Computer Communications Laboratory

/ Behcet Sarikaya / Professor
/ Senro Saito / Associate Professor

The Computer Communications laboratory is involved with education and research on all aspects of computer communications. Ongoing projects in education include an SCCP project on Social Hyper-networking and two topdown courseware design projects, one on High-speed Network Courseware Design for Synthetic Worlds and another on an authoring system called AuthCAL for topdown courseware development environments.

The social hyper-networking project aims at providing communication facilities such as electronic mail, voice mail, electronic conferencing, bulletin boards, real time talk and facsimiles. The AuthCAL project has the goal of providing an object-oriented graphical user interface and programming tools to make some teaching materials. The high-speed network courseware project aims at designing graduate and undergarduate level courses to teach the basics of high-speed networking.

In research, all aspects of computer networking are being investigated. However, present interest areas are concentrated on:

• Multimedia communication systems. Multimedia synchronization, application of protocol engineering techniques for multimedia system designs, verification and testing.
• Network management protocols. Network management using internet methodology, test design and implementation of network management systems, test design for the management information bases.
• Personal Communication Systems. Mobile and wireless networks; Multimedia for PCS; Protocols for mobile networks.
• Communication systems for virtual reality.
• Audio-visual network architecture. Cross analog and digital transmission network (CrossOver Net); audio-visual communication protocol modelling on the OSI reference model.

We are doing collaborative research with several Japanese and foreign universities and research centers. In Japan, our partner researchers work in Shizuoka, Tohoku and Osaka Universities and the Advanced Institute of Communications in Sendai. Overseas, we collaborate with Protocol Test Center in Montreal, Canada; Sherbrooke University in Sherbrooke, Canada, Omnipoint Corporation in Colorado Springs, U.S.A; Ege University in Izmir, Turkey; and GMD National Center for Information Technology in Darmstadt, Germany.

The Computer Communications laboratory presently has the following equipment and software systems:

Equipment:

1. Multimedia workstations 2 SGI Indy
   
2. Protocol testing workstation Sun SPARCstation 10(2CPU)
   
3. Network management workstation Sun SPARCstation 10
   
4. GUI Modelling workstation Sun SPARCstation LX
   
5. SHN project server Sun SPARCstation IPX
   
6. Authoring system workstation Apple Quadra800
   
7. Windows application PC Gateway 2000
   
8. DTP PC Dynabook V486A x 2
   
9. FORE ATM Switch ASX-200
   
10. WaveLAN Interface Card for PC/AT
    
11. WaveLAN Interface PCMCIA Card for IBM PC

Software Systems:

1. GUI design tool Syclops2
   
2. EUC platform ATSON-1
   
3. Network management tool SunNet Manager
   
4. Simulation tool SES/ Workbench
   
5. Real-time programming tool SDT

Refereed Journal Papers

1. A. F. Ates, M. Bilgic, S. Saito, and B. Sarikaya. Using timed csp for specification verification and simulation of multimedia synchronization. IEEE JSAC, 14(1):126--137, 1996.

   Multimedia synchronization modelling using Timed CSP specification language is addressed. Various safety and liveness properties of synchronization systems are stated and then proved. Simulation models of fine-grain and course-grain synchronization systems are developed.

2. A. F. Ates and B. Sarikaya. Protocol test generation and timed testing. Computer Networks and ISDN Systems, 1996.

   A new technique called specification slicing for test generation is introduced. Later on this technique is extended to timed specifications.

3. J. de Meer and B. Sarikaya. Quality of service modelling of continuous media system behaviour. Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Australia (JEEA), 16(1):45--55, 1996.

   QoS modelling is addressed from an analytic point of view. QoS modelling of continuous media system is discussed.

4. O. Henniger, M. Barbeau, and B. Sarikaya. Specification and testing of the behaviour of network management agents using sdl-92. IEEE Trans. on Networking, 4(5), 1996.

   Internet's SNMP protocol is specified using the specification language SDT. MIB tables are modelled as dynamic row processes. Next, test design for testing network management agent implementations is discussed. Test cases are specified in TTCN.

Refereed Proceeding Papers

1. T. L. Kunii, S. Saito, M. A. M. Capretz, and F. Capretz. Beyond the next generation multimedia network: Crossovernet/G2. In Sung Y. Shin and T. L. Kunii, editors, Proc. of the Third Pacific Conference on Computer Graphics and Applications, Pacifis Graphics '95, pages 43--62. Pacifis Graphics '95, World Scientific, 1995.

   Beyond the Next Generation Multimedia Network.

2. S. Saito, K. Yamauchi, and T. L. Kunii. A real-time coordinated interactive multimedia network architecture. In Proc. of the International Conference on Multimedia and Networking. University of Aizu, and IEEE, IEEE, 1995.

   A Real-time Coordinated Interactive Multimedia Network Architecture.

3. M. Barbeau and B. Sarikaya. An approach for conformance testing of mib implementations. In 4th IFIP/IEEE International Symposium on Integrated Network Management, pages 654--665. IFIP/IEEE, Chapman Hall, May 1995.

   Internet's SNMP protocol is specified using the specification language SDT. MIB tables are modelled as dynamic row processes. Next, test design for testing network management agent implementations is discussed. Test cases are specified in TTCN.

Grants

1. Behcet Sarikaya. Evaluation of ITECS, An Integrated Environment for Communication Software Design sponsored by Advanced Intelligent Communications (AIC) System Laboratories, Sendai, Miyagi Ken, 1995.

1. Senro Saito, 1995. Local Organization Chair of MmNet'95.

2. Senro Saito, 1995. Multimedia Center related activity.

3. Behcet Sarikaya, 1995. International Conference Program Committee Memberships: IWPTS'95, Paris, France, November 1995, 7th SDL Forum, Oslo, Japan, September 1995, CFIP'95, Rennes, France, May 1995, CFIP'96, Rabat, Marocca, October 1996, IWTCS'96, Darmstadt, Germany, September 1996, PROMS'96, Madrid, Spain, October 1996.

4. Behcet Sarikaya, 1995. International Conference on Multimedia Networking (1995.6-10), Program Committee Chair of MmNet'95.