On‐board switching architectures for multimedia satellite systems

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Buerkle, Wolfgang | Trefz, Manfred

Affiliations: Bosch SatCom GmbH, Gerberstrasse 49, 71522 Backnang, Germany E‐mail: {Wolfgang.Buerkle, Manfred.Trefz}@de.bosch.com

Note: [] Corresponding author. Tel.: + 49 7191 930 1456; Fax: + 49 7191 930 21456.

Abstract: Flexible on‐board switching plays an important role in future Ka‐band systems. On‐board switching is required to establish the interconnectivity between the various beams of the satellite and to allow for an efficient use of the limited spectral resources. Due to long duration of the operational phase, on‐board switching must have the flexibility to support an evolving multiservice scenario. In this paper we present architectures for on‐board fast‐packet switches based on label switching technology. An ATM‐based on‐board switch with a shared bus architecture is described. This switch is suitable for a satellite system with medium throughput requirements. The development of components and technologies for high capacity switches with a throughput of 5–10 Gbit/s, within a German technology development programme is presented. Architectural design options are discussed. Both switches support a flexible resource assignment in both the uplink and the downlink and Quality of Service (QoS) by means of suitable DAMA protocols. Special emphasis is laid on flexibility, modularity and fault tolerance.

Journal: Space Communications, vol. 17, no. 1,2,3, pp. 215-229, 2001