A policy-based architecture for virtual network embedding

Network virtualization is a technology that enables multiple virtual instances to coexist on a common physical network infrastructure. This paradigm fostered new business models, allowing infrastructure providers to lease or share their physical resources. Each virtual network is isolated and can be customized to support a new class of customers and applications. To this end, infrastructure providers need to embed virtual networks on their infrastructure. The virtual network embedding is the (NP-hard) problem of matching constrained virtual networks onto a physical network. Heuristics to solve the embedding problem have exploited several policies under different settings. For example, centralized solutions have been devised for small enterprise physical networks, while distributed solutions have been proposed over larger federated wide-area networks. In this thesis we present a policy-based architecture for the virtual network embedding problem. By policy, we mean a variant aspect of any of the three (invariant) embedding mechanisms: physical resource discovery, virtual network mapping, and allocation on the physical infrastructure. Our architecture adapts to different scenarios by instantiating appropriate policies, and has bounds on embedding efficiency, and on convergence embedding time, over a single provider, or across multiple federated providers. The performance of representative novel and existing policy configurations are compared via extensive simulations, and over a prototype implementation. We also present an object model as a foundation for a protocol specification, and we release a testbed to enable users to test their own embedding policies, and to run applications within their virtual networks. The testbed uses a Linux system architecture to reserve virtual node and link capacities

Notes on Cloud computing principles

This letter provides a review of fundamental distributed systems and economic Cloud computing principles. These principles are frequently deployed in their respective fields, but their inter-dependencies are often neglected. Given that Cloud Computing first and foremost is a new business model, a new model to sell computational resources, the understanding of these concepts is facilitated by treating them in unison. Here, we review some of the most important concepts and how they relate to each other

Resource management for virtualized networks

Network Virtualization has emerged as a promising approach that can be employed to efficiently enhance the resource management technologies. In this work, the goal is to study how to automate the bandwidth resource management, while deploying a virtual partitioning scheme for the network bandwidth resources. Works that addressed the resource management in Virtual Networks are many, however, each has some limitations. Resource overwhelming, poor bandwidth utilization, low profits, exaggeration, and collusion are types of such sort of limitations. Indeed, the lack of adequate bandwidth allocation schemes encourages resource overwhelming, where one customer may overwhelm the resources that supposed to serve others. Static resource partitioning can resist overwhelming but at the same time it may result in poor bandwidth utilization, which means less profit rates for the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). However, deploying the technology of autonomic management can enhance the resource utilization, and maximize the customers’ satisfaction rates. It also provides the customers with a kind of privilege that should be somehow controlled as customers, always eager to maximize their payoffs, can use such a privilege to cheat. Hence, cheating actions like exaggeration and collusion can be expected. Solving the aforementioned limitations is addressed in this work. In the first part, the work deals with overcoming the problems of low profits, poor utilization, and high blocking ratios of the traditional First Ask First Allocate (FAFA) algorithm. The proposed solution is based on an Autonomic Resource Management Mechanism (ARMM). This solution deploys a smarter allocation algorithm based on the auction mechanism. At this level, to reduce the tendency of exaggeration, the Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) is proposed to provide a threat model that penalizes the exaggerating customers, based on the inconvenience they cause to others in the system. To resist the collusion, the state-dependent shadow price is calculated, based on the Markov decision theory, to represent a selling price threshold for the bandwidth units at a given state. Part two of the work solves an expanded version of the bandwidth allocation problem, but through a different methodology. In this part, the bandwidth allocation problem is expanded to a bandwidth partitioning problem. Such expansion allows dividing the link’s bandwidth resources based on the provided Quality of Service (QoS) classes, which provides better bandwidth utilization. In order to find the optimal management metrics, the problem is solved through Linear Programming (LP). A dynamic bandwidth partitioning scheme is also proposed to overcome the problems related to the static partitioning schemes, such as the poor bandwidth utilization, which can result in having under-utilized partitions. This dynamic partitioning model is deployed in a periodic manner. Periodic partitioning provides a new way to reduce the reasoning of exaggeration, when compared to the threat model, and eliminates the need of the further computational overhead. The third part of this work proposes a decentralized management scheme to solve aforementioned problems in the context of networks that are managed by Virtual Network Operators (VNOs). Such decentralization allows deploying a higher level of autonomic management, through which, the management responsibilities are distributed over the network nodes, each responsible for managing its outgoing links. Compared to the centralized schemes, such distribution provides higher reliability and easier bandwidth dimensioning. Moreover, it creates a form of two-sided competition framework that allows a double-auction environment among the network players, both customers and node controllers. Such competing environment provides a new way to reduce the exaggeration beside the periodic and threat models mentioned before. More important, it can deliver better utilization rates, lower blocking, and consequently higher profits. Finally, numerical experiments and empirical results are presented to support the proposed solutions, and to provide a comparison with other works from the literature

Computational Mechanism Design: A Call to Arms

Game theory has developed powerful tools for analyzing decision making in systems with multiple autonomous actors. These tools, when tailored to computational settings, provide a foundation for building multiagent software systems. This tailoring gives rise to the field of computational mechanism design, which applies economic principles to computer systems design

Wireless network virtualization

Virtualization of wired networks and end computing systems has become one of the leading trends in networked ICT systems. In contrast relatively little virtualization has occurred in infrastructure based wireless networks, but the idea of virtualizing wireless access is gaining attention as it has the potential to improve spectrum utilization and perhaps create new services. In this paper we survey the state of the current research in virtualizing wireless networks. We define and describe possible architectures, the issues, hurdles and trends towards implementation of wireless network virtualization. © 2013 IEEE

Service Negotiation and Contracting in Virtual Network Environment

The current Internet presents a high barrier to entry for new service providers, due to its inability to accommodate new protocols and technologies, and lack of competition among the network providers. Recently, network virtualization has gained considerable attention as a possible solution, as it enables multiple networks to concurrently run over a shared substrate. It allows for deploying diverse network protocols and technologies customized for specific networked services and applications. Moreover, any party can take on the role of a network provider by simply offering his virtual network infrastructure to customers, increasing competition in the market. However, the first challenge in realizing a fair and competitive market in a virtual network environment is to have a service negotiation and contracting mechanism in place, that will allow (i) multiple infrastructure providers to participate in a fair and faithful competition, and (ii) a service provider to negotiate the price and quality of service with the providers. In this thesis, we present V-Mart, an open market model and enabling framework for automated service negotiation and contracting in a virtual network environment. To the infrastructure providers, V-Mart fosters an open and fair competition realized by a two stage auction. The V-Mart auction model ensures that bidders (infrastructure providers) bid truthfully, have the flexibility to apply diverse pricing policies, and still gain profit from hosting customers’ virtual resources. To the service providers, V-Mart offers virtual network partitioning algorithms that allow them to divide their virtual networks among competing infrastructure providers while minimizing the total cost. V-Mart offers two types of algorithms to suit different market scenarios. The algorithms not only consider virtual resource hosting price but also the service provider’s preference for resource co-location and the high cost of inter-provider communication. Through extensive simulation experiments we show the efficiency and effectiveness of the algorithms under various market conditions