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e-home service platforms Standardisation for easy development of e-home applications
The evolution of home gateways has gone through a number of development cycles starting from simple modems and expanding to routers as the number of PCs in homes increased. The latest development is the integration of software platforms into residential gateways making them a complete service platform and execution environment for residential broadband services and networked applications. Thus, the residential gateway has become much more than a simple gateway to the Internet - it is also a digital hub of the home network and a server platform for new applications. This tutorial gives an overview on some of the major projects and standardisation efforts in the field of e-home service platforms. Open Service Gateway Initiative (OSGi)The primary goal of OSGi is to define and foster rapid adoption of open specifications for the delivery of managed broadband services over Internet to local networks and devices in homes, cars and other environments. The OSGi Service Platform offers standardised Application Programming Interfaces (API's) which enable third party service providers to implement Today, there are over ten certified commercial OSGi Service Platform manufacturers and service providers, who start to arise to the market. Multimedia Home Platform (MHP)The Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) defines a generic API for all types of digital television terminals. Several versions of MHP, called profiles, exist. Each version brings something new to the software platform. Currently available implementations enable basic usage of Java applications and interactivity through a return channel. Future versions will include local storage features and optional dvb-html support. Later on application delivery via the return channel will be introduced and the platform will move towards a fully compliant e-mail and web-browser terminal. Microsoft .NETMicrosoft .NET is a language-neutral environment
for writing programmes that can easily and securely inter-operate.
The core of the .NET architecture is the XML Web services, which are run in the .NET framework. The services are small, reusable applications, which are written in XML or another suitable programming language. They allow data to be communicated across the Internet between otherwise unconnected sources that are enabled to host or act on them. Smart clients or devices, for example, can host and apply XML Web services that allow data to be shared anywhere, and XML Web services can share data from a server application to a desktop or mobile computing device via the Internet. CableHomeCableHome is a project conducted by Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs) and its member companies. CableHome specifies how home networking equipment will interact with the cable operator's system. ConclusionHome networks come in different shapes and sizes, as the needs and preferences of each family are unique. To handle the huge diversity of connected devices and technologies, some unifying elements are needed. In terms of networking it is relatively simple: the unifying element is the Internet Protocol (IP). On the software side the answer tends to be open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Standardised APIs enable applications to run on almost any hardware and operating system - as long as the APIs are supported by the device. This makes the application development rapid and easy. Interoperability and easy reuse of existing software parts are further benefits. From the operator point of view, interoperable devices and software are absolutely necessary, but the real task is to manage the delivery and execution of e-home applications. Fortunately, service platforms such as OSGi and CableHome address these management issues seriously. They offer tools, which enable and support the customer in having an enjoyable home-networking experience - My Home Sphere. You can find more information on the following Web sites: Please send us your comments on this article. |
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Java-based services for home and business use. The service platform supports a wide variety of networking standards and can be implemented on many different devices varying from small, embedded systems to large servers. Devices include, for example, Java-enabled mobile terminals, broadband modems and access points, residential gateways, set-top-boxes, and car navigation systems. Thus, the OSGi Service Platform helps operators to achieve their objectives by providing an open platform for rapid development and deployment of new services.
The open standard is developed by Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), a global standardisation organisation for broadcasting transmissions. MHP extends the existing DVB transmission and broadcast standards to cover also interactive services.
Rather
than targeting a particular hardware/OS combination, programmes will instead run
wherever .NET is implemented. .NET forms a platform for so called `Web
services'. 
A cable operator may securely manage, diagnose, repair, and upgrade CableHome devices built in accordance with the CableHome specification. The goal of the CableHome architecture is to establish a home network infrastructure to manage the delivery of high-quality, cable-based multimedia services. This architecture concentrates on the management of home networks as well as their quality-of-service and security mechanisms.