1、Report No. 50August 1996A Technical ReportonHigh-LevelNII/GII-RelatedConceptsDescriptionPrepared byT1P1.1Working GrouponProgram Management andNational/GlobalInformationInfrastructure (NII/GII)Committee T1 is sponsored by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry SolutionsAccredited by the America
2、n National Standards InstituteCopyright 1996 by Alliance for Telecommunications IndustrySolutionsAll rights reservedNo part of this publication may be reproduced in any formin an electronic retrieval system or otherwise, without theprior written permission of the publisher.A TECHNICAL REPORT ONHIGH-
3、LEVEL NII/GII-RELATED CONCEPTS DESCRIPTIONAbstractThis document identifies some high-level telecommunications network capabilities and functionalitiesand can be used within Committee T1 to guide and clarify NII/GII -related discussions, plans, andwork items and to assist in the development of detail
4、ed T1 standards to support the enhancement ofthe NII/GII. In support of this effort, an NII/GII model describing essential NII/GII functions andsome of the critical interconnection point s between these functions is provided. It is hoped that thisNII/GII model will effectively represent a functional
5、 view from which numerous physical views canbe developed.Document T1P1.1/96-019R1Prepared byT1P1.1Working Group on Program Management andNational/Global Information Infrastructure (NII/GII)Scope, Purpose, and Application1.1. PurposeThe US Government has recognized and championed the case for an indu
6、stry -led focused pursuit ofenhancing the National Information Infrastructure (NII). The NII is characterized by the integrationand interconnection of resources, via a ubiquitous set of interoperable networks. This infrastructurewill integrate four essential elements: communications networks; inform
7、ation appliances(e.g., computers); information; and people, and will have the ability to transmit information in avariety of formats, including image, data, and voice.Similar to the motivations behind the evolution of current infrastructures towards an enhanceddomestic NII, there is also a need to e
8、volve global infrastructures towards an enhanced GlobalInformation Infrastructure (GII). As with the current NII/GII, telecommunications plays a criticalrole. As such, it is imperative that the telecommunications industry take an active role in helping toenhance the NII/GII.It is clear that the evol
9、ution towards an enhanced NII/GII will be driven in large part by standardswork to ensure interoperability, interworking, integration, and operation of various media andservices. Committee T1, as a prime contributor to the global telecommunications standardizationarena, will play a pivotal role in t
10、he evolution towards an enhanced NII/GII.The purpose of this document is to provide Committee T1s perspectives of high -levelNII/GII-related concepts.1.2. ScopeThis document presents some high-level concepts and functionalities needed to support the realizationof the NII/GII. However, it is not expe
11、cted to present all -inclusive detailed specifications for theNII/GII or the telecommunications portion of the NII/GII. Rather, this document is intended to beused as a guiding input document for the development of detailed T1 standards to support theenhancement of the NII/GII.1.3. OverviewThis docu
12、ment identifies some high-level telecommunications network capabilities and functionalitiesand can be used within Committee T1 to guide and clarify NII/GII -related discussions, plans, andwork items. In support of this effort, an NII/GII model describing essential NII/GII functions andsome of the cr
13、itical interconnection point s between these functions is provided. It is hoped that thisNII/GII model will effectively represent a functional view from which numerous physical views canbe developed.1.4 AbbreviationsAIN Advanced Intelligent NetworkTECHNICAL REPORT NO. 50- 2 -DAVIC Digital Audio Visu
14、al CouncilDTMF Dual-Tone Multi-FrequencyGII Global Information InfrastructureIITF Information Infrastructure Task ForceIN Intelligent NetworkIP Internet ProtocolISDN Integrated Services Digital NetworkIXC Interexchange CarrierLEC Local Exchange CarrierNII National Information InfrastructureNIST Nati
15、onal Institute of Science and TechnologyNRC Network Related ControlOAM offerreasonable protection against fraud and other misuse; and can be accepted by the user, vendor,and financial communities. Security capabilities will be required at all levels within the NII/GII to ensure adequate protection,a
16、ccessibility, and integrity of information. The magnitude of the security issues may not be wellTECHNICAL REPORT NO. 50- 4 -known, especially for the distributed, multilevel environment of the NII/GII. To minimize risk,comprehensive security requirements will need to be developed that can be applied
17、 to the NII/GII. 1To meet the basic needs of individuals and many businesses, some of the fundamental securitycapabilities include: Identification and authentication of the parties providing and using services. Access control to restrict access to information and/or resources based on the identity o
18、f theuser. Assurance of the inte grity of conveyed information. Information integrity ensures that theinformation received is the same as that provided at the source, and that the information has notbeen subject to unwanted interference or interception. Signaling capabilities will be needed to estab
19、lish connections and to exchange information tosupport network and user information access and exchange needs. User Portability and Mobility capabilities will be needed to ensure that users will be able tochange physical locations, terminal types, applications, or service providers while retaining k
20、eyattributes such as their network identity (e.g., numbers, service profiles).3 Functional ModelThis section describes a high -level NII/GII functional model for use within Committee T1 to guideand clarify NII/GII -related discussions, plans, and work items. This functional model , shown inFigure 1,
21、 is based on the descriptions of essential NII/GII functions and some of the criticalfunctional interconnection point s between these functions . Note that Figure 1 represents a functionalmodel, and therefore does not imply any physical implementation. In fact, some of the functions thatare typicall
22、y combined in a single element in current communications architectures are broken intoseparate functionality “building blocks” within Figure 1 to indicate a functional separation, but notnecessarily suggesting a physical separation.1 A universal security policy that would ensure that different commu
23、nities of interest do not establish uniquepolicies and associated security services that create an environment of multiple security methodologiesmight be beneficial. While it is not within the realm of Committee T1 to define such a security policy,standards efforts within Committee T1 will need to b
24、e flexible enough to support such policy(ies) when/ifthey are developed.TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 50- 5 -CommunicationsNetworkPeopleInformationService/ResourceFunctional Interconnection Point Outside Scope of T1Functional Interconnection Point Within Scope of T1 (See Section 3.2)Network RelatedControlSer
25、vice RelatedControl591 687InformationService/ResourceInformationApplianceInformationAppliance432CommunicationsNetworkApplications5 55ApplicationsManagement10ManagementSEENOTE (A)Note (A): This functional interconnection point is intended to illustrateinteraction of a person with management functiona
26、lity via aninformation appliance. It does not reflect management entity controlof information appliances.Figure 1; High-level NII/GII Functional Model3.1. NII/GII Functionality3.1.1 PeoplePeople typically represent the beneficiary of services offered by the system. In this model, people areshown as
27、“NII/GII functionality“ to ensure that human -technology interface methods and services arerobust enough to serve user needs. In addition, in some cases, people may also provide servicesdirectly via the NII/GII in a similar way that directory service operators often provide services overthe current
28、phone system. In this mode, a person might actually function similar to an InformationService/Resource.TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 50- 6 -3.1.2 Communications NetworkThe Communications Network functionality represents an aggregation of network functions. It isresponsible for accepting information flows and
29、 transmitting the information, within acceptableand/or pre-negotiated error bounds , from a source location to a destination location. Examples ofcurrent communications networks are broadcast radio and television, local communications networks(e.g., telephone networks and cable distribution networks
30、), long distance carrier networks, wirelessdata networks, satellite networks, value -added networks, and private corporate networks. Each of thecommunications network technologies has a different set of advantages and disadvantages, leading totheir use in different situations. The NII/GII will likel
31、y need to expect that the diversity incommunications technologies, markets, and organizations will continue, but the objective of“universal connectivity“ for some set of services leads to the need for interchange among providersfor each of the communications technologies.The demarcation between two
32、instances of the Communications Network functionality may bedefined based on geographical concerns, administrative partitioning, network technology, or otherconsiderations. Network elements that could be used to provide the Communications Networkfunctionality may include systems such as switches, cr
33、oss connects, and transmission systems. In thesimplest case, the Communications Network functionality may be represented by a single switchingfabric. The Communications Network functionality also supports requests for establishment oftransport connections between access points of any subnetworks, de
34、composing these into lower levelactions within elements of the subnetwork(s) (e.g., the switching fabric).3.1.3 Information ApplianceInformation appliances are the equipment by which an end user interacts with the NII/GII. Thesecould have input and display capabilities for communication with other u
35、sers or service providers,processing capabilities, and interfaces to communications networks and services. Informationappliances could also be equipment that operates without direct input or interaction with a user.Information appliances could be single -purpose or multipurpose devices structured as
36、 a platform forsupporting various applications. Current examples include computers, cameras, pagers, scanners,keyboards, telephones, televisions and set -top boxes, fax machines, and remote sensors.3.1.4 Information Service/ResourceThe Information Service/Resource functionality provides general -pur
37、pose functions to supportservices, application, and/or networking. Potential examples of this functionality in thetelecommunications network include voice recognition systems, data translation, Dual -ToneMulti-Frequency (DTMF) detection systems, voice -mail systems, and video servers.3.1.5 Applicati
38、onsApplications are the means that provide value -added functionality for people as end -users of theNII/GII. Applications often reside as software on other distinct NII/GII elements, but functionallymay be distributed across several NII/GII entities. Examples of services that make use ofapplication
39、s include voice messaging, financial service, audio teleconferencing, database access, andvideo-on-demand.TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 50- 7 -3.1.6 Service Related ControlThe Service Related Control (SRC) functionality is responsible for establishing, modifying, andterminating the environment in which an ap
40、plication or service will operate (sometimes referred to asa “session”). This functionality will manage the overall service environment as seen by users (the“People“) via their Information Appliances , and might provide some form of integration andadaptation of the services offered elsewhere in the
41、NII/GII. For example, this functionality could beused to coordinate “remote control functions“ such as fast -forward and pause for a movie -on-demandservice.The SRC functionality uses the services of the Network Related Control functionality to obtain thenetwork resources needed to realize transport
42、 of information between end-users of a communicationsession.3.1.7 Network Related ControlThe Network Related Control (NRC) functionality provides control functions for networkconfiguration, connection configuration, and information routing. It accomplishes this by makingrequests to the Communication
43、s Network functionality, sometimes in support of the services itprovides to the SRC functionality. In this manner, high-level connection configuration is handled aspart of the NRC functionality, while the actual connection establishment and switching functions arehandled as part of the Communication
44、s Network functionality. Such high-level connectionconfiguration can be used to request the establishment of links between subnetwork connections toform an end-to-end connection. By consolidating the configuration capability, the NRC functionalitycan request allocation of resources in such a way as
45、to optimize overall cost, performance, and/orother attributes of a connection.In addition to its network and connection configuration capabilities, t he control mechanisms providedby the NRC functionality could provide advanced capabilities such as custom addressing or routing,updating links to mobi
46、le or relocated destinations or resources, and the integration and managementof diverse applications and services.3.1.8 ManagementThe Management functionality is responsible for operations, administration, maintenance, andprovisioning (OAM&P) functions of the NII/GII, including the ability to provid
47、e charginginformation for use of facilities and services. The Management functionality can be considered as anoverlay function that has relationships with most of the other NII/GII functionalities.TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 50- 8 -3.2 Functional Interconnection PointsThe High-level NII/GII Functional Mode
48、l illustrated in Figure 1 identifies ten functionalinterconnection points that are felt to be within the scope of Committee T1. 1 Each functionalinterconnection point is briefly described below.Even though these functional interconnection points depict points at which interfaces and protocolsmay be
49、defined or are already defined , this should not imply that they will be uniquely defined ateach point. To meet the varying needs of different users, service providers, applications, andcommunications networks, a large and evolving set of interfaces and protocols will likely need to becreated for each functional interconnection point . In addition to these interfaces and protocols, it maybe necessary for T1 to define objects (documents, contracts, tokens, etc.) that are exchanged withinthe NII/GII and the interexchange formats in which these objects are coded for exchange.a130 Inform
