Abstracts of Magazine FUJITSU 2003-7 (VOL.54, NO.4)

Special Issue : Research and Development

• Dynamic Coordination of Web Services

The amount of useful information and number of services on the Internet have reached the point where people cannot easily use or handle the information and services. As a result, it is now necessary to develop a system that can coordinate information and services on the Internet and present them to users in user-friendly forms. However, conventional technologies are not advanced enough to realize a system that automatically performs dynamic coordination of the Internet's ever-changing information and services. We should therefore develop new, more advanced technologies. Fujitsu Laboratories is working in several technology areas to develop a system for dynamic coordination of Internet information and services. This paper gives an overview of the Web services and the Semantic Web that will form the basis of dynamic coordination. Then, this paper describes dynamic coordination from various aspects such as personal service coordination, portlet coordination, ubiquitous coordination, and information coordination.

• Seamless Roaming Technology

Seamless roaming over heterogeneous networks is regarded as a key technology for ubiquitous networks. Seamless roaming technology enables users to use services on the Internet without interruption when moving between different types of access networks, including wireless LANs and cellular networks. Issues in seamless roaming are the automatic selection of and connection to the optimal network and the preservation of communication sessions when switching networks. In this article, we describe solutions to these issues that use agents for automatic network selection and Mobile IP for session preservation. We also present our technology based on hierarchical Mobile IP that realizes fast and scalable roaming for real-time services.

• Network Security - Integrated Intrusion Detection and Protection -

As the environments in which networks and computers are used have evolved, so too have the methods being employed to gain unauthorized access. As a result, conventional security measures are becoming increasingly ineffective against these newer methods of attack. Therefore, to handle the wide variety of security threats, it is necessary to not only develop individual measures to guard against novel unauthorized access methods, but also to integrate the individual measures. In this paper, we first list the status and requirements of the countermeasure techniques currently being used. We then outline the technologies that are being used to keep systems secure, detect attack omens, prevent worms from spreading, and integrate individual security measures.

• Biometric Authentication Technology

Biometric authentication is a technology for identifying a person from the person's physical characteristics. It is essentially a high-security authentication technology that is free from the problems of forgotten, lost, and stolen authentication keys. Fingerprint authentication, which features high identifiability, has already been put to extensive practical use with personal computers and other applications. Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a compact network authentication server that combines both high performance and easy installation. Fujitsu Laboratories is also striving to commercialize a palm authentication device that ensures highly accurate authentication. This device enables contactless input of palm vein patterns (users simply place a hand over a sensor) and is expected to be a flexible, user-friendly authentication system. Face recognition and voice authentication systems that are also being developed will perform "natural" authentication: that is, users will be authenticated without being aware of the authentication process. This paper describes the biometric authentication work that has recently been carried out at Fujitsu Laboratories.

• Technologies of Secure Identification Devices

The recent growth of electronic commerce over the Internet and the supply chain management system require secure devices for identifying persons or an object whose position and status needs to be input to an integrated information system via a communication system. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is attracting attention as a way to identify multiple objects to existing computer networks from remote positions. FRAM device technology can enhance communication ranges and speeds and reduce the cost of RFID systems. Smart cards have begun to be used as personal identification devices in e-Japan and banking fields. One of the most important security concerns is the protection of personal information. Power analysis attack is a robust technology for retrieving the secret key stored in smart cards, and Fujitsu Laboratories is researching the latest attack and protection methods to extend the possibilities of smart cards. This paper describes some of the technologies of secure identification devices that Fujitsu and Fujitsu Laboratories have developed.

• Internet-based Robot: Mobile Agent Robot Of Next-generation (MARON-1)

Robots have recently begun to be used in personal as well as industrial applications. Such entertainment robots as pet-type robots are already commercially available. Moreover, the use of robots in daily life, welfare, medical, and public fields is expected to increase in the future, with robots eventually supporting our everyday lives at home. Conversely, few practical robots have been commercialized. As the initial step toward realizing a practical robot, we have developed a new Internet-based robot - the Mobile Agent Robot Of Next-generation (MARON-1) - especially for home use. The MARON-1 can be remotely controlled by mobile phone to operate home electronic appliances or monitor household security. This paper describes the functions performed by this robot, its hardware and software configuration, and the network for operating the robot.

• Utility Computing Technology

Internet data centers (IDCs) have been providing various business and services in recent years, and utility computing technology (UCT) is expected to become the new operating method for IDCs of future outsourcing businesses. By using this technology, users will be able to receive stable, high-quality services without having to make needless investments, even when there is an unexpected increase in the volume of access or business. This is achieved by sharing IT resources at the center and assigning the necessary servers and network resources to heavy-load services. This paper describes the benefits that UCT can provide to center users and the basic requirements for IDCs. It also describes the components of UCT, including the technologies for system monitoring, IT resource reallocation, and system control.

• Organic Servers

The recent widespread growth of IT has brought the need for server systems that operate without stop 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. However, the number of modules that constitute a system has become huge and their functions have become complicated. As a result, it is becoming difficult for human administrators to manage these modules. Meanwhile, to reduce management costs, we have been developing an organic server that has an autonomous function by which it can judge its own state and self-optimize as required to perform its tasks. "Organic" here is used to mean "harmonious." An organic server is a server whose elements work harmoniously with each other and autonomously, even if the administrator does not give it specific and detailed directions. This paper describes the essential functions of a prototype organic server.

• Next-Generation IP Platform - Photonic Virtual Router -

The Photonic Virtual Router is a next-generation IP network architecture that we are proposing. This architecture terminates IP packets at edge nodes, provides the optimum data-plane paths and routes for user services as a core network, and controls and operates carrier IP networks so they appear to users as a single virtual router system. This paper describes the concept of the Photonic Virtual Router and summarizes key technologies of the architecture, for example, the label/time division multiplexing (TDM) integrated switch, the dynamic optical add-drop multiplexer (DOADM) based on an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF), the optical switch based on a micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS), and the control plane based on generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS) that controls these switches in an integrated manner. Then, this paper introduces a prototype Photonic Virtual Router. These high-performance optical and electrical switching devices and the GMPLS technology will enable us to increase the capacity of the next-generation IP network and operate it simply and efficiently.

• Ultra High-Speed Photonic Network

A photonic network makes optimal use of the superior characteristics of light waves, the ultra wideband, and ultra-fast operation of optical fibers and devices. Moreover, such a network can provide a high-speed network environment covering a wide area, including an infrastructure to support future ubiquitous society. The construction of economical, transparent, and flexible photonic networks is expected to add greater value to such networks, create various new services, and enable new applications of information technology. This paper describes the next generation of ultra high-speed photonic network technologies now being developed. These include wavelength-division multiplexing transmission at 40 Gbps, optical devices to support 40-Gbps transmission, ultra high-speed light signal processing at 160 Gbps, and quantum dot optical amplifiers and switches.

• New Technologies for High-Speed Mobile Communication Infrastructure

Today's third generation of mobile communication systems is expected to be radically upgraded in the coming years, with the fourth generation of such systems being commercialized by around 2010. Fujitsu Laboratories is consequently developing technologies to increase transmission rates even further for application to mobile communication systems of the future. This paper describes four technologies we are now developing. The first technology (an adaptive array antenna) can form beam patterns through digital signal processing, thus allowing us to reduce electromagnetic interference, while expanding subscriber accommodation capacity and cell areas. The second technology is a high-efficiency amplifier that can help downsize and reduce the power consumed by base station equipment. The third technology is a superconducting filter that enables a narrowing of guard bands and a more efficient use of frequencies than ever before. Lastly, we are developing signal processing technology (covering everything from signal modulation and demodulation to high-speed transmission) to achieve high-speed transmission of 100 megabits per second in a cellular communication system.

• Advanced System-on-Chip Technologies

The high-performance and low-power system-on-chip (SOC) is expected to be a key device in various digital consumer appliances in our ubiquitous information society of the future. Conversely, conventional design methodologies developed for ASICs have encountered difficulty in designing cost-effective SOCs due to the increased complexity of SOC design in line with the growing needs for miniaturization and higher integration. Numerous breakthroughs are necessary in terms of systems and technology to timely and efficiently design customer-oriented SOCs. This paper describes three topics that pose challenges to Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.: SOC solutions based on FR-V processors, platform-based SOC design methodology, and 10 Gbps high-speed interface circuits. The first topic addresses the challenge of developing the next-generation SOC solutions based on a processor platform. The second one describes the design environment for supporting advanced SOC developments. The third gives specific examples of analog circuits developed to meet high-speed requirements in communication systems.

• Advanced Electronics Packaging Technology

Electronics and data processing devices in particular have recently and significantly contributed to the development of global industry and economy through advances made in information technology. Electronics packaging technology (for which such electronic parts as semiconductors are assembled into a substrate) is a key technology in electronic device fabrication. The importance of this technology is being reviewed along with advances made in semiconductor technology. The requirements for packaging technology include high performance, small size, low cost, and environmental concerns. Fujitsu Laboratories has developed new electronics packaging materials and technologies that include circuit base wiring boards, LSI bonding technology, LSI and device cooling technology, and notebook PC housing materials and fabrication technology. This paper describes these new technologies and the future prospects of electronics packaging technology.

• Research on Nano-wire Protein Detection Technology

Prevention and early treatment of diseases can not only improve people's lives but also result in more efficient use of medical funds. For persons at high risk of developing a particular disease, prevention and early treatment can be facilitated by daily monitoring for disease-indicating proteins called marker proteins. They can also be facilitated through cooperation between medical institutions via medical and healthcare networks. Fujitsu Laboratories is developing a protein detection chip that can simultaneously detect the presence of many types of proteins and their quantities. The chip uses a nano-wire transducer that changes a mass increase caused by the binding of a marker protein to an antibody fixed to the chip into an observable optical or electrical signal. In one experiment, we loaded fluorescence labeled oligonucleotide nano-wires onto electrodes and released the nano-wires into an aqueous solution by applying an electric field to the electrodes. We then monitored the fluorescence of the solution to measure a diffusion phenomenon of the nano-wires and thereby determine the presence of antibody/marker protein binding in the solution. The new chip will be used in equipment for easy monitoring of patients with chronic virus infections or other chronic diseases. This paper describes the current status of our research on nano-wire transducers.

• Automatic Signal Measurement System for Printed Wiring Assembly

We have developed an automatic signal measurement system for printed wiring assembly. The system can measure and save signals on a printed wiring board using a 4-hand robot after the board's CAD data, measurement points, and measurement conditions have been input. Each hand has a probe pin and a ground pin connected to a 4-channel oscilloscope and can place the pins on the pads while avoiding the board components. The system solves two measurement problems. The first is the difficulty in specifying the location of pads on a board from points on a schematic. The second is the difficulty in manually placing multiple probe pins on small pads, especially on high-density boards. The key feature of this system is the probing accuracy. By using various position correction methods based on image recognition, we have built a highly accurate system that can probe IC pads arranged in a 0.4 mm pitch. This paper introduces this system and the relevant methods of image recognition and position correction.