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| EMagazine Volume 5 Issue 2 April / May 2000 |
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Interview - John Barr,
President While most standards define a single environment for building applications, the OSGi specification allows applications and services to be defined. This utilizes a combination of local networking solutions that are expected to be present in the home. UpnP, HAVi, LonWorks, and emNET devices can be easily controlled together to create a compelling solution for the end-user. |
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1. What is a services gateway?
The Services Gateway (SG) is an embedded server that is inserted into the network to connect the external Internet to internal clients. The SG is inserted between the Service Provider's network and the home or SOHO / ROBO LAN and client devices. The SG separates the topology into the external network and the internal network. Services are delivered from trusted Service Providers on the external network and are delivered to the SG or internal clients. The SG is typically a zero-admin system that is secure and functions as a gateway between these internal and external components. The OSGi specification includes APIs for service cradle-to-grave life cycle management, inter service dependencies, data management, device management, client access, resource management, and security. Using these APIs clients load network based services on demand from the Service Provider and have the SG manage the installation, versioning and configuration of these services.
2. What services will be delivered using the gateway?
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- Energy Management Service to manage the peaks and valleys in energy usage in an office building. Also, this service will provide for automated metering, remote control, and home energy usage optimization. In this scenario the services gateway is providing a coordination point to allow several JINI and other device technologies to interact and be managed from the utilities central office.
- Security Service to remotely monitor and control security services utilizing standard web infrastructure. These security services could be as complex as that used in a large office building or as small as those provided to a home. In this scenario the gateway will be the focal point for connecting the central office security systems to the individual pieces of security equipment on the premise.
- Health Care Service that provides remote monitoring of patient state, metering of medication and emergency alarm services. Here the gateway can maintain a continuous connection to the health care workers at the hospital as well as to mobile health care workers, such as ambulances and doctors. Here the gateway is used to monitor patient health care equipment and notify health care workers of significant activities.
- VPN services to optimize connections to the central office in a secure fashion and to allow for zero administration of SOHO / ROBO clients.
- Home Automation Service to provide a centralized point for automation of home entertainment and utility systems. The gateway will provide an integration and management point to allow JINI and/or HAVi devices to be deployed and managed.
- Entertainment Services that provide pay as you play advanced Internet based entertainment services. This includes prefetching and caching stock / news feeds, on demand audio and video services as well as traditional financial services. Here the gateway manages the connection and billing between the online service provider and the in home delivery equipment.
3. How does a Services Gateway relate to a Residential Gateway?
A Residential Gateway has been defined by some network operators as a point where distribution networks are terminated and pre-defined network services (phone, video, Internet access) are broken out to a connection point in the home. A Services Gateway is a point where external network policies are mapped onto internal network policies to create an environment where local devices can easily interoperate without being concerned about how external services are delivered, provisioned or accounting of service usage is done. It also is a platform that allows new services to be hosted as required by the end-user.
4. What kind of hardware / software interface does a Services Gateway require?
No equipment is specifically required in the OSGi specification. A Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network will work, as well as standard interfaces to peripheral devices.
5. Who will benefit from the service gateway and how?
- Consumers will benefit by reducing the costs of utility services, such as energy and security. Also, consumers will benefit be having a faster and integrated home LAN. Finally, consumers will benefit by having access to a wider range of advanced network based services.
- Businesses that are end users will benefit for the same reasons as consumers.
- Service providers will benefit because a new value point will be inserted into the home that they can manage and deliver services to that is Operation Systems independent. Service providers will be able to brand and deploy services to an open standard based platform.
- Service developers will benefit from the OSG be having a consistent open standard to the delivery of their vertical services. Service Providers become part of new markets, protect current business, enter new value chains, build customer loyalty through selling multiple Internet based communications services per subscriber under one brand. The real-time, services economy is coming and the Open Services Gateway Initiative is a key market enabler.
- Equipment manufactures that are developing using the JINI or HAVi standards will benefit from the gateways management and integration capabilities, such as bridging to JINI. Finally, The Open Services Gateway Initiative allows product manufacturers to develop products based on open industry standards based on broad participation and inclusiveness rather than closed, proprietary technologies or wait for a fragmented market to take off. Furthermore, by being able to rely on the existing Java infrastructure, new products and services may be offered at a marginal cost rather than having to invent or implement the entire technology chain. · Network operators benefit from increased traffic volumes in the wired or wireless telecom network, thus leveraging investments already made in his infrastructure. In addition they are able to offer additional value by bringing new services to his existing subscribers. They can also act as the broker of services from a multitude of service providers.
6. What exactly is being standardized by OSGi?
The OSGi specification is a collection of APIs that define a services gateway. The specification defines a set of Core and Optional APIs that together define an OSG compliant gateway. Where possible the OSGi is leveraging existing Java standards. Where there are standards that apply that are not Java based, the group's work focuses on integrating with these standards.
- The core APIs address service delivery, dependency and life cycle management, resource management, and remote service administration. All of the core APIs are either contributed by a member or developed by the OSG technical working groups.
- The optional set of APIs define mechanisms for exporting resources to an HTTP-based web server, client interaction with the gateway and data management.
7. There are many residential standards and initiatives. How is the Open Services Gateway Initiative unique?
The Open Services Gateway Initiative is complimentary with most other residential standards or initiatives currently underway. The Open Services Gateway Initiative is focused on the application layer and open to almost any protocol, transport or device layers and thus inclusive rather than exclusive of such. Where there is an existing Java standard, such as JINI, the OSG can use it. Where there is a standard that is not Java based, such as HAVi or Universal Plug and Play, the OSG is focusing on bridging these standards in a consistent fashion.
While most standards define a single environment for building applications, the OSGi specification allows applications and services to be defined. This utilizes a combination of local networking solutions that are expected to be present in the home. UpnP, HAVi, LonWorks, and emNET devices can be easily controlled together to create a compelling solution for the end-user.
John Barr (john.barr@motorola.com ) is the director of Personal Area Networks Systems Architecture and Technology for Motorola. He is currently President of the Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi). He has been with Motorola for 15 years working on real-time distributed systems, low power system and software technologies, DSP development methodologies, software systems, and the convergence of computing and communications. He is responsible for strategic relationships with consortia and standards development groups (e.g., IEEE, OSGi, W3C and IETF) to ensure that the Motorola Communications Enterprise incorporates Internet technologies that fundamentally change the way people communicate and interact while mobile. John has a Ph.D. from UCLA and previously was a staff engineer at Hughes Aircraft and a professor of Computer Science at the University of Montana.
