A framework for abstracting complexities in service delivery platforms

No Thumbnail Available

Date

2010-04-01T10:35:20Z

Authors

Christian, Rolan

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

The telecommunication (telco) and Information Technology (IT) industries are converging into a single highly competitive market, where service diversity is the critical success factor. To provide diverse services, the telco network operator must evolve the traditional voice service centric network into a generic service centric network. An appropriate, but incomplete, architecture for this purpose is the Service Delivery Platform (SDP). The SDP represents an IT-based system that simplifies access to telco capabilities using services. SDP services offer technology independent interfaces to external entities. The SDP has vendor-specific interpretations that mix standards-based and proprietary interfaces to satisfy specific requirements. In addition, SDP architectural representations are technology-specific. To be widely adopted the SDP must provide standardised interfaces. This work contributes toward SDP standardisation by defining a technology independent and extendable architecture, called the SDP Framework. To define the framework we first describe telecom-IT convergence and a strategy to manage infrastructure integration. Second, we provide background on the SDP and its current limitations. Third, we treat the SDP as a complex system and determine a viewpoint methodology to define its framework. Fourth, we apply viewpoints by extracting concepts and abstractions from various standard-based telecom and IT technologies: the Intelligent Network (IN), Telecommunication Information Networking Architecture (TINA), Parlay, enhanced Telecommunications Operations Map (eTOM), Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Fifth, by extending the concepts and abstractions we define the SDP framework. The framework is based on a generic business model and reference model. The business model shows relationships between SDP, telco and external entities using business relationships points. The reference model extends the business model by formalising relationships as reference points. Reference points expand into interfaces exposed by services. Applications orchestrate service functions via their interfaces. Service and application distribution is abstracted by middleware that operates across business model domains. Services, interfaces, applications and middleware are managed in Generic Service Oriented Architectures (GSOA). Multiple layered GSOAs structure the SDP framework. Last, we implement the SDP framework using standard-based technologies with open service interfaces. The implementation proves framework concepts, promotes SDP standardisation and identifies research areas.

Description

Keywords

Citation

Collections

Endorsement

Review

Supplemented By

Referenced By