Assessment of Middleware for Telecom Applications

Transcription

1 Assessment of Middleware for Telecom Applications Oddvar Risnes Telenor R&D 1

2 Outline Middleware Key questions and objectives Why is Middleware important? Where can Middleware be used? EURESCOM Project P910 The Demonstrator Benefits Conclusion Project results 2

3 Middleware Middleware is the invisible glue between applications components that hides all the details for both programmers and users, so instead they can concentrate on their core business 3

4 Middleware in SW evolution Monolith Client-Server Middleware

5 Lessons learned in the past The P715 Project demonstrated the use of middleware and showed: How Public Network Operators can expand their business in the Open Services Market That available technologies are suitable to actually build the systems needed for the Open Services Market That OMG s CORBA forms an excellent basis to create an open distributed environment for telecom services P910 is a follow up of P715 5

6 Key Questions P910 addresses specific issues of middleware that have a high impact on telecommunication applications Can we actually operate and maintain large-scale distributed systems in practice? Can we scale these systems to the size needed for the telecom industry? Can we build these systems to fulfil the dependability and security requirements in the telecom industry? 6

7 P910 Objectives To assess middleware technologies for selected telecom applications addressing the following issues: The maturity of middleware products The management of distributed applications The scalability of middleware The dependability of middleware Security mechanism in middleware 7

8 Market requirements in the Open Services Market Adapt quickly to market changes Add functionality to existing services Introduce new services Short time to market Customer care Efficient operations 8

9 Why is Middleware important for Telcos? New business opportunities New services may be built by integrating functionality from existing systems Add functionality as and when required Reduced development cost and time Hiding complexity means faster development Reuse of components cuts cost and time 9

10 Why is Middleware important for Telcos? Future proof Independent of underlying systems and network technologies Compliance to standards ensures that systems are compatible over time 10

11 Where can Middleware be used to benefit Telcos (1) Key enabler for Open Services Market Middleware-enabled rapid development allows early introduction of new services PARLAY and OSA are open interfaces based on middleware which facilitates open services 11

12 Open Service Architecture Service FW Service CC MC 3 rd Party Service Provider OSA Client UI LS Customer & Application Profiles Application & 3rd Party Services OSA Client IP Network OSA OSA Server FW CC OSA API Server MC UI LS UMTS HLR SCP UMTS GSM HLR SCP Public Network Operator 12

13 Where can Middleware be used to benefit Telcos (2) Key enabler for connecting everything together Enabler for integrations of systems such as: Intelligent Networks (IN) Business Support Systems (BSS) Operational Support Systems (OSS) Customer Service Systems (CSS) Web systems 13

14 Connecting everything Enterprise Application Application Service Integration Provisioning Middleware-based Service Backbone Network Management Network control 14

15 Where can Middleware be used to benefit Telcos (3) Improved maintainability and adaptability Software upgrades may take place without cause of downtime Management of load on system by scalability or load balancing without disrupting services 15

16 Example applications areas E-commerce Integrate existing systems such as CSS and Web systems onto the e-commerce platform Customer Self Management Integrate all relevant systems to create Web sites where customers can manage their own services 16

17 Example applications areas Network Management An increasing number of devices contain embedded middleware interfaces IT Portfolio Management Middleware can help integrating the vast number of IT systems 17

18 The P910 Project Duration and Budget March 1999 March Man Months Main result P910 Project Demonstrator containing several scenarios 77 individual experiments 18

19 P910 Participants BT British Telecommunications plc Deutsche Telekom AG France Télécom Hellenic Telecom Organisation SA eircom Telenor AS T Deutsche Telekom KPN Royal Dutch Telecom NV participated in the project until end of

20 Focus Areas Application domains: Electronic Commerce Applications Network Services Control Service Provisioning Applications Middleware Technologies: CORBA systems JINI Java RMI DCOM systems Other Technologies: XML SOAP 20

21 Focus Areas (2) Management of Middleware Applications Middleware Platforms Scalability Middleware Platforms Dependability Middleware Platforms Security Middleware Life Cycle Ratings 21

22 P910 Project Demonstrator Integrates work on: Management Scalability Dependability Security aspects Focuses on e-commerce as application domain 22

23 Example of e-commerce related requirements Application/Usage Middleware requirement Impact Global trading environment B2B, B2C Increasing customer care Secure trading environment Dependability Interoperability Scalability Security áprevents loss of revenue ámaintains image áessential for trade áallows businesses to interact áimproved QoS áincreased business áessential for trust ácompany image áincrease revenue by reducing fraud Future-proofing Management áimproved functionality and reliability áenjoy latest features 23

24 Demonstration Issues The ease of integrating components (plug and play of SW components) The ease of utilizing existing services or features and packaging this to the end user The ease of achieving load balancing without changes to the application The ease of achieving fault tolerance transparent to the application The ease of achieving security mechanisms transparent to the application 24

25 Distributed e-commerce eshop platform Travel Agent/ Naming Server Network Server eportal Monitoring Tool Dutch Auction Access Server User Profile Server 25

26 Demonstrator benefits Enables integration of components using different platforms seamless inter-working between heterogeneous systems Enables distribution of functionality independent of physical location or business domain 26

27 Demonstrator benefits (2) Enables scalability & load balancing allows systems to scale as usage requires Enables management of distributed components all components can be managed by one entity Enables fault tolerance and secure operation 24x7 operation managed by the middleware layer 27

28 Main Conclusion The Middleware Technology is mature The products used featured good compliance with the OMG standard Issues of key importance to telecom applications can be solved using middleware: Load balancing Scalability Dependability Security 28

29 Main Conclusion (2) Key enabler for the Open Services Market Middleware facilitates open service access Key enabler for connecting everything together The distributed components of the demonstrator were integrated easily Improved maintainability and adaptability New servers can be added to balance the load without disrupting service 29

30 Main Conclusion (3) However, some issues need further investigation such as: Dependability using FT CORBA (available in products later this year) 30

31 Project Deliverables EURESCOM Technical Information: Technology and Product Life Cycle Ratings Management of Middleware Platforms Middleware Platforms Scalability and Dependability Middleware Platforms Security Telecommunication Application Domains EURESCOM Brochure: Middleware for Telecommunications 31

32 Other Project Results White papers Management of Middleware Platforms Middleware Platforms Scalability and Dependability Middleware Platforms Security 13 presentations at workshops 32