NTT Research and Development 2010 Review of Activities

Overview

Complying with interface specifications for next-generation networks (NGNs^*1), a system that can simply measure particular end-to-end network performance in various QoS^*2 classes by connecting it with UNI^*3 points was developed. Equipped with a remote control function and an automatic measurement and acquisition function, it can monitor the quality of NGNs from the user’s viewpoint without taking time from network operations. This system has been commercialized by NTT Group companies granted the rights to technical disclosure and commercially launched as a maintenance system for the FLET’S HIKARI NEXT^*4.

Features

• Compliance with various protocols (SIP^*5, DHCP^*6, etc.) used in NGNs
• Executable as a HGW^*7 function, session request, virtual-packet generation, or a series of operations for QoS measurements
• Application traffic for handling various QoS classes is simulated
• Functions for measuring packet-transfer delay, delay variation, packet loss, call-set-up-delay, etc. are enabled
• Improved efficiency by central control of measurement automatically and remotely from the control server, and results-collection function

Application scenarios

• Operation and administration tasks of NGNs
  • Understanding of trends and degradation of quality by means of periodic measurement of end-to-end QoS
  • Detection of “silent faults” by end-to-end QoS monitoring
  • Verification of effecton network QoS when faults occur
• Operation and administration business of IP telephony services provided by NGNs

• *1 NGN: Next-Generation Network
• *2 QoS: Quality of Service
• *3 UNI: User-Network Interface
• *4 FLET’S HIKARI NEXT is a registered trademark of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation.
• *5 SIP: Session-Initiation Protocol
• *6 DHCP: Dynamic Host-Configuration Protocol
• *7 HGW: Home GateWay