Project No.: 5003-046019 01.07.96 - 31.12.99
Project leader:
Jürgen Ehrensberger, Laboratoire de Télécommunications, Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne
e-mail: Juergen.Ehrensberger@epfl.ch
Name of project: CAN PC: Computer Aided Network Planning Cockpit
Partners:
Prof. Pierre-Gérard Fontolliet, Laboratoire de
Télécommunications, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at
Lausanne (EPFL)
Dr. Bruno Messmer, Swisscom Corporate Technology, Bern
Funding: Sfr 617,302.-
Summary:
A wide range of different techniques for implementing
communication networks are now available. Users and operators are
concerned about network expandability, evolution, capacity and
costs. The object of the CAN PC project is to develop an open,
object-oriented network planning framework, i.e. a computer-based
tool for the planning, dimensioning and designing of networks
which approaches planning from the viewpoint of customer
requirements, i.e. of the services to be developed.
The CAN PC tool makes it possible to study alternative solutions and hence optimization under existing secondary conditions. It is also of interest to other manufacturers, telecom-service providers and operators as well as for educational purposes in universities and polytechnics, etc.
In phase one of the project, CAN PC-based framework applications for evaluating the performance of wide area networks were developed. These applications make it possible to evaluate the performance parameters of difference service types which are important for the network user and operator. In particular, the file transfer (FTP), web browsing (HTTP) and interactive connections (Telnet) services were examined. The developed processes allow evaluation of the following quality-of-service parameters: a) web page access times, mean reply time values, throughput, usage and buffer occupancy, c) pessimistic and optimistic limits for the above mean values. In addition, routing processes were produced according to various criteria. A user-friendly demonstrator was created.
In the continuation phase of the project, it is planned to integrate the following new applications into the CAN PC framework: performance evaluation of networks including satellite links, quality-of-service parameter evaluation for realtime application parameters on the Internet (voice over IP), performance evaluation-based network optimization.
Cooperation: Applicants are the telecommunications lab of the Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (Jürgen Ehrensberger, Prof. Pierre-Gérard Fontolliet), which has already put in some preparatory work, and the Swisscom corporate research department.
The research project is integrated in the national "ACTRIS" research programme, also involving Ascom Tech AG and Siemens Schweiz AG. The results are also available to other schools.
The software developments benefit the partners concerned as follows: