IEEE 802.1 AVB and QoE testing

Original 802.3 standards are designed to deliver best-effort data, with no special provisions for time critical aspects of multimedia applications. 802.1q defines a 3bit Priority Code Point-field (PCP) in the VLAN-header (802.1p). Eight different Classes of Service (CoS) are used to prioritize traffic. 802.1ak Multiple Registration Protocol (MRP) provides registration and resource allocation. For A/V-streams, there is also a constraint on timeliness (<2ms for 7 hops) and packet loss [1]. This research focuses on a timing-aware ethernet. Admission and reservation system rely on 802.1ak. Time sensitive streams are shaped by an 8MHz clock, which is syntonized using the Precise Timing Protocol (PTP). Ongoing standardization is coordinated by the IEEE 802.1 AVB tasking group [2]. Traffic is classified as foreground or background. Traffic observations from Caida and Gloriad form the base for emulating the internet. The QoE of A/V-streams, referred as ‘foreground traffic’, is quantitatively expressed by PEASQ/PEAQ and MOS.