MobileMAN: hardware and low-level software

1. MobileMANHardware and low-level softwareState of the work and outlookbyIvan Defilippis & Alessandro PuiattiSUPSI Manno MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

2. MobileMAN: hardware and low-level software Contents • SUPSI • The MobileMAN problem(s) • SUPSI-DIE goals in MobileMAN • State of the Art • How to begin • Suggestions and discussion MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

3. • since 1999 (before STS, only teaching) • ~1000 students • ~220 work units (350 collaborators) • Main locations: Manno Lugano-Trevano MobileMAN: SUPSI SUPSIUniversity of Applied Sciences ofSouthern Switzerland MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

4. DAA DIE DEM DLS DCT ICIMSI IST IDSIA MobileMAN: SUPSI (2) Organisation MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

5. • Department and Institutes • DAA (Applied Arts) • DCT (Civil Engineering) • DEM (Economics and Management) • DIE (Computer Science and Electrical Engineering) • DLS (Social work) • IST (Geology, Hydrology, Earth Science) • ICIM (Manufacturing) • IDSIA (Advanced Computer Science) MobileMAN: SUPSI (3) MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

6. MobileMAN: SUPSI (4) • Mission • Departments • Basic education (BS, evt. ME) • Continuous education • R&D and Technology transfer • Institutes • Continuous education • R&D and Technology transfer MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

7. • DIE R&D context and goals • Technological support for Small and Medium Industry (SMI) • Innovation in general • Financed through: • Specific project oriented research programs (EU-FP5, FNSRS, Eureka, …) • Shared costs projects (KTI/CTI) • Direct industry mandates MobileMAN: SUPSI (5) MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

8. • Collaborations and projects (DIE) • EPFL, ETHZ, CSEM • ST (FP5-iTTi, Eureka-Medea+, agreement), FT, Philips, … • USI (Alari), PoliMi (Proff. Sami, Dadda) • Microswiss Network (NKN) • Local and national companies MobileMAN: SUPSI (6) MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

9. R&D+TT in cs R&D+TT in ee LME Competence center in microeletronics MobileMAN: SUPSI (7) • DIE Laboratory of Microelectronics MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

10. The trend The emerging concept of Ambient Intelligence provides a vision of the information society where the enphasis is onsupport for human interaction Advances in wireless communication will enable a radical new communication paradigm:self-organised information and communication systems “mobile ad hoc networks” The project innovation Immersive communication in a (possibly large) metropolitan area Autonomous, self-organised, wireless network, potentially built up solely from user devices No infrastructure is required to enable information exchange The only external resource needed  bandwidth MobileMAN: The problem(s) MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

11. Technical limits IEEE 802.11 is the standard but it is not adequately to manage some characteristics of ad hoc network: Dynamic topologies, Limited bandwidth, Energy-constrained operations, Wireless vulnerabilities. IEEE 802.11 shows inefficient utilization of the wireless channel with bursty users Dynamic configurations generate sever problems when using IEEE 802.11 in multi-hop mobile ad hoc networks Technical solution Enance the standard IEEE 802.11 protocol to increase the protocol stability and to optimise the power consumption in a high dynamic environment with bursty users MobileMAN: The problem(s) (2) MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

12. MobileMAN: SUPSI-DIE project goals • Provide a development platform for the new protocol • Start with an existing state-of-the-art 802.11a or 802.11b solution. Modifiy the MAC protocol. • Develop the required software (if necessary choose new processor: ARM9?, DSP?) • Provide a small amount of integrated test/demo devices • PC-cards or at least small “portable” systems. • Contribute to the development of the “new” standard • Contribute to the new 802.11x standard which will be (perhaps) proposed by the project • Provide guidelines for the hardware development • Provide development system MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

13. MobileMAN: SUPSI-DIE project goals (2) • To develop • Hardware frontend (RF, Base-band and possibly some MAClow-level parts • Software MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

14. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (1) Technical classification • Not integrated: the chip set is achieved by three different chips, MAC, BB and RF • Integrated: the chip set is achieved by only one or two chips and the MAC and BB are built in the same chip • Development systems: systems produced for the developers • OEM products: systems developed with chip set produced by other manufacturer • Application: system thought for high level implementation with chip set produced by other manufacturer MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

15. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (2) Investigated Companies 1)Agere systems 10)Linux-wlan 2)Agilent Technology 11)Mobilian 3)Atheros Comunications12)Resonext 4)Atmel13)Synad Technologies 5)Bops14)Systemonic 6)Bederov 15) Tality 7)DCM Technologies 16) Texas Instruments 8)Envara 17) Virata 9)Intersil MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

16. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (3) Companies classification MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

17. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (4) Some examples: Intersil Prism II MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

18. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (5) Some examples: Systemonic Tondelayo1 MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

19. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (6) Some examples: Intersil Prism Indigo MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

20. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (7) Some examples: Atheros AR5000 MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

21. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (8) Some examples: Texas Instruments TnetW1100B MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

22. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (9) Some examples: BOPS WirelessRay MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

23. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (10) Some examples: Agere MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

24. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – HW (11) “Positive” Result of the Investigation • DCM Technologies: they could give us all the source, software and firmware, just for $ 150‘000 but third party Phy, (BB and RF), are not included • Atheros: ...“I would like to hear more about your research project as well as the parties involved” • Amtel: ...“we would need to have a non-disclosure agreement implemented” …” we would also like to know who your partners are andmore details about your project” MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

25. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – SW (1) MAC software nature calls for hard RT-OS • Ensure deterministic reaction time • True preemptive task scheduling with task priorities • Memory protection scheme • Provide mechanisms for clean data exchange between processes (queues, mailboxes, semaphores, …) • Clean task switching with context protection • Computing power requirements depends of course onchosen HW (from very low to very high) MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

26. MobileMAN: State-of-the-art – SW (2) Solution for software • “Big” Commercial system (e.g. VxWorks) • Heavy and expensive • “Small” commercial system (e.g. OnTime) • Inexpensive but not on all processors • Public domain (open source?) (e.g. µCOS) • Preferable solution; difficult support, problems for evt. commercial use • Ad-hoc solution • To be evaluated MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

27. MobileMAN: How to begin – HW (1) Select the strategy • Totally ad-hoc development: we develop all the system components: MAC, BB, RF • Step-by-step development: • First we develop the MAC on a off-the-shelf microcontroller (e.g. ARM9, TMS320C55,…). We use a commercial chip for the PHY, (BB and RF). • Develop the PHY only later (follow-on project?) • Customization of existing solution: use a chipset which allow MAC customization (reprogram) (e.g. Atheros, Intersil PRISM-Indigo). MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

28. MobileMAN: How to Begin – HW (2) Totally ad-hoc development • Advantages • Quick start (tomorrow morning?) • Not affected by manufacturer’s production timetable • Not affected by the market fluctuation • Totally independent from the manufacturer product • Disadvantages • Too much time to reach the goals • A high risk of failure MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

29. MobileMAN: How to Begin – HW (3) Step-by-step development • Advantages: • Quick start (tomorrow morning?) • Development much more under control • Less time to reach the goals • Disadvantages: • Affected by Manufacturer’s production timetable • Affected by the market fluctuation • Partially dependent from the manufacturer product MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

30. MobileMAN: How to Begin – HW (4) Customization of existing solution • Advantages: • Very short time to reach our goals • Development totally under control • Time remaining to do something else • Disadvantages: • Maybe too expensive • Maybe (almost) impossible to have access to the technology (documentation, tools, support, …) • Affected by Manufacturer’s production timetable • Affected by the market fluctuation • Partially dependent from the manufacturer product MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

31. MobileMAN: How to begin – SW Software development steps • Break-down (new) MAC algorithm into hard real-time requiring and not-hard-real-time requiring parts • Evaluate (estimate) computing time requirements • Define API • Depending on the chosen HW, select microprocessor/microcontroller (DSP?) suited for the task • Choose development system (tools) Remark: software analysis and development (low-level parts) may start imediately (don’t wait for BB-RF selection) MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa

32. MobileMAN: Suggestion and Discussion • Negotiation with the “interested manufacturers” • What could we tell about the project and the partners? • What could we negotiate, (technology transfer)? • Otherwise we suggest the Step by Step solution • Problem: find a manufacturer that provide a BB RF chipset! MobileMAN kickoff, Pisa