ULLA-X: A programmatic middleware for generic cognitive radio network control

Classical cognitive radio concepts such as the cognitive radio manager or the cognitive engine aim to cleverly optimize radio configuration and networking setups to maximize performance throughout the network. However, these concepts regularly requires experimental verification and testing in complex, real-time and signal processing focused SDR frameworks, e.g. directly in FPGAs or in a software like GNURadio. This hinders rapid prototyping and deepens the gap between implementation-focused lower-layer and cross-layer/control plane oriented research. In this demo, we present a novel, fully-networked middleware for centrally controlling distributed radio link setups of SDRs and reconfigurable legacy devices. As an intermediate layer, ULLA-X allows technology-agnostic device parameter monitoring and reconfiguration based on an easy-to-learn programming language. Through its functionality, ULLA-X mitigates the complexities arising from using different radio platforms, and makes various configuration APIs readily accessible to standard research tools. In this demonstration, we showcase the capabilities of ULLA-X, and present by means of examples its adaptation capabilities for custom radio implementations and its programming concept for different SDR platforms.