1. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Performance Assessment of a Spectrum and Radio Resource Management Architecture for Heterogeneous Wireless Networks Kostas Tsagkaris N.Koutsouris, A.Galani, P.Demestichas Telecommunication Networks & Integrated Services Lab Dept of Digital Systems, University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece

2. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Outline Motivation, problem area Overview of considered S&RR management architecture Research approach, methodology Information flow definition Experimentation platform setup Indicative scenario & results

3. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Motivation, problem area Disparate emerging landscape – heterogeneous wireless networks (Cognitive) Access Point (Cognitive) Base Station …

4. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Motivation, problem area (cont.) ? ? ? RAT? spectrum? frequency? radio resources? … ? ? ? ? RAT? spectrum? frequency? radio resources? … ? … ? ??? RAN/RAT? spectrum? frequency? radio resources? … (Cognitive) Access Point (Cognitive) Base Station How to optimally select and use spectrum and radio resources?

5. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Motivation, problem area (cont.) The IEEE/SCC41 P1900.4 Working Group was born to solve the problem In Jan 2009, the group has standardised [*] a management architecture (System/Functional Architecture + Information model) for efficiently managing cognitive/heterogeneous wireless networks and terminals Little work on the performance assessment of 1900.4 standardised architecture so far This work places focus on the assessment of signalling load/delays that the management architecture causes to the network that it operates in. [*] IEEE Std 1900.4™-2009, IEEE Standard for Architectural Building Blocks Enabling Network-Device Distributed Decision Making for Optimized Radio Resource Usage in Heterogeneous Wireless Access Networks

6. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Overview of 1900.4: System Architecture …

7. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Overview of 1900.4: Interfaces … RAN context information: RAN radio resource optimization objectives RAN radio capabilities RAN measurements RAN transport capabilities Radio Resource selection policies Terminal context information: User preferences Required QoS levels per application Terminal capabilities Terminal measurements Terminal geo-location information Geo-location based terminal measurements RAN context information Spectrum Assignment Policies

8. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Overview of 1900.4: Functional Architecture Focus on the NRM Functional architecture …

9. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Overview of 1900.4: Functional Architecture …Focus on NRM.... and particularly, on the interfaces among NRM and its external entities …

10. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Research approach, Methodology Methodology: 1.Define the exact information flowing in the above interfaces Parameters 2.Setup experimentation platform for the performance assessment of the management architecture 1900.4 architecture implementation based on distributed agents 3.Performance assessment Indicative scenarios Results w.r.t. measured signalling load/delays

11. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Definition of information flow – Example …

12. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Experimentation platform … After identifying and describing the exact info to be conveyed… Setup a platform to experiment on a IEEE 1900.4-based architecture, functionality and interfaces Multi-agent environment based on JADE (Java Agents DEvelopment framework) –fully JAVA and FIPA compliant framework for developing distributed agent systems Agents act as high level interfaces between the involved entities and the environment and ensure their communication through the asynchronous exchange of messages (according to the FIPA ACL message structure specification)

13. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Experimentation platform (cont.) In order to carry out the experiments in the JADE based platform: A set of messages have been defined –structures that contain the defined parameters –proper message names These messages are then encapsulated in the ACL messages according to the FIPA specifications and in order to flow within the agent platform Overhead in the total number of bytes that are conveyed for management reasons is taken into account

14. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Indicative scenario – Description Heavy loaded RAN situation Trigger for RAN reconfiguration Messages (parameters) are exchanged until all MTs will be informed about the new RAN context and are provided with the new policies Objective: Measurement of signalling load and time delays induced to the managed network

15. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Indicative scenario – Description (cont.) RAN becomes overloaded and sends a Context&ConfigurationNotification message to the NRM. Information Collection & Processing Function sends to every other RAN that covers the same geographical area a Context&ConfigurationRequest message, so as to receive the corresponding Context&ConfigurationResponse with the network status information SpectrumEvaluationFunction detects that a spectrum reallocation may be necessary, so it sends the evaluation results to OSM agent with SpectrumUsageEvaluation OSM agent sends to NRM the new allocation of the available frequencies to RATs with NewSpectrumAssignment message.

16. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Indicative scenario – Description (cont.) Network Reconfiguration Decision & Control Function makes the decision on how the overloaded RAN should be reconfigured NRM sends ReconfigurationRequest message to the RAN RAN sends to the NRM a ReconfigurationExecutionNotification message after reconfiguration takes place NRM derives new policies (Policy Derivation Function) and sends them together with new RAN context information to MTs using NetworkStatus&Policies message

17. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Results - Bandwidth calculation The management burden is low, providing evidence on the viability of the architectureThe management burden is low, providing evidence on the viability of the architecture Of special importance are the results concerning the NRM – MT interface since it is the interface encompassing the air-interfaceOf special importance are the results concerning the NRM – MT interface since it is the interface encompassing the air-interface Bandwidth needed for management

18. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Results – Reaction time of the NRM Focus is now placed on the “NRM reaction time” i.e. time that the NRM, needs in order to resolve a problematic situation Dependence on –the number of APs in the area –the number of active MTs –processing power of the machine where the algorithmic part of the described functionality is executed Focus on the influence of the number of APs and MTs.

19. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Results – Reaction time of the NRM (cont.) The general outcome drawn is that the architecture is able to optimize efficiently areas encompassing several APs and a high number of MTs as wellThe general outcome drawn is that the architecture is able to optimize efficiently areas encompassing several APs and a high number of MTs as well The dependence on the number of the involved APs is greater than the dependence on the number of MTs that exist in the areaThe dependence on the number of the involved APs is greater than the dependence on the number of MTs that exist in the area Influence on the management reaction time of the number of APs and MTs in the area

20. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Results – Handling a large number of connected MTs Handling a large number of connected MTs Focus on the ”Informing time (delay)” = the time needed to inform all the interested MTs about the new network status and policies

21. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Results – Handling a large number of connected MTs (cont.)  Less than 1 sec is needed in most of the cases, confirming that the management information flow will not be blocked or bottlenecked and that the MTs will obtain all the necessary information in time Time needed to inform all interested MTs about the new network status and policies

22. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Conclusion and outlook An experimentation platform was setup to assess the performance of a IEEE 1900.4-based management architecture The platform is based on distributed agents implemented in the Java Agents Development (JADE) framework Indicative scenario and results show that the signaling and time delays induced into the managed network will not aggravate the overall network operation

23. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Further reading [1]A.Galani, K.Tsagkaris, N.Koutsouris, P.Demestichas, “Design and Assessment of Functional Architecture for Optimized Spectrum and Radio Resource Management in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks”, International Journal of Network Management, to appear [2]S.Buljore, H.Harada, P.Houze, K.Tsagkaris, et al., “Architecture and Enablers for Optimised Radio Resource usage: The IEEE P1900.4 Working Group” Communications Magazine, IEEE, Vol 47, no. 1, pp. 122-129, January 2009 [3]IEEE Std 1900.4™-2009, IEEE Standard for Architectural Building Blocks Enabling Network-Device Distributed Decision Making for Optimized Radio Resource Usage in Heterogeneous Wireless Access Networks, Jan. 2009 [4]IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 41 (SCC41), http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/scc41/

24. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Acknowledgment This work was performed in the project E³ which has received research funding from the Community's Seventh Framework programme. This paper reflects only the authors' views and the Community is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. The contributions of colleagues from the E³ consortium are hereby acknowledged.

25. Session 12a, 16 June 2010 Future Network & Mobile Summit 2010 Copyright 2010 E3 ICT-2007-216248 Thank you… ….Questions? Contact details: Dr. Kostas Tsagkaris University of Piraeus Department of Digital Systems E-mail: ktsagk@unipi.gr