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March 1999
| Report from Research to Promote Open Networks | ||
| Introduction | ||
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Since the development of the web, we can now easily collect various information from all over the world and individuals can freely transmit information anywhere. This fueled the rapid expansion of the Internet, and made possible e-commerce, broadcasting, and telephone services in addition to the traditional web services and e-mailing. Today, people are buying books over the Internet, reading news on the net during lunch breaks, and making phone calls via the net. And all these are now commonplace, though just a few years ago few people could have imagined such things. In the future, remote education and medical services will be provided over the Internet. Some even predict that someday the Internet will be the infrastructure of all telecommunication and information processing. Yet to make these predictions come true, we need to have very fast communication routes with huge capacities. Also, we need to solve many problems such as guaranteeing the quality of communication services, sturdy security, reliability of networks, and many more. The GIS Committee has been conducting research and surveys to identify the problems we need to solve to make the Internet the foundation of the future information society. Our special focus is on securing interoperability. Our surveys are based on the activities of INTAPfs four working groups, NGI (Next Generation Internet) Research, Security Technology, RG (Residential Gateway) Research, and Serial Interface Research. In fiscal 1998, we concentrated most of our surveys on the NGI, Next-generation Internet, since various efforts are being made in the US, Europe, and Asia to make NGI a reality. This report is a product of such activities. In compiling this report, we received much help from our NGI Research WG. The report contains descriptions of activities held at the XIWT Conference sponsored by the US industries and the IISP Conference held by ANSI. It also covers the situation of ANX, developed by the North American automobile industry with TCP/IP technology. Our NGI surveys show how aggressively the US and Canadian governments are working for the future of the Internet. Also, as ANX shows, each industry is trying to make the best use of the latest technologies they need. Currently, Japan is considered to be several years behind the US in terms of the Internet. We should not let this gap grow larger; on the contrary, we must catch up with the US within several years. For this reason, Japanfs industries, government, and academic groups need to collaborate in this effort to catch up. We hope this report is of some help to them as they study the current situation of the world.
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March 1999 GIS Committee
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| Contents | ||
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Introduction List of members of the GIS Committee, those who assisted us in writing this report (NGI Research WG), Secretariat Trends of Next-generation Internet Chapter 1 Outline
Chapter 2 Trends in the US
Chapter 3 Trends in Canada
Chapter 4 Trends in Europe
Chapter 5 Trends in Asia and Japan
Chapter 6 Trends involving the social system and policies
Chapter 7 Technological Trends of Streaming Media
References
Appendices Appendix 2 ANX | ||
| Report from Research on Industrial Information Infrastructure | ||
| Introduction | ||
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This report summarizes the results of the gSurvey on Industrial Information Infrastructure,h a survey on standardization of the interoperability basis of information processing products and systems conducted by the Interoperability Technology Association for Information Processing, Japan (INTAP), which is working to enhance and promote the foundation of an information society. As an information society emerges, information technologies are today rapidly finding their way into ordinary households, exceeding the boundaries of traditional users in industry, government, and academia. There are thus growing calls for faster networks with larger capacities as well as for more advanced communication services, since a larger quantity of higher-quality information must be processed swiftly. In the advanced information society of the future, people are expected to exchange and share information across the borders of corporations, organizations, and nations over multiple networks that are seamlessly connected. While many experimental projects are currently in progress in the US and Europe, for instance to establish a common platform for e-commerce, Japan is clearly lagging behind. If the nation hopes to catch up with the trend for an advanced information society and revitalize its industries and economy to make them more competitive, Japan has to build good information infrastructure soon, which should function as the basis of societyfs economic activities. Also, to make the most of such information infrastructure in transforming its marketplace into a sound, competitive structure, Japan needs to secure global interoperability of infrastructure, and this global interoperability requires proper interfaces. The G7 Economic Summit reached an agreement on such interfaces, and so the Industrial Information Infrastructure Research Committee conducted the survey described in this report on (1) major interfaces and (2) future of information infrastructure. The survey took into consideration the relevant trends abroad. As part of the survey this year, we developed a trial model of AbAC (Agent-based Asynchronous Collaboration), an application of agent technology to facilitate new asynchronous collaboration. We also built upon the research we conducted up to last year by considering the functions, implementation, and standardization of asynchronous groupware. As a result of such efforts, we have proved that distributed autonomous agent technology provides highly effective solutions to advanced functions such as message circulation and prioritized control, which are missing from the groupware currently available, and that protocols related to such agent technology are very powerful as part of the next-generation information foundation. This report concludes the research and surveys we have conducted over the last four years. We hope it will be of much help to the further progress of related technologies. We would welcome your advice and criticisms on this report.
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(Noriro Shiratori, Chairman of the Industrial Information Infrastructure Research Committee)
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| Contents | ||
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Introduction Chapter 1: Outline
Chapter 2: Outline of Schedule Management Technology iCalendar
Chapter 3: Outline of New Asynchronous Collaboration AbAC
Chapter 4: Applying AbAC Framework to Schedule Management Chapter 5: Conclusion
Appendices
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| Report from Research on Super-fast Networks | ||
| Introduction | ||
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The Interoperability Technology Association for Information Processing, Japan (INTAP) has been conducting various researches and surveys on super-fast networks. So far, our surveys have covered such themes as fast network technology as the backbone to provide fast connections between two points, wireless and mobile communication technologies to complement fast networks to provide users with mobility, multimedia protocols to transfer high-quality multimedia information rapidly over such networks, mobile protocols required by the spread of cellular phones and other mobile terminals, and network security technologies, which are essential in applying the Internet to many aspects of society. These technological issues have to relate to each other and form an organic whole if they are to create a high-quality, fast, and secure network. Last year, we summarized which of the various technologies involved should be applied, and where they should be applied. This year, our report carries additional descriptions of what we could not cover last year. Also, we have updated last yearfs report to reflect the latest trends. The format of the description remains the same. We considered the numbering of the chapters and sections to enable readers to easily reference the survey results according to such numbers. Some of the newly added items are summaries of lectures delivered by instructors we invited from outside. By conducting and accumulating such activities, we have compiled a solid report. In the future, we need to describe the relationships among the element technologies with reference to a given purpose. This report contains the results of our surveys. We also invite readers to visit the website of INTAP, where you will see similar published materials. We would welcome your suggestions related to this report, such as additions and corrections.
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March 1999 Super-fast Network Research WG
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| Contents | ||
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Introduction Diagram of the structure of network technology layers
Chapter 1: Network Infrastructure Technologies
Chapter 2: Network Control and Transport Technologies
Chapter 3: Applications using networks
Chapter 4: Network Security
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| Report from Research on RGs (Residential Gateways) | ||
| Introduction | ||
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The Internet keeps expanding and growing as the foundation of a global information society. Today, its services reach into common households as well as businesses. The net is an established means of communication to connect people all over the world via many networks, telephone, ISDN, CATV, and many other means. Also, it is an essential means of providing interactive services. At the same time, broadcasting is going digital. Each of the broadcasting media, whether CATV, satellite broadcasting, or surface, is striving to provide consumers with better-quality programs through more channels and services related to the programs. Though we honestly welcome these moves, it remains to be seen whether viewers and consumers are ready to receive such new programs and services. Specifically, for users to receive services sent through different communication routes and broadcasting media, they must install many different connection devices in their homes. This makes the connections complex and expensive. Also, every time a service is enhanced, the users would have to replace the corresponding connection device with an upgraded model, which is hard to justify. The RG (Residential Gateway) will integrate all those service connections. The device was first proposed by GTE, HP, and five other businesses in 1995 to solve the problem described above. Last yearfs IISP Conference discussed RGs and adopted a proposal. INTAP was quick to respond to this trend. In fiscal 1997, we presented the information we obtained at the conference (including the concept of the RG, interface, etc.), together with some descriptions of related technologies such as IEEE 1394, in our report for the year titled "Report from Research on GIS." RGs until last year were nothing more than a concept. This year, however, we saw the first shipments of some home network products and the leading manufacturers are now selling a preliminary kind of RG in the form of a set-top box or a PC which have the necessary functions embedded. RGs have yet to see technological standardization and interoperability implemented, but we can no longer ignore them since they are already evolving gateway products. In fact, the TR41.5 Committee in 1998 had a lively discussion on RGs, as this report describes. This report presents the latest general trends in the US and Europe regarding RGs and the related technologies, and also contains some opinions of key persons of the field. We hope the report will be of some help to our supporting members and to businesses in general.
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March 1999 Kunio Sakai, Chairman of the RG Research WG
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| Contents | ||
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Introduction List of members of the RG Research Committee 1. Purpose and Extent of Use
2. Trends in Network Technologies as Social Infrastructure
3. Trends in Network Services
4. Background of RGs (Residential Gateways) and Trends in Their Standardization and Developments
5. Trends with Home Networks
6. Technologies of Home Terminals and Commercialization Trends
7. Reports from Surveys Abroad 8. Conclusion
9. Short Essays
10. References
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| Report from Research on Serial Interface | ||
| Introduction | ||
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The progress and spread of information technologies are now expanding to cover common households as well and are significantly affecting the conventional consumer electronics industry. PCs and other information devices are finding their ways into households, network-compatible TV sets are emerging, and more and more new products (such as digital cameras) are being developed. Today, most household electronic products have an MPU embedded in them, and it is technologically possible to create interconnection networks (home networks) whose cores consist of PCs and TV sets and connect such networks to the Internet and other outside networks. These emerging trends are generically called network household electronics, which are currently still underdeveloped from the consumers' viewpoint. Some products might have an abundance of network functions, yet they make no sense if many of those functions are seldom used. Also, if the network connection is complex and hard to establish, such products will not attract many users. And above all else, we currently have only a limited number of verification tests to prove how a home network can make our daily living safer, more convenient, and more comfortable. Preparing a platform and developing applications to run on it are not two separate things; rather, they depend on each other, so we should tackle these two simultaneously through trial and error. In so doing, we need to consider the characteristics of each nation. For instance, in the US more than half of all households today have a PC. Also, the people there are known for their love of movies; most houses have a telephone jack; and CATV providers have a large number of subscribers nationwide. There already are services that connect PCs and TV sets through the telephone cable in the house and provide Internet information and video contents through CATV and other access networks. In Japan, only slightly more than 20% of households have a PC. Yet TV sets and house-chore electric appliances have found their way into most Japanese households, and the nation is renowned as the manufacturer of these products worldwide. Also, Japan has a highly reliable telephone network as part of its social infrastructure. Thus, household information services combining digital TV and the telephone network and DSM (Demand Side Management) of energy consumption using both house-chore appliances and the phone network have large potential for future growth in Japan. Each nationfs lifestyle and social situation significantly affects its home networks. Also, such networks develop hand-in-hand with application systems. Thus, we believe several different types of home networks will coexist and develop gradually; we see no possibility of one methodology of home networks becoming dominant at least for the time being. Developers will therefore have to remain flexible for years to come in developing home network products while monitoring many standardization trends. This report considers the various trends in standardization of home networks in the US, Europe, and Japan. Then, it provides the latest information on IEEE 1394, the technological basis of home networks, as well as on various serial interfaces to complement IEEE 1394. We hope this report will be of some help to our supporting members and to other businesses in general.
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March 1999 Kunio Sakai, Chairman of the Serial Interface Research WG
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| Contents | ||
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Introduction List of members of the Serial Interface Research WG 1. Purpose and Extent
2. Trends in Standardization of Home Networks
3. Standardization of IEEE 1394 and Its Proliferation
4. Serial Interfaces Other Than IEEE 1394
5. Reports from Surveys Abroad 6. Conclusion
7. Short Essays on the future of home networks)
8. References
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1. Purpose and Extent This report is a product of surveys on standardization and commercialization of home networks. It also covers issues related to the serial interface, one of the core technologies of such networks. Especially, IEEE 1394 offers good potential as a highly scalable, fast serial interface. It appears to have established its position as a DFS to connect a PC and its peripherals placed in the same room. Currently, many researchers, particularly from Japan, are considering the next phase of application of this serial interface: how to connect devices located in different rooms to form a home network. Yet in the US, where the home network market is beginning to emerge, there are already some system products available that use non-IEEE 1394 serial interfaces to form home networks utilizing telephone lines, power cables, and wireless communication. The basic concept of these products is called "No New Wire." What has given rise to this new concept? The current IEEE 1394-compliant cable is 6.1mm in diameter. Installing this wire (a "new wire") to connect several rooms will take much effort and spoils the appearance of the roomsf interior. And in order to fasten the room doors tightly, you need to drill some holes in the walls through which the wire runs. When building a new house, you can embed special conduits made for this wire and install the jacks branching from them in the respective rooms of the house, but this would cost significant additional money. In most houses in the US, each room has its own telephone jack, and almost every room has a power outlet. Wireless communication by definition requires no wiring. Power cables have a drawback of lower transmission rates, up to 10Mbps. Wireless communication and telephone lines can carry up to 100Mbps or so. Power cables are good enough to carry PC data among the rooms, and wireless and telephone line communications can carry compressed video signals of MPEG2 or equivalent. IEEE 1394 has a very high transmission rate of 400Mbps, but currently we see no room-to-room application that really requires such a high transmission rate. So why not have a technology that transfers data and videos over the existing wiring or through wireless communication? These will make it easier for general consumers to have a home network. PCs and CATV services, now covering so many households in the US, should facilitate the creation of a networking environment that covers both inside and outside of houses. Such an environment should in turn help the whole nation become an information society and enhance the competitiveness of its industries. This is a summary of the information society strategy of the US. The Serial Interface Research WG, recognizing the above situation, has surveyed the trends in home networks both in Japan and abroad to identify the possibilities of serial interfaces at present, and what they might be able to do in the future. This report is structured as follows: Chapter 2 reports on the standardization efforts related to home networks. We classified such networks into three categories, PC-centered, AV-centered, and utilities, and further divided each of these into wired and wireless. Thus, the chapter systematically describes the standardization activities of the related organizations and their current situations. Chapter 3 describes the standardization process and spread of IEEE 1394. It also covers some advanced applications of it, such as those to wireless networks, IP over 1394 and other Internet capabilities. Chapter 4 describes the serial interfaces other than IEEE 1394 based on the results of the survey abroad reported in the following chapter. To make the description practical, this chapter classifies such interfaces into three categories: telephone lines, power cables, and wireless. Chapter 5 is a report from our second survey abroad. We visited a venture business known for remarkable activities in each of the three categories above: telephone lines, power cables, and wireless. We surveyed the business strategies, technologies, and products of each of these ventures. At CES, we also surveyed how many buyers such products had found in the market. In addition, we visited some of the leading influential businesses of consumer electronics and computers to exchange opinions on the home network market. Chapter 6 briefly summarizes the results of the survey above and considers what we should do next year. Each nation has its own situation and therefore serial interfaces will be applied to home networks in different ways and such networks will develop through different processes in each nation. The factors involved include each nationfs legal regulations, housing situation, characteristics of its people, technological proficiency, and various others. The chapter points out that it is necessary to examine and confirm to what extent the advanced examples of the US can apply to Japan. Chapter 7 contains the following two short essays. We believe they have drawn a clear line between objective facts and subjective opinions. The researchers visited the sites where the action is and experienced it themselves, and so their opinions are perhaps better informed than those of the average person. At least, these two essays provide some helpful viewpoints, and we hope they are of interest to the readers.
: 7.1 "Progress of Information Technology Applications in the Home and the Roles of Telecommunication" (By Mr. Nobuaki Shimizu, a member of our committee) Figure 1-1 shows a model of the relationship among a home network, outside networks connected to it, and a RG (Residential Gateway).
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