Here is a list of possible projects for the ISDN subject. In general, I would prefer a project based on your place of work than one of the following, but you are welcome to choose. If you have a workplace based project, please email me your suggestion. There are no limits on the number of students who may do any particular project. When marking the projects, a higher standard will be expected from students enrolled in the 6 point subject than from those enrolled in the 4 point and 3 point subjects. Joint projects are acceptable, but a project produced by a group will be marked to a much higher standard than a project from a single student. All students within a group will receive the same mark. The project is to be written as a consultant's report. You have been commissioned to investigate a particular area and this is the report of your findings. As such the main criteria for marking will be completeness, conciseness and intelligibility. I will also take into account the difficulty of the chosen topic. The report is to include a cover page stating your name, student id and subject code followed by a one page executive summary, the body of your report and a reference list. The report is due on the last teaching day of semester. You may take as long as you like to choose your topic. Once you have made your decision email your choice to me. Philip. Projects options for ECS5365 ISDN Networks and Applications *********************************************************** Project 1 - ATM in the local area network ***************************************** Discuss possible uses for ATM technology in the local area networking environment, both in the short term (less than 5 years) and long term. Survey products that are currently available or have been announced recently, and compare their functions with those being discussed for the future B-ISDN public network. Discuss alternatives for migrating from an existing Ethernet network (such as used at Monash University) to an ATM based local area network. Project 2 - Routing protocols for ATM networks ********************************************** ATM networks that support switched virtual circuits need a method for determining the route for a switched virtual circuit. Survey approaches to routing in Internet networks, and survey the approaches being considered by the ATM Forum - for example PNNI specification. Project 3 - Compare signalling for ISDN with signalling for ATM networks ************************************************************************ Signalling for ATM networks is derived from the signalling protocols used in narrowband ISDN. Examine the narrowband signalling standards, and compare with the signalling standards under development by the ATM Forum (UNI 3.0, 3.1, 4.0) and ITU Q.2931. Focus on the new features that needed to be added to support new applications. Project 4 - Mapping Internet QOS features to ATM *********************************************** The IETF is developing new standards that will support quality of service (QOS) for applications. Survey the quality of service provisions in the Internet standards such as RSVP (resource reservation protocol) and determine how to map these protocols to an ATM infrastructure. Project 5 - Compare approaches for supporting LAN protocols on ATM ****************************************************************** ATM must be able to support the existing data applications, which means transporting their protocols. There are three main approaches in operation today: Classical IP over ATM, LAN emulation, and Multi-protocol over ATM. Survey the operation of these three approaches, and compare their advantages and disadvantages. Project 6 - Applications Programming Interfaces (APIs) ****************************************************** This project involves evaluating the features of new applications programming interfaces (APIs) being developed to allow applications to take advantage of ATM quality of service (QOS) features. These include the Winsock 2 specification for PCs, and the work being done under X/Open for UNIX workstations. Project 7 - Video conferencing over ISDN and B-ISDN **************************************************** This project involves examining the existing and proposed standards for video conferencing over ISDN and B-ISDN. Compare the quality of service available with these systems (in terms of image quality and motion quality). What enhanced features such as document sharing are standardized? What functions will be needed in a gateway to allow a user attached to one network technology to communicate to a user attached to another network technology. Project 8 - Distance education ****************************** This project involves examining how ISDN services can be used to support residential students undertaking distance education (ie they don't attend university in person, even though they may live in the metropolitan area). The project should also consider what facilities a University would need to provide these services, and mechanisms for recovering the costs of providing information. Project 9 - ATM over wireless networks *************************************** Examine the potential for using ATM over wireless access technologies for applications such as pay TV, videophone, desktop PC video conferencing, video/image information services to users across wireless access technologies. Wireless technologies include Super High Frequency radio, Microwave Distribution System, and MobileData (packet-over-cellular), MobileNet (circuit-switched cellular), and satellite networks. Project 10 - Network management standards for ATM networks ********************************************************** Survey the range of existing approaches for managing data networks within organizations (e.g the use of SNMP). Survey new management standards and approaches being used and developed for managing ATM networks. What are the key performance parameters to monitor, and what automatic steps can be taken to recover from a fault. Project 11 - Multi-point video conferencing ******************************************************* This project involves examining the facilities available for multi-point connections in an ATM network. Compare the approaches currently being used in the Internet (Mbone services) with approaches being considered in the ATM standards for multi-point video conferencing. Project 12 - Security in ATM networks ************************************* Aside from security provided in computers attached to networks, the most common security mechanism is to use firewall routers. Examine developments in the ATM standards that will allow the removal of conventional routers between a public ATM network and a local private ATM network. Project 13 - Internet service provision *************************************** This project involves examining approaches to providing a national internet service in Australia. There are several Internet service providers in Australia, including Telstra Internet. These organizations must choose technologies for customers to access the network (e.g PSTN or ISDN) and also technologies to link their Internet switches (e.g ISDN, leased line, frame relay or ATM in future). Suggest various architectures for creating such a service, with reference to commercial examples if possible. Compare the costs, performance and reliability of these architectures. Project 14 - ATM over hybrid fibre coax infrastructure ****************************************************** Examine how Local Area Network data services could be provided over the hybrid fibre/coax access network being built by Telstra and Optus in Australia using hybrid fibre/coax. Consider how services could be scaled from a few premium users, to mass usage. Project 15 - DAVIC - Digital Audio/Visual Council uses of ATM ************************************************************* DAVIC was put together in 1994 to select a set of standards to implement advanced digital services to residential users. Examine the role of ATM in the DAVIC specification and examine how the DAVIC specification could be implemented in the Australian environment of hybrid fibre/coax networks. Project 16 - ATM bearer capabilities ************************************ There are several ATM bearer capabilities being proposed to support the range of services that will operate over an ATM network. Compare the features of the capabilities proposed in the ITU and ATM standards groups and describe how applications such as video-on-demand could make use of these capabilities. Project 17 - Remote LAN access ***************************** Survey the approaches to providing access to a remote LAN over ISDN. For example a user may wish to work from home, but still be attached to an organization's file servers and email system. Approaches include using a computer as a gateway with an ISDN and Ethernet interface, using a terminal server, and using a router. Evaluate the ease with which each approach can accommodate different protocols such as TCP/IP and Novell. What are the performance implications of running graphics intensive applications (such as World Wide Web) over such a link? Suggest how applications can be designed to take into account this limited bandwidth. Project 18 - Digital Channel aggregation **************************************** Aggregation of 64 kbit/s channels is necessary to create higher bandwidths such as 128 kbit/s for data or 384 kbit/s for video conferencing. Survey the standards and approaches available for channel aggregation. Compare these approaches and examine their effectiveness for international usage. Project 19 - X.25 and frame relay services over ISDN **************************************************** Examine approaches to providing access to an X.25 service such as AUSTPAC and frame relay services over a basic rate ISDN interface. Compare possible uses of X.25 and frame relay services. Project 20 - Meter reading ************************** Examine possible applications of the D channel for meter reading (e.g for Electricity meters). Are there electricity meters available with computer processors suitable for access via a D channel interface? What are the cost tradeoffs between installing this infrastructure and using people as meter readers? What added capabilities will electronic meter reading provide? Project 21 - Support of ISDN services over an ATM network ******************************************************** In future an ATM based network could support a range of network services. Determine how to provide basic and primary rate ISDN services over an ATM infrastructure. Project 22 - Voice over ATM *************************** Examine the issues in providing a standard voice call over an ATM network. These issues include signalling interworking between the ATM network and the public switched telephone network, and the use of voice compression and packet voice for voice transmission. Use the ATM Forum's standards for voice over ATM as a starting point. Project 23 - ISDN services over the Pay TV network ************************************************ Telstra and Optus are laying out new customer access network technology in the form of hybrid fibre/coax networks. Determine how a basic rate ISDN service could be provided over these networks. Project 24 - Supplementary services ********************************** Determine the signalling requirements at the interface with the network (Q.931) and within the network (ISUP) to support supplementary services such as those available with Easycall over the analog phone service. What supplementary services can ISDN basic rate service offer in addition to the analog services. What facilities would be needed for a customer to enable and disable these services without operator intervention? Compare the services available with a basic rate ISDN connection with those available via the Telstra Spectrum service. Project 25 - Computer Telephony Integration ******************************************* Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) involves an association between a telephone handset of a PABX and a PC or workstation. Survey the approaches to providing CTI in the PABX and computing industry, for both large and small scale systems. Evaluate how ISDN and ATM technology can assist in this process compared to the analog phone system. (a good start would be the September 1995 issue of Australian Communications) Project 26- Survey of congestion control in high speed networks *************************************************************** Various techiques has been proposed for controlling congestion in ATM networks (ABR serivces). The objective of this survey is to look at the various techniques that have been proposed and provide a comparison among the different techniques. Project 27 - Multi-cast/Broadcast in ATM switches ************************************************* Survey the technqiues used to provide multi-cast and broadcast facilities in ATM switches. Survey the implementations in commercial ATM switches. Determine the main applications for multi-cast and broadcast features in ATM switches, and evaluate how well particular implementations of multi-cast/broadcast meet the requirements of these applications. Project 28 - Cable modems ************************** Survey the techniques used to provide a cable modem service over a hybrid fibre/coax network. Describe how an ATM service could be provided using cable modems. Project 29 - Residential Broadband Access Networks ************************************************** Survey the options available for delivering ATM services to a home or small business outside the central business district. Options may include cable TV network (hybrid fibre/coax), ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), wireless network, optical fibre. Discuss the advantages in using ATM all the way to the home relative to other broadband network options (e.g the current cable modem service), and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each delivery option. Project 30 - ATM over ADSL ************************** Examine how Local Area Network data services could be provided over the ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber line) access networks using the ATM protocol. Consider how services could be scaled from a few premium users, to mass usage. Project 31 - Multi-cast/Broadcast in ATM switches ************************************************* Survey the technqiues used to provide multi-cast and broadcast facilities in ATM switches. Survey the implementations in commercial ATM switches. Determine the main applications for multi-cast and broadcast features in ATM switches, and evaluate how well particular implementations of multi-cast/broadcast meet the requirements of these applications. Project 32 - ATM network dimensioning ************************************* There are established principles for dimensioning a voice network based on determining the nu,ber of Erlangs of traffic at each point. Survey approaches to dimensioning a large ATM network that carries voice, data, and video applications at variable bit rate and constant bit rates. Project 33- Mobility Management in WATM *************************************** This project will review the standards being developed for ATM over wireless networks, and will review approaches for rerouting ATM cells as a user moves from one micro-cell to another, while maintaining the requested quality of service. Project 34 - Multiprotocol over ATM *********************************** The ATM Forum is close to standardizing a technique for Multiprotocol over ATM that allows ATM cut-throughs in a routed internetwork. TheProject will invole describing how the new MPOA specification works for the Internet Protocol. The project will then describe how to the map the technique to another common protocol (e.g Novell IPX). Project 35 - Internet QOS approaches ************************************ AN ATM network has the concept of quality of serivce in its architecture through having a connection oriented approach. The Internet is connectionless (it could use ATM as a transport technology). Investigate techniques that routers may use to provide different qualities of service depending on the application type (e.g file transfer, email, internet telephony, internet audio or video retrieval). Project 36 - IP over ATM over copper ************************************ High bandwidth services are possible over copper wire. This project will examine techniques for providing IP data services over copper wire using the ATM protocols. Project 37 - Core network architecture - IP/ATM/WDM *************************************************** Compare architectures for providing core carrier networks. Options include purely ATM, purely IP, IP over ATM, IP direct over SDH, and IP direct over WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing).