Résumé des résultats (Abstract)
(Anglais)
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TORRENT is building a test-bed for multi-service residential access networks that will allow to demonstrate the benefit of intelligent control for customers, network operators and service providers.
The test-bed will support the definition of architectures that allow a home user's quality of service expectations to be met by employing - in a way that is transparent to the user - the most appropriate core transport network, be it connectionless or connection-oriented. Systems will be prototyped to segregate traffic according to its optimum mode of transportation and to manage routing and charging. TORRENT encompasses systems integration activities, new developments, and close liaison with emerging standards and specifications.
The main objectives of TORRENT are to create:
· A testbed to develop architectural frameworks for mapping service characteristics to network performance parameters.
· Functionality, using Agent Technologies, to negotiate with the available core networks on the user's behalf, on issues such as bandwidth, quality of service and pricing
· Capabilities incorporated into a 'Residential Gateway', to enable communication between user terminals and the network, on policy matters relating to authorisation, authentication and accounting
· A 'Local Access Point' able to route services over the most appropriate available access and core networks
· Standards for home networks
The work of TORRENT is divided into five main areas:
1. Architectural Framework. An important and challenging initial task for TORRENT is to establish the Architectural Framework for Mapping Service Requirements to Network Capabilities. In addition to providing the overall concept of the architecture, this work will determine how services should be defined so as to enable them to be prioritised on the access network, and later routed to the most appropriate core network.
2. The Home Network and Local Access Point. This work will be concerned with home network technologies and their connection to the access network via the Residential Gateway. The work will also cover the Extended Residential Gateway, the communication with the user and with the Local Access Point, and the Local Access Point itself.
3. Service-to-Resource Mapping (SRM). This is a key part of TORRENT. The SRM function will allow the home user to select the type/quality of service and to control the service usage, price and quality. This function will be linked to the Applications Programming Interface of the TORRENT devices. Agent technologies are a prime candidate for implementing the SRM.
4. Evaluations. These will validate, in two phases, the performance and effectiveness of the TORRENT system in the areas of the customer's premises, access and core networks, using a defined set of procedures. Five Field Trials (in Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Greece) are envisaged. The results will be presented to Standards Organisations.
5. Exploitation and Dissemination.
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