OPtIMA: An Open Protocol Programming Interface Model and Architecture for Reconfiguration in Soft-radios

Abstract

Despite increasing numbers of software-radio implementations reported recently, there remains a lack of complete formal design methodology for implementation of these radios. Most implementations concentrate efforts on reconfiguration of physical hardware via proprietary application programming interfaces. At the networking level, projects such as the Radio API (GloMo) and the IEEE 1520 are the prime examples of the efforts to open up the protocol stacks and to introduce open platforms and service programmability. Software reconfigurable radios will also benefit from open implementations and access to protocol functionalities based on standardised programming interfaces within a complete framework. This article introduces an object-oriented software framework that splits classical layers (protocols) into two distinct parts: ‘prolayers’ and active ‘pro-interfaces’ to achieve software reconfiguration. Benefits of this approach are the facilitation of the exchange of single protocols (pro-layers) during run-time, run-time adaptation between protocols as well as management of protocol extensions. An example implementation with application specific protocol extensions for QoS signalling incorporated within a stock-trading multimedia communication application, is presented in this article.