Active Service Management in QoS-enabled Networks

Second IEEE Latin American Network …, 2001

The emerging active network concepts, particularly those focusing on the application level, will provide the users with the flexibility of deployment of customised services on the operator's infrastructure. This will be achieved through deployment of user customised control code in virtual execution environments residing on the network nodes such as routers and servers. In order to achieve efficient network operation, the resource consumption on both element and network levels must be managed. In an active networking environment resource requirements come in three categories: bandwidth, memory and processing. Based on the active networking architecture proposed in the IST project ANDROID, we develop resource models and metrics that take into account these three resource categories. The resource models are further used to define the necessary classes of policies in order to achieve efficient resource management. Policies are expressed in XML, and an example policy is given. Finally, we present an experiment comparing the use of alternative resource allocation policies. We also briefly discuss some security issues in the application level active networks.

Network Control and Engineering for QoS, Security and Mobility, 2003

A Policy-Based Management (PBM) system from IETF is responsible for resolving and enforcing policy rnles in both the outsourcing and provisioning models so as to realize end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) for all network connections. In this paper, we propose a novel architecture of the bandwidth brokers using active network technology. Active network paradigm empowers network nodes with the ability to manipulate data and program code as needed. In our proposed architecture, the Active Bandwidth Broker (ABB) framework distributes the policy control workload through the active nodes inside a policy domain. The Policy Decision Point in PBM is decomposed into two types of active application agents for traffic reduction and expedited decision processing. Moreover, the decision making agent is a mobile active program code that can move when the local network condition deteriorates. In order to verify the system performance of this proposed design, a working network prototype was constructed to demonstrate that the decision point can move to a comparatively low traffic region. As a consequence, the ABB system improves the overall performance when it is compared to PBM.

Active Networks, 2003

This paper describes a dynamic, scalable and extensible policy-based network management (PBNM) system that is fully integrated with a service provisioning architectures for active networks. The key result is network customisation according to the needs of the different service providers and its end users. Our component-based service provisioning architecture enables us to render service- and user-specific requirements, across single/multiple administrative domains, at deployment time and to dynamically map service components onto the network using the corresponding management policies. The architecture presented in this paper describes the approach undertaken by the IST-FAIN research project as well as the main issues that we encounter in developing and integrating the PBNM with the service provisioning mechanism.

2002

In this paper we present an architecture for network and applications management, which is based on the Active Networks paradigm and shows the advantages of network programmability. The stimulus to develop this architecture arises from an actual need to manage a cluster of active nodes, where it is often required to redeploy network assets and modify nodes connectivity. In our architecture, a remote front-end of the managing entity allows the operator to design new network topologies, to check the status of the nodes and to configure them. Moreover, the proposed framework allows to explore an active network, to monitor the active applications, to query each node and to install programmable traps. In order to take advantage of the Active Networks technology, we introduce active SNMP-like MIBs and agents, which are dynamic and programmable. The programmable management agents make tracing distributed applications a feasible task. We propose a general framework that can interoperate with any active execution environment. In this framework, both the manager and the monitor front-ends communicate with an active node (the Active Network Access Point) through the XML language. A gateway service performs the translation of the queries from XML to an active packet language and injects the code in the network. We demonstrate the implementation of an active network gateway for PLAN (Packet Language for Active Networks) in a forty active nodes testbed. Finally, we discuss an application of the active management architecture to detect the causes of network failures by tracing network events in time.

Computer Networks, 2006

We propose a dynamic QoS, or D-QoS, model where QoS settings can be automatically reconfigured based upon requests from authorized users. Different levels of privilege can be assigned to users enabling higher privileged users to interrupt the network flows belonging to those of lower privileged levels. To request for a special QoS treatment, a user can issue an active packet to interrupt any active node along its flow path which is D-QoS enabled. The request for a specific interruption level is approved by a D-QoS enabled node which allows for multi-level interruptions to be handled. After an interrupting flow has completed transmitting all its packets, D-QoS enabled node can resume its services for those pending flows which are of lower privilege levels. In this paper, we describe the overall concept of D-QoS and demonstrate how it can be implemented by a small prototype. Using simulation, we show that the proposed system can provide assurance for privileged flows with an improved network utilization where bandwidth is shared among the flows according to the levels of privilege. D-QoS should be deployed on those bottleneck hops with limited bandwidth on the edge network to ensure the best service is given to privileged users.

Active Network is a novel approach of networking to mobile users in which the nodes are programmed to perform custom operations on the messages that pass through the node. It provides an architectural support for dynamically deploying new protocols in an existing network topology. The routers in an active network can download and execute code that is contained in the packets passing through them, thus rendering the node recognized and run totally new protocols without making any changes to the architecture of the network. Because the network's behavior can be altered at any time, active networks could be used to provide dynamic quality of service (QoS) or to support dynamic solutions to traffic congestion. This research implements and tests such specialized Active Networks security service known as the firewall and the ping service in Active Network. Active Network environment will be implemented on a small scale test scenario in order to study the performance and characteristics of active networks

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2002

A key feature of active networks is the capability to dynamically deploy services. In this paper, we present a scheme to classify service deployment mechanisms of existing or future active network architectures. Distributed algorithms (services), as being implemented in active networks, can be described based on active packets or as distributed programs running on active nodes. Although both programming models are basically equivalent, some services are more naturally implemented in either way. This paper proposes an active node architecture that supports the implementation and deployment of services according to both programming models. We point out that a combination of in-band and out-of-band service deployment is needed to dynamically deploy services implemented in either model. Furthermore, we argue that composing services from service logic implemented in either programming model is beneficial for the design of efficient and flexible services. We reason that a service abstraction in the form of a service description language is necessary to cope with real world scenarios.

2000

The emerging next generation of routers exhibit both high performance and rich functionality, such as support for virtual private networks and QoS. To achieve this, per-flow queuing and fast IP filtering are incorporated into the router hardware. The management of a network comprising such devices and efficient use of the new functionality introduce new challenges. A truly distributed network management system is an attractive candidate to address these challenges. In this article we describe how active network techniques can be used to allow fast and easy deployment of distributed network management applications in IP networks. We describe a prototype system where legacy routers are enhanced with an adjunct active engine, which enables the safe execution and rapid deployment of new distributed management applications in the network layer. This system can gradually be integrated in today's IP network, and allows smooth migration from IP to programmable networks. This is done wi...

This paper presents the main concepts of the IST Project FAIN "Future Active IP Networks" [10], a three-year collaborative research project, whose main task is to develop and validate an open, flexible, programmable and dependable network architecture based on a novel active node approach. This generic architecture for active networks is an innovative integration of active networking, distributed object and mobile agent technology.

Future requirements for a broadband multimedia network are likely to be very different from those of today. Three key changes are identified; rapid introduction of new services, dynamic customisation of services by clients, and minimal management overhead. Application layer active networking, perhaps the most pragmatic and immediately realisable active network proposal, is a potential solution to all three. In the management of multiservice networks project, BT and its academic partners are developing key middleware components required to support application layer active networking. environment, with security features (for users, applications and hosts), QoS support, application specific routing, automatic registration and upgrade for devices connected to the transport network. It will also enable Network Computing facilities such as secure gateways, application layer routers, cache/storage facilities, transcoders, transaction monitors and message queues, directories, profile and policy handlers. Such a service surround will likely be based on some form of distributed middleware, enabling the features to be modular and interoperable. The service surround must enable rapid introduction of new features by the operator. In order to minimise the management overhead clients will directly control which features should be used for a particular session, without operator intervention. The network will thus need to know nothing of the semantics of the session. To achieve this a middleware based on some form of active services or active networks will be required.