m2m-x: Connecting Devices, Naturally

NTT Communications demonstrated a net appliance connection management technology named “m2m-x”for the first time at IPv6 Business Summit in Japan in Tokyo on February 16, with experimental implementations by various device manufacturers. The company is conducting a trial with various device manufacturers through September 30. NTT Com plans to launch a commercial service sometime after the trial. NTT Com says it would like to contribute to international standardization of device connectivity with m2m-x.

The collection of technology is code-named "m2m-x", because it is designed for connection from mono (things) to mono (things) for anything, anytime, and anywhere. The system is aimed for easy and secure communications between appliances and between appliances and computers using IPv6. Currently, network cameras at home are often accessed through dynamic DNS. But it allows malicious attacks from anyone on the Internet. Net-enabled video recorders often come with online recording reservation assist services. Such services allows users to make reservation setting on the service servers, and video recorders access the service servers on preconfigured intervals. In other words, such systems do not allow real-time manipulation of recorders.

m2m-x tries to overcome these issues by managing direct communications by networked devices with right opponents.

Authentication, connection management, configuration required for data encryption, and access control to each device is controlled by a central m2m-x Management Server. Control protocols are based on extended SIP, recently used extensively for Voice over IP. m2m-x utilizes IPv6 for end-to-end reachability and security.

When a PC outdoors wants to connect to a device at home, it first registers itself with m2m-x Management Server with legitimate credentials, and then requests connection to the destination. After authentication of the source device, m2m-x Management Server relays the connection request to the destination home device. m2m-x Management Server also configures IPsec keys to both devices.

After necessary connection management by m2m-x Management Server, Data communication between the two devices is conducted peer-to-peer with IPsec encryption, with no intervention by the Server.

This system enables fine-grained connection control, for example specific protocol communication for specific time period between specific nodes. It is possible to hide the existence of a node from unauthorized nodes. A major advantage is light IPsec key exchange processing load, which helps lower net device production costs.

Several vendors have come up with different supporting prototype products to participate in the trial.


Sony Broadband Solutions

Sony Broadband Solutions showed a video communication system using PlayStation 2 with USB camera. The company demonstrated the ease of using game software for communications. Inserting a CD-ROM is all that's necessary for using the system. Users can easily choose from prepared list of opponents to begin video phone sessions.

PS2 Video Phone System by Sony Broadband Solutions

Takara

A toy manufacturer Takara developed "IP Thread Telephone", which act as the hotline over the Internet. It is a pair of Internet phone devices, enabling easy communication from one to the other without dialing. Phone devices come equipped with Ethernet port, and they communicate with each other using voice over IPv6. m2m-x controls the communication so that each phone device can only talk with its pair. Connection is automatic, and devices are protected from malicious attacks. The product is designed for use by close friends, couples, and families.

Takara's IP Thread Telephone

IP Thread Telephone has a TOY port for net-enabling toys. A toy figure can be connected to this port, and user can make this toy figure sing, through remote control.


Ricoh

Ricoh built a system for printing office documents on the road. A sales person, for example, can transfer a file from his/her office PC and print out at a multifunction copier at a convenience store or other outdoor locations.

Ubiquitous Printing System by Ricoh

This system uses cellular phone for communication with m2m Server. users can see the list of files on his/her PC or a corporate file server, and press print command to output to a multifunction copier in front of him/her. Document transfer, even when it uses the Internet, is encrypted, so users can dynamically retrieve and use information left in the office as necessary anytime, anywhere, without worries about prying eyes.


Toshiba

Toshiba already offers FEMINITY, home appliance network service on IPv4.This is a system to network and control refregerators, electric ovens, washing machines and other home appliances as well as IT home terminal, using Bluetooth. The IT home terminal is connected is connected to the Internet. Users can register for "FEMINITY Club" for downlarding cooking recipe and other information. The company is also experimenting a seurity service that uses electric lock and secuirty cameras that can be monitored by servers at a security agency. Toshiba this time built a system that combines the two on m2m-x.

Networked Home/Home Security Solution by Toshiba

With Toshiba's service, home device remote control request sent from a cellular phone to its portal site gets relayed to the IT home terminal at home. And home terminal controls Bluetooth-connected digital devices.


Pioneer

Pioneer came up with a business solution using its large-size, high-resolution plasma display. The company IPv6-enabled and m2m-x-enabled Cyber Conference System EV, which it already sells as a visual data conferencing solution.

A set of Cyber Conference System EV consists of a 50V plasma display and a PC. The solution centers around remote sharing of applications and data. Users can share hand writing with electric pens, and Word/Excel applications.

Visual Data Conferencing System by Pioneer

The system is already commercially available with IPv4. But m2m-x platform enables instant node-level VPN, which promotes flexible use of this system with partner companies, for example. IPsec involves complicated configuration using IP address, but m2m-x makes this unnecessary. With an ease of telephone communication, users can connect to an opponent for one-time data conferencing, with secure communication channel made available only for the duration of the conference.


Sanyo Electric

Sanyo Electric made a prototype of "IPv6 Multimedia Communication System" to connect different homes for easy communication.

This system consists of IPv6-enabled hard disk recorder AV ports for digital still/video camera and TV connection, VoIP adapter for connecting analog telephone set to the network, and a home gateway for terminating m2m-x.

Sanyo's Multimedia Communication System

When a user pushes a certain button on a phone during conversation, hard disk recorder begins communication, to show image from video camera on the TV set at the home at the other end. The hard disk recorder acts as MPEG-4 encoder/decoder. Likewise, user can send digital still images stored in digital camera simply by a push of telephone button. VoIP adapters and hard disk recorders have IPv6 UPnP implemented for discovery of the opponent and necessary service information exchanges.


Panasonic Communications

Panasonic Communications implemented m2m-x support in its home security gateway with IPv4/IPv6 translation and IPsec termination. This gateway device can communicate with m2m-x Management Server in the place of devices at home with no m2m-x or IPsec support, enabling secure and real-time access from outside to home. This type of gateway will likely have a certain role to play, as it is difficult to assume that all home devices will someday support IPsec.


Matsushita Electric Works

Matsushita Electric Works already sells Emit Home System, which act as protocol converter for all kinds of net-enabled home devices to IP. Current offering is based on IPv4. In order to avoid difficult issues in access control and communication privacy, remote control from outside is restricted so that all communication go through the operation center of the company. Matsushita Electric Works showed a prototype of Emit Home System with IPv6 and m2m-x support, enabling secure, direct, real-time access to home devices from outside.

Emit Home System by Matsushita Electric Works

Yamaha

Yamaha has built an experimental implementation of m2m-x, enabling dynamic control of firewall feature of its broadband router, RTX1000. Packet filtering rules of the router can be changed on demand by m2m-x Management Server, which verifies requests from managed devices for peer-to-peer communication. m2m-x Management Server can only allow legitimate peer-to-peer communications, only for the duration of the communication, based on preconfigured policy.


NTT Communications

NTT Communications developed pVPN, or Personal VPN, as the service on m2m-x. It encapsulates Ethernet datagrams in IPv6 IPsec VPN tunnel, for extending home LAN to remote node. It enables use of a wide range of protocols over Ethernet, not just the protocols on IP, which makes it easier to apply to home appliances. IPv4 applications, which could have only been used on LAN, can also be used from outside.

DIT, Toshiba, and Fujitsu Access R&D developed prototypes with server/client functions for pVPN.

DIT built pVPN VPN client and server software on Windows XP. Toshiba came up with a server hardware through modification of a commercial home gateway supporting ECHONET.

pVPN Server/Client by DIT and pVPN-enabled Modem by Fujitsu R&D

Fujitsu Access R&D developed dual stack ADSL access modem. This modem can encapsulate Ethernet packets in IPsec. It also has the ability to modify firewall configurations on demand/on the fly, for authorized communication based on the requests from legitimate devices.