Integrating multimedia communications into an MMS environment

  • Authors:

  • Q Wu;T Divoux;F Lepage

  • Affiliations:

  • Université Henri Poincaré, CRAN-CNRS ESA 7039, Nancy I, BP 239, 54506, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France;Université Henri Poincaré, CRAN-CNRS ESA 7039, Nancy I, BP 239, 54506, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France;Université Henri Poincaré, CRAN-CNRS ESA 7039, Nancy I, BP 239, 54506, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France

  • Venue:
  • Computer Communications
  • Year:
  • 1999

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Abstract

This paper presents an approach of network resource management in a heterogeneous manufacturing LANs environment in order to integrate multimedia services. The primary objective is to define a uniform communication interface with which the multimedia functionality can be integrated into the distributed manufacturing applications. The proposed model extends the Virtual Manufacturing Device (VMD) concept defined in the international standard Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS) in order to virtualise the communication systems. A virtual server, named Virtual Communication Support (VCS), is defined to provide the transparent services on the QoS (Quality of Service) parameters negotiation, the communication channel establishment/termination and QoS monitoring in a standardised constrained industrial communications framework. Multimedia application and traditional manufacturing applications have to co-exist in a standardised MMS environment. Furthermore the VCS model provides the support for the possible real-time extension of MMS. A platform of implementation, named PLACOMAP, is presented to illustrate a multimedia enhanced manufacturing application in a heterogeneous communication context where different types of networks, ATM, ETHERNET and MAP are involved.