XML messaging for mobile devices: From requirements to implementation

  • Authors:

  • Jaakko Kangasharju;Tancred Lindholm;Sasu Tarkoma

  • Affiliations:

  • Helsinki Institute for Information Technology, P.O. Box 9800, 02015 TKK, Finland;Helsinki Institute for Information Technology, P.O. Box 9800, 02015 TKK, Finland;Helsinki Institute for Information Technology, P.O. Box 9800, 02015 TKK, Finland

  • Venue:
  • Computer Networks: The International Journal of Computer and Telecommunications Networking
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

In recent years, both the number and capabilities of mobile devices have increased rapidly to the point where the mobile world is becoming a significant part of the Internet. Another recent trend is the increase in XML use for communication between applications. However, the mobile world has been reluctant to adopt XML due to its verbosity and processing needs. We consider here the problem of providing an XML-based messaging system for mobile devices. We analyze the requirements that the environment places on such a system and elaborate on these requirements by concentrating on three components that seem most amenable to improvements, namely XML processing interfaces, XML serialization, and message transfer protocols. In tandem with the analysis we also present the design and implementation of our messaging system that addresses these requirements. Our experimentation of this system is extensive and performed completely on real devices and real wireless networks. Based on our implementation and experimentation we conclude that there is potential for improvement in XML messaging. The largest gains are achieved by using an asynchronous programming style and by using a compact serialization format. The improvements are also individually integratable into existing systems.