NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS

REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Satellite networks

Alina Badescu

POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest

December 6, 2021

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model is the

first complete reference model developed as an international
standard; principles:
a layer defines a level of abstraction which should be different
from any other layer.
each layer performs a well-defined function.
the function of each layer should be chosen to lead to
internationally standardised protocols.
the layer boundaries should be chosen to minimise information
flow across the interface.

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Layer 1: The Physical layer specifies electrical interfaces and the

physical transmission medium. In a satellite network, layer 1
consists of modulation and channel coding techniques which
enable the bit stream to be transmitted in specific formats and
allocated frequency bands. The radio links act as the physical
transmission media.
Layer 2: The Data Link layer provides a line that appears free of
undetected transmission errors to the network layer.A special
sub-layer called Medium Access Control (MAC), deals with the
sharing of the physical resource between communicating terminals.
This is the subject of the multiple access techniques (FDMA,
TDMA, CDMA, etc.) and demand assignment multiple access
(DAMA). Broadcasting networks have additional issues in the data
link layer, e.g. how to control access to the shared medium.

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Layer 3: The Network layer routes packets from source to

destination. The functions include network addressing, congestion
control, accounting, disassembling and reassembling, coping with
heterogeneous network protocols and technologies. In a
broadcasting network, the routing problem is simple as the
destination is the same for all packets. The routing protocol is
often thin or even non-existent.
Layer 4: The Transport layer provides a reliable (error-free) data
delivery service for processes utilising the transmitted data at
higher layers. It is the highest layer of the services associated with
the provider of communication services, guaranteeing ordered
delivery, error control, flow control and congestion control.

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

The higher layers are related to user data services:

Layer 5: The Session layer provides the means for cooperating

presentation entities to organise and synchronise their dialogue and
to manage the data exchange.
Layer 6: The Presentation layer is concerned with data
transformation, data formatting and data syntax.
Layer 7: The Application layer is the highest layer of the ISO
architecture. It provides services to application processes.

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

IP reference model
the main part of the Internet protocol reference model is the suite
of transmission control protocols (TCP) and Internet protocols (IP)
known as the TCP/IP protocols. The Internet protocols allow the
construction of very large networks with little central management.
TCP/IP is composed of different protocols at different layers: IP,
transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol
(UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), simple mail transfer
protocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), protocol to
interface terminal and applications (Telnet), real-time transfer
protocol (RTP),real-time transfer control protocol (RTCP)

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Figure: The Internet protocol reference model

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Satellite networks are used to provide two major types of service:

TV services (associated with broadcast services) and
telecommunication services (associated with two-way
communication services, symmetric-telephony or
asymmetric-Internet access).
a satellite network relies on a ground segment and utilises some
satellite on-board resources (through the satellite channels that are
used). The ground segment is composed of a user segment and a
control and management segment.
 user segment: one finds satellite terminals (ST) connected to
the end-user customer premises equipment (CPE), directly or
through a LAN and hub or gateway stations - network access
terminals (NAT)- connected to terrestrial networks

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

satellite terminals are earth stations connected to CPE, sending

carriers to or receiving carriers from a satellite. They constitute the
satellite access points of a network; when the satellite network is a
DVB-RCS network (designed according to the DVB-RCS
standard), satellite terminals are also called Return Channel
System Terminals (RCST).

CPE are also called user terminals (UT) and they include
equipment such as telephone sets, television sets and personal
computers. User terminals are independent of network technology
and can be used for terrestrial as well as satellite networks.

the gateway earth station (GW) provides internet working

functions between the satellite network and the Internet or a
terrestrial network.

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

The control and management segment consists of:

a mission and network management centre (MNMC) in charge of

non-real-time, high-level management functions for all the satellite
networks that are deployed in the coverage of a satellite.
network management centres (NMC), also called interactive
network management centres (INMC), for non-real-time
management functions related to a single satellite network.
network control centres (NCC) for real-time control of the
connections and associated resources allocated to terminals that
constitute one satellite network.

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Figure: Satellite network

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Satellite network topology

1. In a meshed network, every node is able to communicate with
every other node; several carriers can simultaneously access a given
satellite (satellite access is FDMA) and subsets of these carriers
simultaneously access a given transponder (transponder access can
be FDMA, TDMA, CDMA or a combination).

Figure: MeshSatellite
Alina Badescu network networks
 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

2. A star satellite network consists of earth stations which can

communicate only with a central earth station called the hub.

Figure: Mesh network

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Types of link

unidirectional links, where one or several stations only transmit

and other earth stations only receive, and bidirectional links, where
earth stations both transmit and receive.

unidirectional links are usually associated with a star topology, in

satellite broadcast-oriented networks.

bidirectional links can be associated with a star or meshed

topology and are required to transport any two-way
telecommunication services.

Alina Badescu Satellite networks

 NETWORK REFERENCE MODELS AND PROTOCOLS
REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FOR SATELLITE NETWORKS

Connectivity characterises the way nodes of a network are

connected to each other.

Figure: Mesh network

Alina Badescu Satellite networks