Key features of satellite communications such as wide-scale coverage, broadcast/multicast support and high availability, together with significant amounts of new satellite capacity coming online, anticipate new opportunities for satellite communications services to become an integral part of upcoming 5G systems. This chapter examines the realization of end-to-end (E2E) traffic engineering (TE) in a combined terrestrial-satellite network embracing software-defined networking (SDN) technologies. The focus is placed on a mobile backhaul network scenario where a satellite component is used to complement the terrestrial infrastructure in a way that E2E paths across both satellite and terrestrial links can be centrally computed and rearranged dynamically at flow-level granularity in front of link congestion and failure events. The chapter describes the architecture of such SDN-enabled satellite ground segment system and presents illustrative TE workflows. Furthermore, sustained in the proposed architectural framework, an SDN-based TE application for hybrid satelliteterrestrial backhaul networks is developed and its performance assessed under diverse scenario conditions.

Chapter Contents:

• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 SDN-based functional architectures for satellite networks
• 3.2.1 Foundations on SDN architectures
• 3.2.2 Satellite network architecture
• 3.2.3 SDN-enabled satellite network architecture
• 3.2.4 Candidate SDN data models and interfaces
• 3.2.4.1 ETSI BSM SI-SAP
• 3.2.4.2 ONF OpenFlow
• 3.2.4.3 ONF Microwave Information Model
• 3.2.4.4 ONF Transport API
• 3.2.4.5 YANG models
• 3.3 Integration approach for E2E SDN-based TE in satellite-terrestrial backhaul networks
• 3.3.1 Network architecture framework
• 3.3.2 Illustrative TE workflows
• 3.3.2.1 Flow activation with optimal path computation
• 3.3.2.2 Flow update to overcome congestion/failures
• 3.4 Illustrative SDN-based TE application
• 3.4.1 Traffic and link characterization for TE
• 3.4.2 TE decision-making logic
• 3.4.3 Performance assessment
• 3.4.3.1 Homogeneous spatial traffic distribution
• 3.4.3.2 Heterogeneous spatial traffic distribution
• 3.4.3.3 Satellite backup for terrestrial link failures and transportable BSs
• 3.5 Concluding remarks and future recommendations
• References

Inspec keywords: satellite links; 5G mobile communication; software defined networking; telecommunication network reliability; telecommunication traffic; broadcast communication; multicast communication

Other keywords: hybrid satellite-terrestrial backhaul networks; flow-level granularity; failure events; SDN-enabled SatCom networks; mobile backhaul network scenario; 5G systems; wide-scale coverage; satellite capacity; software-defined networking technologies; satellite communications; SDN-based TE application; E2E TE; E2E paths; SDN-enabled satellite ground segment system; end-to-end traffic engineering; satellite-terrestrial integration; satellite component; SDN technologies; multicast support; terrestrial infrastructure; broadcast support; satellite links; terrestrial links; link congestion; TE workflows

Subjects: Reliability; Mobile radio systems; Satellite communication systems; Computer communications; Computer networks and techniques