Flexible architecture for networking applications
Overview
This research concerns applications of our
soft circuitry and
soft protocols research.
One technique is to combine soft circuitry and soft protocols
directly, principally through the use of circlets to implement
active protocols. However, in general, techniques from both
lines of research can be combined to yield novel systems.
There are currently three major focuses for the applications
research, all tackling problems posed by extreme communication
media.
Areas of investigation
Very high speed optical LAN
This application concerns a very high speed (up to 100 Gbit/sec)
optical local area network developed by BT Labs, which is a
partner in the research. The project includes the use of soft
circuitry and soft protocols within a complete review of
workstation architecture to cope with the network speed, and is
funded by EPSRC. For more information, see the
ECOLE (Edinburgh
Configurable Optical LAN Environment) page.
Very harsh and remote link to spacecraft
This application concerns communication with a distant spacecraft
using a very non-ideal link, and also computation performed on
the spacecraft itself. The project includes the use of soft
circuitry and soft protocols to improve communication with, and
control of, a spacecraft. It is a collaboration with the
Research Centre for Satellite Systems, based in Queensland,
Australia. The first experiments will take place on FedSat,
a low earth orbit satellite to be launched in late 2001.
A recent recent publication gave an overview of the issues:
Very mobile telecommunications
This applications concerns the support of high mobility for
mobile telephony and data communication, and is in collaboration
with Bell Labs, the research arm of Lucent. The project
involves using soft circuitry and soft protocols to implement
dynamically-varying systems that deliver required quality of
servie within tight power budgets.
Back to FAN Club page
Gordon Brebner, questions to <gordon@dcs.ed.ac.uk>,
26 March 1999