of the traffic conditions and the generation of triggers for tunnel activations or reconfigurations. The management system focuses on multimedia service delivery to trains through high speed Ethernet aggregation networks. An extended GVRP (GARP (generic attribute registration protocol) VLAN registration protocol) and a new GARP protocol (G2RP) were designed and implemented as protocols for the automatic tunnel pre-configuration and activation, respectively. The management system makes use of optimization algorithms for network dimensioning and tunnel path determination. These algorithms are described in detail and their evaluation results are compared for a basic train scenario. Finally, measurement results on the performance of the designed protocols for tunnel pre-configuration and activation, are presented in detail.