Aquila - Homepage

The FR5 IST project AQUILA (Adaptive Resource Control for QoS Using an IP-based Layered Architecture) started in December 1999 with 12 partners from 6 countries (Austria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy and Poland) and finished in March 2003. The leader of the project was Siemens from Germany.The project has defined a comprehensive framework for the support of QoS (Quality of Service) in IP-based networks. The proposed solutions were implemented in the form of prototypes and tested in the AQUILA trial sites, in Helsinki, Vienna and Warsaw.

The main objectives of the projects were the following:

• To investigate dynamic end-to-end QoS (Quality of Service) Provisioning in IP Networks (Internet)
• To implement Prototypes of a QoS Architecture for a Carrier Grade DiffServ Core Network
• To Support a wide Range of Applications by providing a QoS Toolkit
• Continuously analyse Customer Requirements, Market Situations and Technological Trends and develop Business Models
• To contribute to Standardisation Bodies

Figure 1. Aquila architecture.

The main innovation of the AQUILA was the implementation of new network management functions, called Resource Control Layer (see Figure 1), needed for providing QoS. New functions are: (1) Scalable and flexible Admission Control and Resource Management, (2) Distributed QoS Measurement, (3) Evaluation of Admission and Traffic Control Algorithms and (4) Inter-Domain QoS.

The AAI team contributed to AQUILA mainly in the following topics:

• traffic management aspects; it required to specify new mechanisms and algorithms for providing QOS: Admission Control Algorithms; The proposed algorithms by TNT team are very effective and they constitute the key elements for providing QoS in the Internet. They passed positive testing in prototype instalations and are recommended for Next Generation Internet.
• testing AQUILA network; it required to define test scenarios and tests performing. The proposed testing methodology by TNT team were recognised as very useful. Thanks to them, it was possible to test the all new network elements.

In addition, the simulations of AQUILA network were performed by using the OPNET tool.

The results of the research in AQUILA were published in the form of papers in international journals and conferences (international and national). In total, during three years of the project, the number of publications from TNT was about 20.

The important revenue from the AQUILA project was that the team had a chance for getting practical experiences (not only simulations and theoretical work) from the system testing. This experience is very important for the quality of future research, since knowledge about the hardware and software limitations allows for more practical oriented studies. Additionally, such a knowledge gives advantages for co-operation with industrial and telecommunication operator partners.

The project gave opportunity for Ph.D. and M.Sc. students to specify the thesis. As a consequence of activities in the AQUILA , three Ph.D. and about eight M.Sc. students started their thesis in the subject of IP QoS networks.

The subject investigated in AQUILA, IP QoS networks, is currently one of the most important topics in telecommunications. Therefore in the Warsaw University of Technology, the following lectures and laboratory exercises have been updated:

• Computer Networks (lecture for M.Sc. course): DiffServ architecture, AQUILA concept including traffic handling mechanisms in IP QoS networks. Additionally, some of the student projects are oriented on practical testing of AQUILA concept (with co-operation with Polish Telecom).
• Modelling and Performance Evaluation of Computer Networks (lecture for M.Sc. and Ph.D. course): students are familiar with analytical methods for providing effective traffic handling mechanisms in AQUILA architecture.
• Computer network laboratory (laboratory for M.Sc. course): an extension of the student laboratory is planned, by adding new exercises corresponding to the AQUILA concept.

All publications of the project can be found at the project home page.