Software implementation of the HomeMAC: QoS-aware MAC protocol for the home network

摘要

Progress in the fields of broadband access network and information appliances has lead to the advent of new network area called Home Network. In 1999, HomePNA2.0 using phone line has been proposed, we believe that it is one of promising solutions because of cost-effectiveness. It is not able to guarantee the QoS, however, due to adaptation of the mature IEEE8O2.3 CSMA/CD technology used for Ethernet. Thus, we have presented the design of a new MAO protocol for the Home Network called HomeMAC and evaluated empirically. In this paper, the software based HomeMAC is implemented by programming the kernel space of FreeBSD. HomeMAC features a hybrid CSMA/CD-Timed Token protocol which combines the CSMA/CD for non-real-time traffic with timed token protocol for real-time traffic. In addition, by providing flexible bandwidth allocation based on QoS Level Table (QLT), HomeMAC can be served high QoS covering whole offered load. Prom the results of evaluation of software implementation, we verify that HomeMAC can support low delay, low loss, and low jitter to the real-time traffic by the reservation of the bandwidth.