text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Aug 14, 2007
|Filing date
|Nov 26, 2003
|Priority date
|Nov 26, 2003
|Fee status
|Publication number
|David D. BETTINGER, Joseph J. Boone, Hao Cheng, David B. S. Edsberg, Venugopal Eyyunni, Conor Foley, Christopher D. Gregory, Jason B. Maiorana
|Original Assignee
|Idirect Incorporated
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (24), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (13), Classifications (9), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present application contains subject matter related to that disclosed in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/721,496, entitled METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR DOWNSTREAM RECOVERY IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK, filed Nov. 26, 2003; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/721,410, entitled METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR FEATHERING DATA IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK, filed Nov. 26, 2003; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/721,414, entitled METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR DEMAND ASSIGNMENT IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK, filed Nov. 26, 2003; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/721,419, entitled METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR CALCULATING AND MAKING A SYNCHRONOUS BURST TIME PLAN IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK, filed Nov. 26, 2003, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to satellite communication networks and in particular to a method, apparatus and system for efficiently optimizing bandwidth and sharing resources between multiple users of a satellite communication network.
2. Discussion of the Background
Geo-synchronous satellite communication networks have existed for decades in various topologies and using various methods for sharing a fixed bandwidth channel between multiple users (Pritchard, Wilbur L., and Joseph A. Scivlli, Satellite Communication Systems Engineering, Prentice-Hall, 1986, incorporated in its entirely herein by reference). As these networks evolved, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) bandwidth sharing techniques, and bandwidth efficient Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation have become de facto standards for Layer 1 (physical layer) although many other techniques and modulations are used to some extent.
Pure TDMA mesh networks exist, in which all user nodes take turns transmitting in a half duplex fashion. Pure FDMA point-to-point, or Single Channel Per Carrier (SCPC) networks, exist to allow full duplex transmission and reception. Many commercially viable network systems have evolved into a hybrid star topology, as shown in
A very popular and simple implementation of the TDMA upstream channel is to use an ALOHA technique enabling any user node to transmit to the hub any time the user node has data to send and relying on the probability that no other user node chose to transmit at that time, which would cause a collision. Once the demand for bandwidth exceeds 18.4% of the upstream channel (or 36.8% for slotted ALOHA), a more complex Layer 2 (media access control layer) methodology is required to schedule TDMA bursts so that collisions are prevented.
Many such Layer 2 methods exist, ranging from static configurations that permanently assign a given time slot to each user node, to more dynamic configurations which schedule bursts to service specific needs of individual user nodes.
As with any network system, the usefulness of control techniques at Layer 2 or higher is dependent on reliable performance of Layer 1. The geo-stationary satellite channel is well known to have an extremely long one-way delay (up to ˜300 ms) and it is extremely power limited due to the long propagation delay which results in the need to operate at the lowest signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) possible in order to minimize the cost of radio-frequency (RF) equipment. Additionally, the channel is subject to further attenuation due to atmospheric conditions, some of which are variable, such as rain fade. If the SNR becomes too low, the bit error rate increases to an unacceptable level and all communication breaks down and creates adverse effects up the entire protocol stack. In particular, the Layer 2 slot allocation process breaks down very quickly for reliable protocol-protected data since the bandwidth demanded by user nodes is allocated by the system, but the user nodes' demand level is not reduced since data is lost and must be retransmitted. The situation worsens when the SNR is reduced so badly due to a fade condition that even station-keeping control information cannot get through and the user node actually drops out of the network. In this case the slot allocation process may waste valuable bandwidth before learning of the outage by allocating slots to the user node that the user node is unable to use.
Problems continue to arise as modern higher-level protocols are considered such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and streaming media which are sensitive to packet jitter. These protocols are designed to overcome the jitter of Internet Protocol (IP) traveling over terrestrial connections where the jitter is primarily due to queuing delays; however, the jitter introduced by a shared TDMA upstream satellite channel is often enough to degrade performance even when quality of the Layer 1 connection is excellent.
Any Layer 2 control protocol designed to maximize throughput and mitigate the performance problems experienced by users of satellite networks is itself subject to the same problems as the application data packets. Traditional control methods requiring handshaking are not very helpful since it takes too long, for example, to command one user node to stop transmitting on a TDMA slot, wait for an acknowledgement, and then command another user node to begin. Adding multiple upstream channels such that user nodes may transmit on any one of several channels helps matters somewhat since it increases the possible number of transmission opportunities per frame, however it does not solve the problem of the delay incurred while changes are made to the slot allocation.
An additional Layer 1 problem in traditional satellite networks, as recognized by the present inventors, is that the network's link budgets are over-designed due to the lack of adaptability of the modulation, demodulation, and FEC processes used therein. For example, if the threshold SNR of a link to achieve the minimum BER is 5 dB, a conventional link budget will include the amount of power required to achieve a 5 dB SNR plus XdB of rain margin (see Pritchard). The conventional approach is based upon the assumption that when it rains, there will be up to XdB of atmospheric attenuation so an SNR of (5+X)dB is established during clear sky conditions to ensure an SNR of at least 5 dB during heavy rain. During clear sky conditions, which occur most of the time for much of the world, XdB of link margin are wasted in the conventional approach.
In the No Synchronization scenario, SOFs are unconstrained and arrive at various times due to variations between the propagation delays of each user node. In the Conventional Synchronization scenario, a time Rcdn (Remote Conventional Delay for User Node n) is added at each user node so that SOFs from all user nodes are received synchronously to the Hub's transmit reference SOF.
The conventional approach synchronizes HRxSOFn of each user node, but arrival time variation resulting from satellite tracking error disadvantageously results in some HRxSOFn occurring during hub frame n and some HRxSOFn occurring during hub frame n−1.
Further, in the conventional approach, Rcdn is chosen to synchronize HRxSOFn with subsequent Hub transmit SOF, which results in simultaneous arrival of SOFs sent at different times in the frame sequence. Thus, data bursts arriving at the Hub cannot be assumed to have all been sent during the same frame time, thereby complicating network control methods and increasing response time to control commands sent from the Hub.
As recognized by the present inventors, the industry is in need of a network system that combats these problems and enables standard off-the-shelf networking equipment using standard protocols to take advantage of a communication satellite's ability to reach user nodes at extreme distances and in areas of the world where broadband terrestrial communication is otherwise not practical.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to address the above-identified and other problems with conventional systems and methods.
The present invention provides a method to enable a satellite network system to dynamically monitor and adapt in real time to changing conditions on each satellite channel and changing traffic patterns at the user nodes. Another object of this invention is to maximize the quality of service that all users of the network experience by ensuring that each user node is communicating with the hub station at a higher data rate than conventionally possible while staying above a threshold bit error rate, and furthermore, to ensure that the TDMA upstream channel is shared amongst all users and applications according to predefined rules.
At least three processes and their associated signaling protocols are used to accomplish this goal. The Demand Assignment (DA) process makes a decision every frame (40 ms+processing or greater) about how many TDMA time slots out of an available pool of time slots will be allocated to each user node to transmit data to the hub station. An Uplink Control (UC) process constantly (or at least nearly constantly) monitors channel assessments made by the hub receiver every time a packet is received, sorts the assessments by user node, and makes a decision as to whether a user node should modify its frequency offset, symbol timing offset, transmit power, modulation, or FEC code in order to maintain channel quality as good or better than a threshold bit error rate (BER). Finally, a Downstream Recovery (DR) process monitors the remote status messages received periodically from each user node and determines from the downstream SNR and number of cyclical redundancy check (CRC) errors reported whether the node has fallen below the threshold BER. In this case, or the case that communication is lost completely with a user node, the DR process begins to send recovery packets to the node using an alternate, more robust, modulation (e.g., Bi-Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation) using more energy per bit and/or a more powerful FEC code to try and reestablish communication.
To enable the DA and UC processes to work reliably and react quickly to changing channel conditions, a synchronous Burst Time Plan (sBTP) is employed. The sBTP ensures that the propagation delay is a same integer number of frames for all node-to-hub paths. This enables time slots, modulation, and FEC to be changed every frame even though that frame is much shorter than the propagation delay between the hub and the user nodes.
Since rain fade is a physical property of the satellite channel, it is not possible to directly counteract its effect without making a tradeoff. The traditional tradeoffs include either over-designing the link (which requires using more expensive RF equipment and possibly wasting bandwidth by power limiting the link), or allowing the BER to increase (which could become so bad that it causes a complete outage). The UC and DR processes take a different approach, which is to lower the effective data rate of the link by changing modulation or FEC during the rain fade without BER degradation. Using traditional methods, the link is designed for some availability based on the percentage of time during the year that there is heavy rain at the user node location. For example, if it is expected that there will be rain fade of greater than 3 dB 0.01% of the year, the link can be over-designed by 3 dB to produce a link that is 99.99% available. If the same link were designed using a UC and DR process, the link could be designed with no rain margin. When a rain fade occurs, UC and DR sense the condition and change to an alternate modulation and FEC code which requires 3 dB less SNR in order to maintain the desired BER. The consequence of using the alternate modulation and FEC is that the data rate of the link is reduced (e.g., switching from QPSK to BPSK halves the number of bits per second, and increasing the FEC rate could reduce the data rate further). However, as recognized by the present inventors it is preferable to avoid the cost of over-designing the link in exchange for operating at a lower data rate during the infrequent periods of heavy rain. In fact, the UC and DR capability results in users getting higher performance than they would using a traditional link design by choosing not to decrease the cost of RF equipment, but instead to use the rain margin that is no longer required to increase the bit rate that they can operate under clear sky conditions. Either way, UC and DR allow the users a valuable choice that they would not otherwise have.
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to
For example, an embodiment of the present invention may be used by a business with remotely located organizations or users that otherwise have no conventional means of accessing the global internet or an intranet. Client computers 316 connected to a user node 304 could include a single PC or an entire LAN/WAN with many PCs, VoIP equipment, videoconferencing equipment, web servers, or any other piece of equipment that can communicate directly or indirectly using IP packets over Ethernet. Network operators may, for example, use the present invention to provide satellite connectivity to these users. The network operator is responsible for administering at least the satellite portion of the network. The operator has special access to the central control server 400, which configures, monitors, and controls the network. Network control tasks may include adding and removing user nodes 304, and changing data rate and QoS parameters, etc . . . An example of a hub installation according to the present invention includes a router connected to the central control server 400 and, via the LAN/WAN 314 and internet service devices 324, connected to the global internet. This example configuration allows client computers 316 to access the internet over the satellite link by designating the IP default gateway of each of the client computers 316 as the user node's IP address. This causes any packets generated at the user node's LAN/WAN 314 destined for IP addresses that are not local to be forwarded to the satellite router and over the air to the hub 302. Similarly, the default gateway of the central control server 400 is set for the router connected to the global internet. This causes packets that arrive at the hub 302 with IP addresses not matching any of the subnets on the satellite network to be forwarded to the router and then on to the global internet.
In addition to a global internet connection, the network operator may have value added services running at the hub's LAN/WAN. An example embodiment of the present invention includes a VoIP gateway voice services device 322 which is connected to the LAN/WAN 314 at the hub and also to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). In this example, the user nodes 304 use VoIP equipment to call phone numbers on the PSTN using the satellite network as a transport. Also in this example, web and email server and caching equipment internet service devices 324 connected to the hub 302 offer special services to the clients connected to user nodes 304.
In addition, although only a communication network including a geostationary satellite has been discussed, the present invention also applies to communication networks without a geostationary satellite, but instead incorporating other physical layer features. For example, the network may include optical transceivers, wireless or WiFi network devices, microwave transceivers, broad beam or other low gain antenna based devices, low-earth, medium-earth, or elliptical orbiting satellites, and other physical layer links as hubs and/or user nodes, when a delay is involved, either due to propagation, or perhaps due to latency (e.g., a WiFi based hub that "wakes-up" at predetermined intervals to transmit data from/to user nodes, which may be other WiFi devices). Furthermore, terrestrial-based RF-microwave transceivers may be used as well.
Synchronous BTP
To synchronize user nodes with a hub according to one embodiment of the invention, a round trip delay between each hub/user node pair is set equal to a common integer number of frame lengths. A duration of the selected frame length influences system performance, as described below. In addition, all user nodes receive the Burst Time Plan (BTP) and apply it in a manner so that no two user nodes collide with one another when data arrives at the satellite (or hub receiver). These two requirements are satisfied by generating a system timing reference at the hub transmitter (hub TxSOF) and applying offsets at the hub receivers (Hfsd) and user nodes (Rfsd) to this reference. Each user node has its own Rfsd based on its geographic location. In order to provide the maximum amount of time for the user nodes to process a BTP, these offsets are applied optimally.
Frame and Symbol Synchronization
The hub and all user nodes are referenced to a Transmit Start of Frame Sync Marker (TxSOF). This frame sync is generated by the hub transmitter periodically at a fixed rate. The time of arrival at each node of the frame sync is calculated based on the line of slight distance traveled by each signal between the hub, satellite and user nodes, and the known speed of radio signals along this path. The arrival time of each burst at satellite, and in turn at the hub receiver, is controlled by setting an appropriate fixed delay at each user node (Rfsd), as described below, thereby achieving synchronization of each user node to within a symbol period. Frame synchronization in turn allows for BTP synchronization. Note that throughout this specification, the use of terminology such as "SOF transmitted by user node" or "user node SOF received at the hub" refer to the starting point of a virtual frame time period, that includes actual data bursts within that frame sent from one or more user nodes to the hub; although, the user nodes do not send an actual SOF signal. SOFs from the user nodes should be thought of as the start of a virtual frame time period.
Calculation of the Rfsd for each user node depends upon a Hub Frame Start Delay, Hfsd. The Hfsd is based on:
The Hfsd is calculated during initialization on the hub receiver using pre-configured hub and satellite location, and frame rate. Each user node is pre-configured with its location, or determines its location from a GPS input. Frame rate, and other user node parameters, including upstream symbol rate, are sent to each user node via the downstream channel and stored at the respective user node before the user node acquires into the network. When each user node is instructed to acquire into the network, it is also informed of the Hfsd (or of the variables needed to calculate it locally), the location of the satellite, and the location of the hub. The user node calculates a Rfsd based on this information, prior to transmission. This method accommodates both static and mobile user nodes, and the movement of the satellite—since the user node recalculates the Rfsd each time the user node is instructed to acquire into the network.
As stated earlier, the hub transmitter uses the hub transmitter's TxSOF to start transmitting a new downstream frame in the modulator. At each user node, this downstream frame boundary is delimited and a receive start of frame RxSOF is generated. The RxSOF on each user node is delayed by a programmable frame start delay Rfsd, calculated as above. With the Rfsd applied at each user node, the start of all upstream frame times arrive simultaneously (i.e., within the ability of the hub demodulator to demodulate the burst within the same symbol time) at the satellite, and hence simultaneously at the hub receiver. Individual bursts within the frame are controlled by the BTP, see below. At the hub receiver, each upstream arrives at a fixed offset, Hfsd relative to the hub transmitter's TxSOF, so that the generated RxSOF time period coincides with the start of the upstream frame. This allows the bursts to be extracted from the demodulated signal.
To illustrate an embodiment of the invention with respect to a conventional approach,
In the No Synchronization scenario, SOFs are unconstrained and arrive at various times due to variations between the propagation delays of each user node. In this example, SOFs from user nodes 1 and 2 transmitted at frame sequence t1, HRxSOF1(t 1) and HRxSOF2(t 1), respectively, are received at the hub prior to the hub TxSOF for frame n, while the SOF from user node 3 transmitted at frame sequence t1, HRxSOF3(t 1), is received at the hub after the hub TxSOF for frame n. In the Conventional Sync scenario, a delay time Rcdn (Remote Conventional Delay for user node n) is added at each user node so that the SOFs from each user node are received synchronously, coincident with a hub TxSOF. The diagram illustrates two problems with this conventional approach:
The timing in
A communication network control method according to an embodiment of the invention is further illustrated in
BTP Synchronization
Frame synchronization as detailed above provides the ability for bursts within a frame to be optimally used without the fear of a burst from one user node colliding with the burst of another user node on the same upstream. The synchronous broadcasting of a BTP from the hub to all user nodes is used to control which upstream channel, and which bursts within that upstream channel, are enabled for a specific user node.
The hub transmitter uses the hub transmitter TxSOF to:
On each user node, the BTP is extracted from the downstream frame by the BTP process and applied to the burst controller immediately. At the appropriate time, the burst controller enables the modulator to transmit data onto the selected upstream carrier. The BTP determines both the frequency of the burst and in which slot or slots in the frame the data is transmitted.
A failsafe mechanism prevents errant BTP from being applied to the burst controller.
A BTP process is also running at each hub receiver and is applied to a burst controller. Since there is an integer number of frame times "n" from the time a burst is transmitted at the hub to the time when a return burst arrives at the hub receiver (taking into consideration Hfsd), synchronization is advantageously simplified. The hub buffers "n" BTPs and applies the BTP that was sent "n" frames previously. The burst controller at the hub receiver informs the demodulator as to which modulation and FEC to use since it knows the current settings of the node that sent each burst.
Demand Assignment Process
The DA process ensures that TDMA slots on the upstream channel are allocated in a manner consistent with the resource sharing rules specified by the network operator or user. These rules are applied on a node-by-node basis and involve rate shaping and Quality of Service (QoS) priorities.
Rate shaping rules govern the data rate allocated to a user node, such as a minimum, maximum, or Committed Information Rate (CIR=guaranteed when required). A benefit of this process is that there is no requirement that this data rate maps evenly to a number of TDMA slots, and therefore the network operator defining the rate shaping rules may be agnostic to the TDMA implementation.
QoS priority rules govern the relative priority of different types of data that may arrive at the user node and destined for the hub or a destination on a network (such as the internet) connected to the hub. It is quite common for several user nodes to have identical rules. For example, the network operator may choose to limit all nodes to a maximum of 100 kbps. When allocating slots to user nodes with identical rules, the DA divides the slots equally.
DA at the User Nodes
Components of the DA Process exist at every user node where demand information is collected and packets are queued according to the current allocation of TDMA slots. Every single packet that is transmitted over the upstream channel is prepended with a header to reflect the current demand levels of the user node at the time when that packet was sent. This ensures that the DA decisions made by the central control server are using the most current information possible.
The queuing system uses service levels defined by a set of rules describing properties of an incoming packet. A simple QoS configuration may designate one service level for TCP packets, another for UDP packets, and another for everything else. More complex service levels are defined according to IP address ranges, TCP port numbers, or any other parameters that are used to classify packets. It is important to note that the data units enqueued in these service level queues are not complete IP packets, rather, they are segmented packets divided up such that each segment fits into the payload portion of a TDMA burst. By segmenting, finer granularity is achieved so the weighted fair queuing decisions are made on a burst-by-burst basis using identical sized units, rather than on a packet-by-packet basis using variable sized units. The result of using this segmentation is a lower latency, optimally fair queuing system because it avoids the situation where a large packet monopolizes the transmit queue while other packets (potentially of higher priority) build up in the service level queues.
Each service level queue has two associated "flags" to identify special properties of the queue: the Committed Information Rate (CIR) Trigger flag, and the Real Time flag. The flags are either checked or unchecked by the network operator when the QoS rules for the service level are specified. If the CIR Trigger flag is checked for a given service level, the queue is authorized to request that the user node be granted bandwidth, up to the CIR specified by the network operator in the rate shaping rules, for as long as segments are pending in that queue. Similarly, if the Real Time flag is checked for a given service level, the segments in that queue are given Real Time status when calculating the total demand of the user node. CIR Trigger status and Real Time status are mutually inclusive because a network operator may, for example, want to designate VoIP traffic as Real Time and also allow that traffic to request the CIR specified for that node.
The demand calculator is essentially a compression method in that it collects complex information about the demand of the user nodes and compresses it into a very small header summarizing the information. Communicating the node's demand concisely is important for two reasons. First, bandwidth on the upstream channel is a precious commodity due to the cost of the satellite segment and the fact that the channel is shared by many users. Wasting too much bandwidth on demand request overhead diminishes the overall benefit of a demand driven system. Second, limiting the number of input parameters to the DA process on the central control server serves to simplify its implementation, thereby increasing the speed with which decisions may be made.
The three fields in the demand header are Total Demand, % Real Time Demand, and CIR Trigger. Total demand is equal to the total number of TDMA slots required to satisfy the demand at the user node. An additional overhead factor may be used to increase the Total Demand number to account for the overhead data, such as the demand headers themselves, which are sent with the segments. The % Real Time Demand is a number that represents the percentage of the Total Demand generated by service level queues flagged as Real Time. The CIR Trigger is a flag in the header that is checked if any of the service level queues with CIR Trigger status contain pending segments.
The adjustable length transmit queue at each user node optimizes latency and throughput of the upstream channel by avoiding two situations which could cause sub-optimal performance. The transmit queue "pulls" a segment from the service level queues when the number of queued packets falls below the current queue length threshold. Consider a situation where five segments are in the transmit queue of a user node but 10 TDMA slots have been allocated to the node for the current frame. In this situation, the upstream transmitter may transmit all five segments before the transmit queue can "pull" five more and the result is that five transmission opportunities were missed and hence, bandwidth has been wasted. Consider a second situation where many low priority segments are enqueued in the transmit queue waiting to be sent while higher priority segments may have subsequently arrived at a high priority service level queue. In this case, the weighted fair queuing algorithm has already made a decision to put the low priority segments into the transmit queue because it didn't know that a high priority segment was going to arrive. Now the high priority segment waits in the service level queue until the transmit queue can accommodate it, hence the high priority segment's latency is increased and the relative priority wishes of the network operator have not been optimally honored.
In theory, a solution to this problem would be to have no transmit queue at all and to take packets directly from the service level queues and feed them directly into the upstream transmitter. In practice, however, it is very difficult to synchronize the timing of the frames (which must be accurate to the resolution of one modulation symbol time) with the user node's control processor (whose response time varies with loading). Therefore, a good solution is to adjust the length of the transmit queue in direct proportion to the number of TDMA slots (transmission opportunities) that have been allocated to that node for the current frame. The proportionality constant governing the relationship between allocated slots is implementation dependent. In the case where the frame is fairly long and the control processor on the user node is fairly fast, a proportionality constant less than one is chosen to yield a transmit queue shorter in length than the number of slots allocated. Conversely, if the upstream frame is short and the processor is relatively slow, a proportionality constant greater than one is chosen to avoid wasting transmission opportunities.
DA at the Central Control Server
A decision-making component of the DA process resides at the central control server. Inputs to the DA decision module are real time estimates of each user node's demand, configuration parameters for the upstream channel group consisting of one or more upstream channels, rate shaping rules defined by the network operator for each user node, and high level priority directives governing the relative priority of Real Time, CIR, and statically assigned TDMA slots.
The demand assignment decision process is started every frame by the hub transmitter by sending a BTP request packet to the central control server shortly before a new frame starts. When the decision process is kicked off, a demand-driven slot allocation decision is made to dole out a certain number of slots to each user node. The list of user nodes and the number of slots each has been awarded is passed to the feathering algorithm to optimally spread the allocated slots over the frame so as to minimize the amount of packet jitter that will be introduced by the system. Finally, and without changing the feathering that was just performed, the slots assignments are divided up into separate upstream channels and placed into a BTP packet which is sent to the user nodes via the downstream channel. An additional step modifies the BTP in order to minimize the number of times each user node will have to hop in frequency between upstream channels in order to use all the transmission opportunities it has been awarded.
A detailed view of an exemplary embodiment of the DA is illustrated in
For example, an embodiment of the present invention may include the following upstream channel configuration parameters (additional discussion of the parameters follows the example):
100 slots per frame
two upstream channels each at 1 Mbps
10 Frames per second
In this example, the following prioritization rules are applied in this order:
1) Minimum Data Rate:
3) Real Time Data
Example Rate Shaping Rules:
NODE Minimum Rate Maximum Rate CIR A 10 kbps 50 kbps 20 kbps B 20 kbps 1000 kbps 0 C 10 kbps 500 kbps 100 kbps D 50 kbps 100 kbps 100 kbps E 10 kbps 50 kbps 0 F 20 kbps 50 kbps 30 kbps G 10 kbps 1000 kbps 50 kbps H 50 kbps 100 kbps 100 kbps
Example Real Time Demand Information (for Current Frame Time)
NODE Total Demand % Real Time CIR A 0 slots 0 No B 80 slots 0 No C 40 slots 25% No D 10 slots 0 Yes E 0 slots 0 No F 5 slots 0 No G 60 slots 0 Yes H 40 slots 50% No
Example Demand Assignment Decision Process Explanation
NODE Slots A 1 slot B 2 slots C 1 slot D 5 slots E 1 slot F 2 slots G 1 slot H 5 slots
A total of 18 slots have been allocated in this example and 182 slots remain free.
NODE Slots A 1 slot B 2 slots C 1 slot D 10 slots E 1 slot F 2 slots G 5 slots H 5 slots
A total of 27 slots have been allocated and 173 slots remain free.
NODE Slots A 1 slot B 2 slots C 10 slots D 10 slots E 1 slot F 2 slots G 5 slots H 10 slots
At this point in the example, a total of 41 slots have been allocated and 159 slots remain free.
NODE Slots A 1 slot B 73 slots C 40 slots D 10 slots E 1 slot F 5 slots G 60 slots H 10 slots
A total of 200 slots have been allocated and 0 slots remain free.
Example Allocation Summary:
All the variables input to the DA decision component may be set up at system initialization (or when a network operator intervenes) with the exception of the real time demand information which is stored in a data structure and is constantly updated.
During times of low network loading when the total number of slots requested does not exceed the total number of slots available, the DA has no decision to make. The DA gives every node the number of slots it asked for, feathers them across the frame, and sends the BTP. The most significant benefit of this approach is realized when network loading is high and user nodes are requesting far more slots than the DA can give them. In fact, if the QoS service level queues are set deep enough at a given node, the node may request to use as many slots as possible. If the node is only able to transmit on one carrier at a time the node may request to use every slot in the frame of a given upstream. If the node has multiple transmitters, it may ask for every slot on all upstream channels. When one or more nodes requests more than their share, DA enforces the rules.
To enforce rate-shaping rules, the DA pre-computes the equivalent bit rate of one slot per frame. For example, if there are 10 bits per slot, 10 slots per frame, and 10 frames per second, the bit rate of a single slot per frame is 100 bits per second. If a maximum rate rule of 200 bits per second is specified for a given node, DA ensures that no more than 2 slots are allocated to that node on any given frame. Similarly, if a minimum rate rule of 100 bits per second is specified for a given node, DA ensures that at least one slot per frame is allocated to that node on every frame. CIR rules are similar and may be considered variable minimum rate constraints. If a node has a CIR equivalent to 4 slots per frame, DA allocates at least 4 slots when the node demands 4 slots or more, however it need not allocate any slots if there is no demand.
A new problem is introduced if a minimum rate rule of less than one slot per frame, for example 50 bits per second, is defined. This case requires that the DA process store state information about previous frames to ensure that the minimum rate rule is enforced. In this example, DA would assign one slot every other frame to achieve a 50 bit per second rate. Traditional TDMA systems use a concept of a superframe that spans N frames to potentially assign a slot every other frame to fulfill this requirement; superframe systems send a BTP once per superframe. However, DA advantageously establishes a relationship between slots and bits per second, and by saving state information about the frames that occurred in the past second, performance equivalent to that of superframe systems is realized. And, most importantly, since DA does not have to plan ahead N frames, it can change the BTP every frame which makes the system much more responsive to changing demand than a superframe based system.
Another benefit of storing state information from several previous frames is realized in cases where there is no choice, in a given frame, other than to make an unfair decision. Consider the case where there is only one upstream channel, 10 slots per frame, three user nodes A, B, and C, and no rate shaping rules set. Assume there is high demand at all three nodes so all of them are requesting 10 slots (the whole channel). A fair decision would be to allocate 3.333 slots per frame to each node. Since it is not possible to allocate ⅓ of a slot, DA allocates 4, 3, and 3 slots to nodes A, B, and C respectively. If demand remains high during the next frame, DA remembers that A got an unfair advantage during the last frame and it therefore it allocates 3, 4, 3 to nodes A, B, and C respectively. This rotation of the unfair advantage leads to fairness on average over time.
An additional priority factor considered by the DA is the high level importance of different types of rules set by the network operator. These high level priorities are, Real Time data, minimum data rate, and CIR, in no particular order. The order of the high-level prioritizations chosen by an implementer of the DA process is not important for the algorithm to work, it is only required that some ordering be determined so that DA can "break ties" when necessary.
An example of optimally feathering slots after all allocation decisions are made is illustrated in
Once all allocated slots have been placed into the virtual frame, it is separated into upstream channels with virtual slot 0 mapping to upstream 0, slot 0, virtual slot 1 mapping to upstream 1, slot 0, and so on as illustrated. For example, as illustrated in
It may be desirable to hop in frequency as infrequently as possible, in which case the slots may be reshuffled between upstream channels (along the frequency axis) to minimize hopping without changing the optimal feathering along the time axis. For example, as illustrated in
An alternative embodiment includes an additional constraint in the DA and feathering algorithms to restrict slot assignments that would otherwise require a frequency hop in consecutive slots. The additional constraint specifies a number of slots to be skipped when a frequency hop is scheduled. Further, these skipped slots are made available for allocation to other users so they are not wasted because the constraint applies only to the node that is currently switching frequency. This alternative embodiment advantageously provides settling time to a transmitter's analog circuitry that must settle when the frequency is changed.
Upstream Control Process
Five upstream signal parameters are adjusted in real time for every user node in the network: Symbol Timing, Frequency, Power, Modulation, and FEC. Symbol timing guarantees that each node transmits in exactly the right symbol time within the TDMA frame. Frequency adjustments ensure that bursts stay centered in the allocated spectrum. Power, Modulation, and FEC adjustments are used to maintain an acceptable bit error rate even when the channel is experiencing a severe rain fade.
At least two network features contribute to the responsiveness of the UC process. First, channel quality assessments are made every time a TDMA burst is received at the hub. The assessment consists of a Symbol Offset, Frequency Offset, and an SNR. These are attached to a trailer before the burst payload is forwarded to the central control server. By collecting information in real time, an accurate running average of all parameters for each node is maintained and used to make adjustments. A second feature is the synchronous BTP that notifies the demodulator on the hub receiver as to which user node generated the burst in each time slot. Since the hub receiver knows which modulation and FEC the nodes are using, it can reconfigure these settings in the demodulator on a slot-by-slot basis.
Without synchronized BTP, switching modulation and FEC would still be possible, however, it would not be as efficient because latency would be added and, potentially, data would be lost in the transfer. This latency would be introduced because the node would be notified of the change � second or more after the hub receiver would be notified. Therefore, the hub receiver would be trying to receive with the new modulation and/or FEC although bursts would still be in transit having been sent by the old modulation and/or FEC so they could not be correctly demodulated and decoded. Another problem that would occur without synchronous BTP is that modulation and FEC would have to either be statically mapped to specific slots in the frame or scheduled via messaging that would be subject to the latency problem described above. Such a static mapping would complicate any demand assignment algorithm since it would have an additional constraint that, for example, slot 0 on upstream 1 is using BPSK so that slot may only be assigned to nodes transmitting BPSK. No such restrictions exist when the synchronous BTP is employed.
As mentioned above, the ability to change modulation and FEC dynamically enables all available power to be used to increase throughput rather than wasting power to over come rain fades which happen infrequently.
Downstream Recovery Process
Satellite network system link budget constraints are often tighter on the downstream channel, thus, the downstream connection may be the first to drop out during a rain fade. Since there are a number of different types of RF equipment and a number of possible upstream/downstream data rate combinations, a universal network system should have the ability to adapt both directions to combat rain fade.
An obstacle when considering an adaptive technique on the downstream channel is that the downstream channel is a point-to-multipoint connection as opposed to the multipoint-to-point connectivity in the upstream direction. Therefore, any special treatment of the signal to enable one node to receive it more clearly should not affect the ability of any of the other nodes to receive the same carrier.
One way to solve this problem might be to enable the nodes to receive either a BPSK or QPSK signal. The hub could transmit a broadcast QPSK signal while clear sky conditions are present at all nodes and then it could switch to BPSK (and potentially a stronger FEC code) if any node reports a falling SNR. A problem with this solution is that by switching to BPSK, the data rate of the downstream channel is reduced; thus the whole network suffers because there is rain at a single user node site. As the network size grows, the likelihood that at least one node is in a fade condition increases and the network will end up using the lower rate downstream a majority of the time. This negates any advantage of an adaptable downstream.
Both the primary and alternate FEC codes map to the same number of PSK symbols. For example, the primary path may have 4096 bit FEC blocks which map to 2048 QPSK symbols and the alternate path may have 2048 bit FEC blocks which map to 2048 BPSK symbols. This enables either block to be advantageously multiplexed interchangeably at Layer 1 just prior to the PSK modulator. An additional method employed is to orient the BPSK constellation on a 45 degree axis such that the signal energy is divided equally between the Inphase and Quadrature modulation phases. By doing this, the amplitude envelope of the signal does not change whether QPSK or BPSK is used so the signal "looks" the same to all gain stages in the system. This orientation also ensures that valid symbol timing estimates may be made by the demodulators at each node regardless of the modulation because signal peaks and zero crossings will be seen on both phases. Further, since the BPSK constellation is a subset of the QPSK constellation, phase estimates (measurements of the degree of constellation rotation) are valid for either one. The only difference is that the slicer of the BPSK demodulator has a 180 degree decision boundary instead of 90 degrees which results in a 3 dB improvement in the ratio of Energy per bit transmitted to the average noise of the channel (Eb/No). To further improve the ability of nodes to overcome a fade condition, the implementer selects a more powerful, lower rate FEC code for the alternate path than the code used in the primary path.
An example of an embodiment of the claimed invention is illustrated in
Another advantage of the DR process is that the downstream packet-processing software need not be aware of which path (primary or alternate) the data is traversing. Each data packet is tagged with a Layer 2 MAC address so that each user node filters out packets intended for other nodes. The hub transmitter maintains a list of the MAC addresses of all nodes in DR mode and when a packet arrives for one of those nodes, it is routed to the alternate path. Nodes are added and deleted from this list by the central control server as they enter and exit fade conditions, a feature which is enabled because the size of the FEC block payload (a Layer 1 property) and the data packet size (a property of Layer 2 and higher) are decoupled. This is difficult or impossible in systems without this decoupling, like the DVB satellite broadcast standard, because variable sized data packets are segmented (and later reassembled) into segments that fit into the FEC payload. In such systems, DR would be much more cumbersome because the higher layers would have to account for which nodes were in DR mode and which were not.
In addition, although DR has been discussed so far only in terms of a primary and alternate modulation and encoding, respectively, the present invention also applies to alternative embodiments having multiple levels of alternative modulation and encoding. For example, the robustness of the link may be adjusted by using combinations of modulation and coding schemes, where the robustness of a link generally increases with a greater amount of energy-per-bit as compared to system noise, and more redundancy in the code employed, as discussed in Sklar, B. "Digital Communications Fundamentals and Applications," Prentice Hall, 1988, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.
The computer system 2101 also includes a disk controller 2106 coupled to the bus 2102 to control one or more storage devices for storing information and instructions, such as a magnetic hard disk 2107, and a removable media drive 2108 (e.g., floppy disk drive, read-only compact disc drive, read/write compact disc drive, compact disc jukebox, tape drive, and removable magneto-optical drive). The storage devices may be added to the computer system 2101 using an appropriate device interface (e.g., small computer system interface (SCSI), integrated device electronics (IDE), enhanced-IDE (E-IDE), direct memory access (DMA), or ultra-DMA).
Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|May 9, 1985
|Aug 18, 1987
|Nec Corporation
|Station relief arrangement for use in relieving operation of a reference station in a TDMA network without reduction of frame availability
|Nov 4, 1985
|Jan 26, 1988
|Consiglio Nazionale Delle Richerche
|Satellite telecommunications system featuring multi-beam coverage and dynamically controlled allocation of the satellite transmission capacity
|Sep 4, 1985
|Aug 9, 1988
|Comsat Telesystems, Inc.
|Demand assigned reformatting with an overflow area for time division multiple access communication
|Nov 5, 1987
|Aug 15, 1989
|International Telecommunications Satellite
|Variable bandwidth variable center-frequency multibeam satellite-switched router
|Feb 28, 1989
|Sep 24, 1991
|Nec Corporation
|Switching arrangement capable of switching burst time plan tables/channel assignment pattern tables of a specific terrestrial station
|Feb 16, 1996
|Jun 16, 1998
|Hughes Electronics
|Handset signalling time slot assignment plan for satellite mobile communication
|Jun 29, 1995
|Aug 4, 1998
|Hughes Electronics Corporation
|Method and system of frame timing synchronization in TDMA based mobile satellite communication system
|Apr 30, 1996
|Jun 8, 1999
|Trw Inc.
|Method and apparatus for synchronizing communications in a satellite based telecommunications system
|Aug 12, 1998
|Aug 1, 2000
|Gilat Florida, Inc.
|Demand-based connection management integrated services access terminal (ISAT) for satellite communication system
|Aug 11, 1997
|Aug 15, 2000
|Bbn Corporation
|Wireless data communications system
|Feb 13, 1998
|Sep 19, 2000
|Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson
|Method and system for link adaptation having a variable update interval
|Jan 29, 1997
|Mar 6, 2001
|Northern Telecom Incorporated
|Adaptive radio communications system
|Jun 24, 1998
|Apr 3, 2001
|Motorola, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for conveying data between communication devices
|Dec 14, 1998
|Oct 9, 2001
|Hughes Electronics Corporation
|Efficient implementation for systems using CEOQPSK
|Dec 15, 1999
|Feb 26, 2002
|Iospan Wireless, Inc.
|Method and wireless systems using multiple antennas and adaptive control for maximizing a communication parameter
|Nov 22, 2000
|Mar 5, 2002
|Ericsson Inc.
|Systems and methods for fast terminal synchronization in a wireless communication system
|Jun 24, 1996
|Apr 23, 2002
|Spar Aerospace Limited
|Data communication satellite system and method of carrying multi-media traffic
|Jan 21, 1997
|Apr 30, 2002
|Gilat Florida Inc.
|Frame relay protocol-based multiplex switching scheme for satellite mesh network
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|Aug 13, 2002
|Trw Inc.
|Synchronization burst processor for a processing satellite
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|Mar 25, 2003
|Viasat, Inc.
|Method for acquisition and synchronization of terminals in a satellite/wireless TDMA system
|May 5, 1999
|Apr 15, 2003
|Nortel Networks Limited
|Integrated signalling for asynchronous networks
|Feb 8, 2002
|Sep 23, 2003
|Gilat Satellite Networks, Ltd.
|Frame relay protocol-based multiplex switching scheme for satellite mesh network
|May 28, 2002
|Dec 16, 2003
|Hughes Electronics Corporation
|Forward error correction scheme for CDMA data channels using universal turbo codes
|Jan 24, 2001
|May 9, 2006
|Hughes Network Systems, Llc
|Method and apparatus for acquiring a synchronization signal
|Sasmith Reddi, "DVB (Digital Video Broadcast) vs. iDirect Technology," emailed Jul. 16, 2002, 6 pages.
|Sasmith Reddi, "Voice over IP (VoIP) over Satellite," emailed Aug. 7, 2002, 2 pages.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|May 27, 2008
|Mar 9, 2010
|Vt Idirect, Inc.
|Method, apparatus, and system for transmitting control information in a communication network
|Jan 31, 2005
|Aug 31, 2010
|Southern Focus Investments, Llc
|Containerized cargo/high value asset tracking method, device and system
|Jan 19, 2010
|May 10, 2011
|Vt Idirect, Inc.
|Method, apparatus, and system for transmitting control information in a communication network
|Mar 12, 2008
|Dec 3, 2013
|Nokia Corporation
|System and method for implementing optimized multiplexing and power saving in a broadcast network
|Nov 30, 2010
|Apr 22, 2014
|Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute
|Source-channel combined coding method and satellite broadcasting system using the same
|Aug 28, 2012
|Jul 28, 2015
|Aoptix Technologies, Inc.
|Assessment and correction of transmitted data
|Jan 31, 2005
|Aug 25, 2005
|Sanderford H. B.Jr.
|Containerized cargo/high value asset tracking method, device and system
|Mar 12, 2008
|May 21, 2009
|Nokia Corporation
|System and method for implementing optimized multiplexing and power saving in a broadcast network
|Apr 30, 2010
|Dec 16, 2010
|Availink, Inc.
|Efficient framing schemes for supporting vcm/acm in digital satellite transmission systems
|Nov 30, 2010
|Jun 2, 2011
|Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute
|Source-channel combined coding method and satellite broadcasting system using the same
|Aug 28, 2012
|Mar 6, 2014
|Aoptix Technologies, Inc.
|Assessment and Correction of Transmitted Data
|Nov 13, 2013
|Dec 4, 2014
|Sap Ag
|Application level based resource management in multi-tenant applications
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|Jul 3, 2013
|Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
|Source-channel combined coding method and satellite broadcasting system using the same
|U.S. Classification
|455/13.2, 455/420, 455/430, 455/502, 370/509
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|May 7, 2004
Owner name: IDIRECT INCORPORATED, VIRGINIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:BETTINGER, DAVID D.;BOONE, JOSEPH J.;CHENG, HAO;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:015311/0523;SIGNING DATES FROM 20031219 TO 20040114
|Aug 14, 2008
Owner name: VT IDIRECT, INC., VIRGINIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:IDIRECT, INC.;REEL/FRAME:021387/0605
Effective date: 20080610
Owner name: VT IDIRECT, INC.,VIRGINIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:IDIRECT, INC.;REEL/FRAME:021387/0605
Effective date: 20080610
|Nov 9, 2010
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Dec 17, 2014
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8


text:
Freescale crypto protects cars from hackers
3 comments
PORTLAND, Ore.—Freescale Semiconductor Inc. Tuesday (March 1) introduced the first automotive security module compliant with the secure hardware extension (SHE) supported by European automobile makers Volkswagen, Porsche, BMW, Audi and Daimler.
As electronics takes over more and more control of a car's engine, body and safety functions, hardware security modules will be necessary to prevent unauthorized access to on-board systems, according to a consortium of European automobile makers.
"Freescale is the first to offer an on-chip cryptographic services engine using the SHE specification published by a consortium of European car makers," said Brad Loane, an automotive marketing manager at Freescale. "By moving the security keys into hardware instead of software, it becomes much easier to assure secure and trustworthy transmission of information between electronic components."
With more and more drive-by-wire functions in modern automobiles—from remote startup to automated parking—on-board software security systems offer unwarranted opportunities both to thieves stealing cars and to hackers wishing to eavesdrop of even cause a crash. Freescale's cryptographic services engine, on the other hand, aims to keep the security keys safe from hackers in a protected memory, creating an authenticated software environment that allows for distributed key ownership.
The new MPC56xx family 32-bit Qorivva microcontroller, built on Power Architecture, enables encrypted data and authentication to prevent hackers from performing illegal operations during driving or even while in the shop, such as turning back a vehicles mileage. It also prevents a car from being stolen by activating immobilizers as well as preventing the automotive engine control unit from being removed and used illegally on other vehicles, according to Freescale.
The high-end MPC564x Qorivva microcontroller with 300 DMIPS performance and the on-chip cryptographic services engine typically serves as a gateway extending secure body control to end-nodes managed by low power MPC560xD microcontrollers over controller area network (CAN).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
ZA Free v12.0.104.000 installed on Windows 8.1
I noticed that when a program asks for Internet Access, and when the ZA prompt comes up noting that program wants access, and I need to click Allow or Deny, the check box for "Remember This Setting" box is already check-marked by default - How can I make it so that the "Remember This Setting" box is always by default un-checked? It's most convenient and important to me.
All the other versions of Zone Alarm (that I've ever used anyway) that "Remember This Setting" box by default is unchecked.
Thank you!


text:
Darling Daisy Shelf with Peg Hooks
|By: Trend Lab, LLC
|Pretty and Dainty!
This shelf is the perfect addition to your daughter's bedroom or playroom. Two daisies are designed with pink gingham with a green gingham center for a cheerful spring touch the decor. The pink top shelf provides a great place to display pictures, collections, books and toys and the three green hooks hold coats, hats, backpacks and more!
|Product Rating
|(0 Ratings)
|Write a Review


text:
front page
List of Americans Abroad
Dempsey, Friedel help Tottenham to rare road victory at Manchester United.
Johnson, Williams find net for Hoffenheim in 3-1 win over Hannover, Cherundolo.
Altidore score three, assists another, leading Alkmaar to 4-0 victory over Roda.
Boyd scores three more, leads Rapid Wien to pair of victories.
Friedel's EPL record streak might be at risk with Spurs' acquisition of Lloris.
Liverpool deal dashed, Fulham sends Dempsey to Tottenham Hotspur; Onyewu, Bocanegra move.
Bradley's strong start at Roma is hampered by thigh injury.
Unexpectedly, Edu winds up at Stoke City, where he joins Cameron in EPL.
Altidore scores two goals again, AZ wins first 3-1 over Almelo.
Dempsey is in limbo with Fulham, eyeing move to Liverpool.
Altidore records pair of goals, Alkmaar ties Ajax 2-2.
Granted a work permit, Cameron finalizes to EPL's Stoke City.
Boyd scores two, assists one for Rapid Wien to help opening victory.
Guzan signs 3-year deal with Aston Villa, will compete for starter's job.
Cameron to move from Houston to Stoke City of EPL, pending work permit.
Bradley moves up in Italian Serie A to AS Roma.
Boyd moves from Dortmund to Rapid Vienna on three-year-deal.
Training injury sends Dempsey to sideline for end of record season.
Nearing 41, Friedel excels, continues to fuel Tottenham Champions League hopes.
Americans Abroad
By Robert Wagman (in Washington, D.C.)
(Wednesday, October 10, 2012) -- American goalkeeper Brad Friedel's unprecedented run of 310 consecutive Premier League starts came to an end Sunday after Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas sat him and inserted French national keeper Hugo Lloris into a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Friedel's place in Spurs' net has been under constant threat since Portuguese Villas-Boas signed Lloris, 26, on a transfer from Lyon for $12.6 million on the final day of the summer transfer period. In addition to being France's national-team captain, Lloris was France's Ligue 1 "Goalkeeper of the Year" for the past four years and is widely considered among the top keepers in the world.
Friedel, 41, who was Spurs' oldest player ever, had continued to start league matches with Lloris playing in Cup matches until Sunday.
Friedel has played well for Tottenham this season with a really standout performance against Norwich City last month. But Villas-Boas has been under tremendous pressure to play Lloris, in no small part to justify the multi-million-dollar outlay to acquire him.
After Lloris' clean sheet, Villas-Boas said that Friedel took the decision well. "Brad obviously was disappointed with the decision, but accepted it like the good professional he is," he said.
At the same time, Villas-Boas denied that Lloris is now his first-choice keeper for the rest of the campaign. "We spoke among the staff this week about it and we thought it was logical to let Hugo come into a Premier League game because he can't just play in the Europa League," he said.
Do you have a comment on this story or something to say about soccer in general? Send us a letter.


text: We did this a few years ago. I am not sure who started the thread back then but it wasn't me. The idea is that an object (book, DVD, animal, items regularly found in garden or home etc) is named and someone has to post a photo that they have taken of that object (not photos copied from the internet). Once they have posted their photo they name the next object. Please don't name anything too difficult, we want objects that at least some Trekbbsers might have. The first object I will name is A Spock figurine.


text:
Hi everybody. At first sorry for my poor english :|
I've got a problem with Manipulators with Parameters. I'm trying to code the encrypt(k) manipulator, which guarantees that coded (by k key) stream will be send to ostream, but i don't have any idea in what way can i do it.
i want to code this message "Paris is beatiful town" in this way:
cout<<encrypt(15)<<"Paris is beatiful "<<"town";
but only "Paris is beatiful" has coded. I want to code "town" too.
In other words i want my manipulator won't be a disposable function.
I hope that somebody's understood what i wrote.
I'll be very grateful for any help.
makuda(Institute of IT, University of Wroclaw)


text:
SFELF10M7 series for FM-receivers are monolithic type ceramic filters that use the thickness expander mode of the piezoelectric ceramic. As part of the environment protection program, the solder for terminal plating and terminal-element connection inside of the ceramic filter contain no lead (Pb).Features1. These miniature filters have high mechanical strength.2. Low loss, favorable waveform symmetry, and high selectivity.3. Various bandwidths are available for applications in wide to narrow bands.4. Small dispersion and stable characteristics.5. Change in center frequency is typically within ±30ppm/°C at -20 to +80°C.6. High reliability.
Audio Visual Equipment
Frequency Characteristics
Spurious Response
Measurement Circuit
Send your inquiry
Download a PDF file of this page
Scheduled for discontinuance within several years, and not recommended for use in new product designs.


text:
The Art of Getting By (BLU)
Gavin Weisen
Fatalistic teenager George Zingavoy (Freddy Highmore) is a master at just barely getting by. In fact, he's practically turned it into an art form - making it through the entire school year without doing a shred of work. But when George meets a beautiful and complicated girl named Sally (Emma Roberts), he discovers a kindred spirit who turns his slacker world upside-down. Their quirky and unexpected romance may just inspire George to do the unthinkable - get off his butt and chase after his dreams.
Product Details
- Starring: Blair Underwood, Emma Roberts, Elizabeth Reaser, Rita Wilson, Freddie Highmore, Sam Robards, Michael Angarano
- Format: Color, Dolby, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13
- Label: 20th Century Fox
- Release Date: 11/29/2011
- Run Time: 83 minutes
- Catalogue #: 2277436
Special Features
- Fox Movie Channel Presents In Character With Freddie Highmore
- HBO First Look: The Making Of The Art Of Getting By
- Audio Commentary with Director Gavin Wiesen
- New York Slice Of Life
- On Young Love


text:
Read More About
Liquid Nutrition Group Inc. ("Liquid Nutrition" or "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Dean Spokes to the role of vice-president operations and Nelson Cabral to the position of vice-president merchandise.
Dean Spokes is a successful operations leader with extensive experience, most recently serving as the director of operations for COBS Bread (B.D. Canada Ltd.) from 2005 to 2013. At COBS, Mr. Spokes was successful in launching the COBS Bread brand in Ontario with 16 locations and annual sales of $14 Million.
Prior to joining COBS in 2005, Mr. Spokes served as the director of operations, Ontario and Western Canada for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts & Coffee (KremeKo Inc) from 2001 to 2005 where he was a senior leader of the operations team that launched Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in Canada, achieving system-wide sales of $42 Million from 13 locations in Ontario and Alberta.
Nelson Cabral brings more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in merchandising, planning, supply chain management, and technology to the Liquid Nutrition team.
Mr. Nelson played a key role in the growth of Teaopia Ltd., a premium loose leaf tea retailer, helping grow the company to 46 locations and implemented ERP systems for both Teaopia and Keyman Engraveables where he held various management positions from 1999 to 2012.
"Dean and Nelson bring tremendous industry experience to the Liquid Nutrition management team and will be important drivers of our strategic growth plan," says David Bellisario, COO of Liquid Nutrition. "The Liquid Nutrition management team is well positioned to support numerous store openings in 2013 while continuing to maximize our franchise sales and our overall brand development."
Franchise opportunities are still available in select Canadian, U.S., and international markets.


text:
Sienna Miller showed off her chic maternity style in London this weekend. The mom-to-be was on hand to help celebrate Robert Pattinson's 26th birthday at Claridges Hotel in London.
Sienna's maternity style was cool and comfortable in this gray dress with black sweater jacket. Sienna and Tom Sturridge are expecting their first child together this summer.
Photos by Fameflynet
BabyRazzi on Facebook and Twitter


text:
Obama Incites Masses into Destroying Congressional Phone System
At the end of last night's fluffy-duffy speech to the public about the debt ceiling, President Obama urged everyone to call their representatives to request his "balanced" approach to deficit reduction, which apparently means $3 trillion dollars in spending cuts along with zero dollars in new tax revenue. What the hell was he talking about? Who cares! Because people too his cue, and are now breaking the phone system.
So if you want to call in your support for the Barack Obama Balanced Approach for Zero Revenues to Match Trillions In Spending Cuts — or perhaps even support for a modified, alternate package! — you should follow these directions that were distributed in Congress this morning:
From: Call Center
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 09:57 AM
To: System Administrators, All
Subject: System Alert - House Telephone Circuits Near Capacity
Due to the high volume of external calls, House telephone circuits serving 202-225-XXXX phone numbers are near capacity resulting in outside callers occasionally getting busy signals. Outbound calls are unaffected.
During this time offices may wish to provide district office staff and key contacts with an alternate 202-226-XXXX extension, if available, until call volumes subside.
If you have any questions, please contact the CAO Technology Call Center at 5-6002 or 1-800-HIR-USER.
So just call those 226 numbers and say, "The President knows what it's like to sit around a kitchen table and pay bills, while tightening his belt, figuratively, and preserving junior's college fund, and so on. I support budget cuts. Goodbye forever."
[Image via AP]


text:
This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
Work and Family Study, 1983: [Cincinnati] (ICPSR 9465)
Principal Investigator(s): Hiller, Dana V.; Philliber, William W.
This data collection, which focuses on married couples, investigates the effects of dual careers and job status on marital partners. Four major mechanisms were identified to account for the relationships between higher occupational status of the wife and negative marital and/or career outcomes. These mechanisms include (1) competition between husband and wife, (2) conflict between role expectations and performances, (3) conflict with respective gender identities, and (4) lack of role complementarity in the relationship. The data collection effort sought to determine if any of these mechanisms or combination of mechanisms cause the wife to stay out of the labor force, cause the husband's occupation to limit the wife's occupational attainment, or cause the wife's higher occupational attainment to result in marital dissatisfaction. Major variables include labor force participation, occupation, gender identity, role expectations, perception of expectations, perception of performance, role complementarity, competition, marital satisfaction, career commitment, support for wife's career, and perceived status differences. The unit of analysis is the married couple.
Access Notes
One or more data files in this study are set up in a non-standard format, such as card image format. Users may need help converting these files before they can be used for analysis.
Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions. Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have access to these data files.
Study Description
Hiller, Dana V., and William W. Philliber. WORK AND FAMILY STUDY, 1983: [CINCINNATI]. Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, Dept. of Sociology [producer], 1983. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1991. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09465.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09465.v1
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- National Science Foundation (SES-8121064)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: careers, family work relationship, gender identities, gender roles, labor force, marital relations, marital satisfaction, occupations, work, working women
Geographic Coverage: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- 1982-10-01--1983-03-31
- 1982-10-01--1983-03-31
Sample: Random stratified sample (according to whether dual or single earners and occupational status).
personal interviews
Original ICPSR Release: 1991-03-05
- 2006-01-18 File CB9465.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.
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text:
"A treasure for piano lovers
. The performances are intimate and private. Free of the need to impress visually that is usually associated with live concerts, Pogorelich allows himself to dig deep into the music itself. His readings are thoughtful and personal, and are well supported by the castles' resonant acoustics."Jerusalem Post
"His playing has the freedom and imagination reminiscent of some of the great pianists of the past. Pogorelich eagerly confessed to listening to old pianists'they knew so many secrets'."Gramophone


text:
Science: Silver Flung to Earth by God
Australopithecus sediba! Wildfire science! Real jetpacks! Persuasion methods! Solar properties Petrified forest! Heavenly metals! Anger cooperation! And Hummingbird mating techniques that drive lady hummingbirds bazonga! It's your Thursday Health Watch, where we watch your health—voodoo, doo doo, woo hoo!
- What's your take on this Australopithecus sediba business? I tire of always hearing my own opinions; one way communication isn't how humanity evolved this far. So then, here I am, ears open, ready to listen: Australopithecus sediba and its implications. What say you? That's right, Mr. James, this is my elaborate little way of showing the class that you didn't do the reading. Sit down.
- All those Texas wildfires: what do they mean scientifically? Fire is chemicals, when they interact with oxygen and molecules. The combustion leads to fire flames, burning any scientific instrument or scientist himself inside the "event horizon." Science. Texas.
- Next year, you'll be able to write a check for $100K and purchase a real live jetpack that can fly for 30 minutes, in the sky. The future is... next year.
- Want to get anyone to do anything? All you have to do is read a PsychologyToday.com blog entry, apparently. And guess what, it works. You read it, didn't you? No? Well you read this, which is all I care about.
- A floating NASA telescope has observed a new property of solar flares. I'd tell you what that property is, but I fear there's a high likelihood of my collapsing and expiring from a lethal dose of boredom were I to do so, so I shall refrain.
- America's largest petrified forest national park just got 26,000 acres larger. Yeah. So. Go check it out, I guess. It's like a bunch of tree-shaped rock, but more.
- How did the earth get all of its silver, platinum, and other precious metals, hmmm? God? Well if by "god" you mean "they just miraculously dropped out of the sky borne upon meteors sent from heavens above," then yes.
- "Could simple anger have taught people to cooperate?" Fuck you.
- When hummingbirds get in the mood to mate, all they have to do is go dive-bombing through the air, which produces a mating-related chirping sound as the wind rushes through their feathers, and all the lady hummingbirds are like oh yeah, let's do some mating. Hummingbird life is in many ways much simpler than ours, like also in how they have less mandatory paperwork involved (in their lives, for anything from taxes to insurance purposes to what have you).


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Two-day Cleveland getaway
Day 1
African art, ancient Egyptian art, medieval art and an unparalleled collection of prints make up just a few of the permanent collections at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which recently finished a $350 million renovation and expansion. In the same University Circle neighborhood, visitors also find the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Botanical Center.
Two miles to the west, Tommy's Coventry serves inventive vegan and vegetarian fare (and decent burgers, too). Sign yourself in on the waiting list and be patient; the milk shakes alone are worth the wait. Beautiful Lake View Cemetery holds fascinating finds: the Wade Memorial Chapel features an interior designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany; a memorial honors President James A. Garfield.
For the evening, elegant Glidden House in University Circle stands within walking distance of Severance Hall, home to the respected Cleveland Symphonic Orchestra.
Day 2
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Cleveland rocks, and the proof is at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The lakefront attraction showcases musical artifacts from rock legends, and exhibits cover the roots of rock and roll, one-hit wonders and Otis Redding. Also downtown, Great Lakes Brewing Company serves hearty burgers and sandwiches and beers made at an 1860s tavern. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a half-hour south of the city, features 33,000 acres, more than 100 miles of trails, spectacular rock formations, waterfalls and plenty of peace and quiet (except when the trains from Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad rumble through).
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Downtown's vibrant East 4th Street district offers rockin' nightlife, including Michael Symon's premier restaurant Lola.
More information: This Is Cleveland, (800) 321-1001; thisiscleveland.com [1]


text:
Also, i can't remove the last 3 characters or the first 55 characters of the output, which is "Timing buffered disk reads: 394 MB in 3.02 seconds = "and "/MB".
The end result should be the number. (for example 256.3)
Code: Select all
echo "Welcome to this script!"
echo ""
echo "Firstly, you need to check which hard drive is your main hard drive."
echo "The script will now print out the /etc/fstab file, please take a look at the comments and find the partition that represents the root partition."
cat /etc/fstab
echo ""
echo "Please type in the partition."
echo "Eg. /dev/sda1"
read partition
echo ""
echo "Please type the number of tests you want to do on the hard drive."
read tests
echo "Doing $tests tests on $partition."
echo "Press enter to continue."
read enter
for (( test=1; test<=$tests; test++ ))
echo "Test No. $test"
sudo hdparm -t $partition | tee log.tmp
#Gets the previous sentence
previous=grep -B1 pattern log.tmp
average=$(({previous:55} + $average)) #55 characters before the actual speed indication, adds the actual speed indication to the averga variable
echo ""
echo "Your average is $average."


text:
ILLVA SARONNO S.p.A.
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ILLVA SARONNO S.p.A.
Via Archimede, 243
21047 Saronno (VA)
P.IVA / Registration Number: IT02649100126
Phone. n.: (0039)-02–96765.1 — Fax n.: (0039)-02–70059788


text:
I seem to have a problem with customising privacy for individual sites e.g. even if I allow 3rd party cookies and private header information for a particular site (ticking all the boxes), Zone Alarm privacy advisor still shows that it is blocking this information when Cookie control is set at 'Medium'. This also applies with 'Mobile Code' settings, though intermittenly .. sometimes it does work in this case!
Has anyone else had this problem. Is their a solution .. I've tried resetting, deleting and replacing site address, switching controls on and off, closing and cleaning browser cache, history etc. etc.
Operating System:Windows XP Pro
Product Name:ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite
Software Version:7.0


text:
The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
LEADERS: Azerane Bam BinkyBunny JerseyGirl LBJ10 LittlePuffyTail LongEaredLions RabbitPam
A recent post made me think it would be helpful to start a thread of info. on finding a vet, especially when they're tough to find.
Here's some basics:
1. EXOTICS: A vet for rabbits usually lists themselves as "Exotics", meaning animals that are not dogs or cats. This may include rabbits, chinchillas, ferrets, lizards, iguanas, snakes, rats, mice, geckos, etc. In your yellow pages under veterinarians, look for the word EXOTICS in their name or ad.
2. The Yellow Pages: is the best resource for a list of all vets nearest to where you live, at least in the US. Please reply with the names of the equivalent book of listings in your country for our members to know.2. A dog or cat vet may also be educated about other animals, including rabbits. Call the office of a vet near you and ask if there is a vet on their staff that does. A bigger practice or an Animal Hospital may have a specialist. www.yellowpages.com
3. Great place to start is the list of vets, both USA and International, on the House Rabbit Society website: www.rabbit.org. These vets names have been submitted by rabbit owners who are pleased with their care. The HRS goes into detail on the parameters of their list. Just use your zip code or City/State to locate one nearest to you. If it's still too far, call the nearest one and ask for a recommendation of a colleage that's closer.
4. Bird Vets often are more knowledgeable about rabbits and other exotics than dog or cat vets. Mine specializes in both Birds and Exotics, and lists herself that way. So if you see a Birds vet listed, call and ask if they see rabbits, too.
5. In case of an emergency you can Always take your rabbit to a vet that only works with dogs or cats. All vets are trained in basic animal care, and a vet who is not a specialist is still better than none in an emergency. Be sure to ask at that practice for another vet nearby that they can recommend that knows about rabbits. They know each other and may be able to refer you.
6. Vets do consult each other over the phone. If you have a vet who is baffled, not a rabbit expert or needs more help, info. or supplies, ask them to call a specialist that may be hours away. You can find exotics on line who are too far to travel to see, but will consult with your vet.
7. Your local animal shelter or rescue. Often they have rabbit vets on staff or as volunteers who do their care and speuters. Call to ask if they take in rabbits and if so, do they have a vet on site you can see or be directed to. Some rescues give a better price on a spay/neuter because they do so many, and want you to have it done rather than risking an Oops! litter because you waited.
8. To find a rescue, check online, check the yellow pages, or check www.Petfinder.com. It is a site that lists animals up for adoption, searchable by zip code or region and type of animal. Once you find the list of rabbits adoptable nearest you, go to that shelter to ask if they have or can recommend a vet. And if you want another bunny, Adopt! They're all listed on Petfinder by legitimate organizations.
7. If you know another list of websites for searching for vets, such as a professional vet association, please post it here as well. Here's one: www.avma.org
9. Do a Google search: exotic rabbit vets + zip code (ADDED by ADMIN: This simple tip came from our forum leader Beka. Thank you)
OK, Miss 21st Century Smartypants! (Or should I say SmartPhone?)
Here's the online link to it: www.yellowpages.com.
There. I just inserted this link above, along with linking the HRS and the American Veterinarians Association.
Posted By RabbitPam on 12/21/2011 05:49 AM
Always keep a phone book in the bunny's room. It makes a safe toy for bunny because it is made of paper and soy-based ink.
Plus you'll always have one handy if you need to use it!
Hopefully your bun doesn't eat the vet section hahaha
Great post, though! Very helpful and much needed!!! Thanks, RabbitPam.
Thanks for the link RP!
I would also recommend that you ask your vet who they recommend in case of an emergency, most vets work with an emergency clinic or can give you recommendations.
Vet schools, yes!!!
Great additional important info. to the topic, Beka. Thanks for pinning it.
Please see BB's post near this one on Rabbit Savvy Vets. It has a dozen links to resources. www.binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/a...fault.aspx
Stickerbunny, I had a bit of trouble with the link to the screening questions, and I agree that they are really important, so went into their site and copied the questions here to make it easy for the members. Thanks so much for thinking of them!
What shouldn't I do?
* Do not make your choice based on how close the veterinarian is to your home (unless that veterinarian is the clear "winner"). Paying money to a veterinarian who does not know anything (or very little) about rabbits is just throwing your money away and can cost the life of your companion.
* Don't assume that just because a veterinarian works with breeders or local 4-H clubs, that they are experienced with house rabbits or the medical needs of older rabbits. Unfortunately, such veterinarians often tend to approach rabbits as stock animals rather than as beloved companions. They may never have done a spay or neuter and "treatment" of any difficulty may amount to euthanasia (when dealing with stock or show animals, the financial bottom line may be the primary consideration).
* <!--[endif]-->Antibiotics that should never be given to rabbits. Even one dose of the following can be deadly: Amoxicillin, lincomycin, clindamycin.
Primary Author(s): Kathleen Wilsbach and Sandi Ackerman, Sources: HRH, variousarticles from the HRJ, RHN, Last Modified: 3/3/96