Standardising the mechanisms for communicating configuration information across a reconfigurable network
Craig DolwinFeb 2007
2 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
A common language for the communication of reconfiguration information• Objectives• Challenges• Requirements• Functional Description Language (FDL)• Visions and a Scenario• Work being done in E2R (phase 1 & 2 )• Other work in this area
– SDR Forum Commercial Working Group
• Summary and Conclusion
3 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Objective
To develop a generic and universal mechanism for requesting a specific functionality (e.g. a RAT ) from a wireless platform
4 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Challenges being addressed
• Over 2 Billion Handsets in the world• World Wide Roaming• Proliferation of Multi-Mode platforms• Spectrum De-Regulation• A move towards SDR
– Reduce NRE costs – Enhanced tracking of market demands
5 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Requirements
• Need a common mechanism/protocol to support the updating and modification of functionality
• Platform and System independent• Guaranteed real-time reliability• Physical Layer, Protocol Stack, Applications, MMI
6 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Functional Description Language (FDL)
• RAT independent• Platform independent• Scalable• Contains information about
– Timing/latency constraints– Bandwidth requirements– Precedence information
• Supports real-time and power conscious implementations
7 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Functional Description Language (FDL)ScaleImage
scaleImageIN
scaleImageOUT
demuxdemuxIN
xDemuxOUT yDemuxOUT
scaleX
xScaleIN
xScaleOUT
scaleY
yScaleIN
yScaleOUT
mux
muxOUT
xMuxIN yMuxIN
yDemuxChanxDemuxChan
xScaleChan yScaleChan
<!– Scale Image Algorithm --><Alg_Algorithm componentID="scaleImage"
type="ScaleImage" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="AlgDescSchema.xsd">
<!– Scale x component sub-process --><subProcess type="ScaleComponent" componentID="scaleX">
<deadline units="us">10</deadline>...
</subProcess>...
</Alg_Algorithm>
<!– Algorithm Element Definition --><xs:element name="Alg_Algorithm" type="Alg_Algorithm“
substitutionGroup="Alg_Process"/><xs:complexType name="Alg_Algorithm">
<xs:complexContent><xs:extension base="Alg_Process">
<xs:sequence><xs:element name="subProcess“
type="Alg_Process" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
</xs:element>XML Schema
XML document
validate
transform
8 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Near Term Vision
• Support for:– Large numbers of Radio Access Technologies– Multi Mode equipment– Seamless Vertical Handover
• A range of SDR sophistication is supported• Equipment manufacturer responsible for
configuration generation and standard compliance
9 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
3G Protocol S
tack3G
Protocol Stack
INTERNET
Access Point
GSMBase-
Station
3GBase-
Station
GPS/Galileo
IEEE802.11a
CMM
Configuration InformationCCM
SPMSPM
FDLSPM
01010
101 01
100
FDL
SPM
FDL
Speech Packet
SPM
Operator/ MVNOConfiguration Control
Signal Processing
Module Package
Functional Description Package
Equipment ManufacturerDatabase
0101010101100
Near Term Scenario
CCM: Configuration Control Module
CMM: Configuration Management Module
SPM: Signal Processing Module
10 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
sd Interactions
Operator Handset MnfDatabaseOperator asks if handset can support the functionality defined in the FDL docum ent
Handset checks to see if functional blocks are available either locally or in m anufacturers database and then if they can be ins talled with current hardware and functionality
Ins truct handset to ins tall new software onto hardware ready for execution. Note: Doesnt s top foreground execution
Handset retrieves object code from the m anufacturers database and thenins talls the code into the resources
Operator ins tructs handset to s tart executing the new configuration at a given tim e
requestConfiguration(FDLdocument)
requestSPM(description)
response(SPM)
calculateConfiguration
requestACK
install
requestObject(SPM)
response(object)
install
ready
activate(time)
execute(time)
11 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Long Term Vision
• Operator defined Radio Access Technology• Spectrum De-Regulation
– Operator allowed to customise standard RAT or produce proprietary RAT
• Operator will want to configure terminals to optimise Quality of Service and give added value to their customers– But operator cannot limit supply of equipment
• SDR, FDL and associated protocols supports this kind of service.
12 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
E2RII SDR Proof of ConceptDemonstrating how an FDL document can be downloaded from a remote database and used to configure a set of processing resources
Equivalent to Transceiver SoC
13 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Configuration Control Module (CCM)Configuration Management Module
CCM_DC
Hardware
CCM Service Manager
Database
Parser
Spatial Scheduler
Temporal Scheduler
PCC Engine
CCM Reporting Interface
CCM Service Interface
CCM Parser Interface
CCM Db Server Interface
CCM PCC Srvc Interface
CCM PCC Rep Interface
CCM Deploy InterfaceCCM Report Interface
CCM_FM• CCM supplied by hardware manufacturer
• CCM converts generic FDL into a specific hardware configuration
• Uses manufacturers detailed know how about hardware
• Object code, binary etc supplied by manufacturer from a secure database
PCC: Primary Configuration and Control
CCM_FM: Functional Mapping
CCM_DC: Deployment & configuration
REP: Reconfigurable Equipment Platform Independent Module
RE
P
14 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
SDR Forum Commercial Working Group
• Currently defining scenarios e.g.– Load balancing scenario (WiFi, Cellular, WiMax)– Public Safety Scenario
• Developing a ?Meta-Language?
“… a system for describing the current configuration of a radio and therefore its current functionality, its potential configuration
/ functionality; the characteristics of current and potential waveforms and Air Interface Standards (AIS’s), the type of
information being handled and the end users involved ..”
Looking at the following:
15 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Summary & Conclusion
• FDL has been developed to communicate functional information around a wireless network
• FDL is network independent• FDL is flexible and scalable to match the evolution
of SDR and Cognitive Radio• Similar ideas are being investigated in the SDR
forum• A proof of concept is being developed within E2RII
16 / ETSI workshop on SDR and CR
Acknowledgment
This work has been performed in the framework of the EU funded project E2R II (http://e2r2.motlabs.com/). The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of their colleagues from the E2R II consortium.