On edge microclouds to provide local container-based services

Edge computing has been proposed to enable more user-centric cloud-based services. Nowadays, edge computing is operational in industrial and consumer-oriented scenarios. An important limitation of today's solutions, however, is that the used hardware and software platforms are proprietary and closed, and cannot easily be leveraged to perform other services beyond the specific business case. For instance, the interaction among different edge platforms or service extension by third parties is in general not supported. As a consequence, the opportunity for local stakeholders to provide innovative tailored edge service with these platforms face important barriers. In this paper we present edge microclouds deployed on local servers and an implementation using containers for service provision. We show how the adopted container approach facilitates the users to create and share services at the network edge. With the presented approach, third parties can deploy more tailored and customized services at the network edge, enabling to better fulfill specific local needs and constraints. It is also an opportunity for building cloud-based service provision with a pool of local resource-constraint edge devices.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Internet sharing in community networks

Cotutela Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya i Instituto Superior TécnicoThe majority of the world's population does not have any or adequate Internet access. This implies that the Internet cannot provide universal service, reaching everyone without discrimination. Global access to the Internet for all requires the expansion of network infrastructures and a dramatic reduction in Internet access costs especially in less developed geographical regions. Local communities come together to build their own network infrastructures, known as Community Networks, and provide accessible and affordable local and Internet inter-networking. Sharing resources, such as infrastructure or Internet access, is encouraged at all levels, in order to lower the cost of connectivity and services. Communities can develop their own network infrastructures as a commons, using several interconnected sub-networks when the scale requires it, and sharing several Internet gateways among their participants. Shared Internet access is offered through web proxy gateways, where individuals or organisations share the full or spare capacity of their Internet connections with other participants. However, these gateway nodes may be overloaded by the demand, and their Internet capacity may degrade due to lack of regulation. This thesis investigates whether shared Internet access in community networks can be utilized to provide universal Internet access. As a first step in this direction, in this thesis we explored characteristics, limitations and usability of a concrete shared Internet Web proxy service in community networks. Based on our findings we studied and proposed mechanisms to improve the user experience and fairness of Internet sharing Web proxy services in community networks, without introducing significant overhead to the network and other services. More specifically, we proposed a scalable client-side Internet gateway selection mechanism suitable for heterogeneous environments such as community networks. Finally, we studied and proposed techniques for sharing spare Internet capacity without deteriorating the contributors' performance.La mayoría de la población mundial no tiene ningún o un adecuado acceso a Internet. Esto implica que Internet no puede prestar un servicio universal, llegando a todos sin discriminación. El acceso global a Internet para todos requiere una drástica reducción de los costos de acceso a Internet, especialmente en zonas geográficas y poblaciones menos desarrolladas. Las comunidades locales se organizan para construir sus propias infraestructuras de red, conocidas como redes comunitarias, y proporcionan interconexión local y con Internet de forma accesible y asequible. Se fomenta la compartición de recursos, como la infraestructura o el acceso a Internet, para reducir el coste de la conectividad y los servicios. Las comunidades pueden desarrollar sus propias infraestructuras de red como un recurso común, utilizando varias subredes interconectadas dado su tamaño, y compartiendo varias pasarelas de Internet entre sus participantes. El acceso compartido a Internet se ofrece a través de pasarelas que son proxy web, donde los participantes o las organizaciones comparten la capacidad total o excedente de su conexión a Internet con otros participantes. Sin embargo, estas pasarelas pueden saturarse por la demanda, y su capacidad de acceso a Internet se puede degradar debido la falta de regulación. Esta tesis investiga si las redes comunitarias se pueden utilizar para proporcionar acceso universal a Internet. Como primer paso en esta dirección, exploramos las características, limitaciones y usabilidad de un servicio concreto de acceso compartido a Internet con proxies web en una red comunitaria. Sobre la base de nuestros hallazgos, estudiamos y proponemos mecanismos para mejorar la experiencia del usuario y la equitatividad de la compartición, sin introducir una sobrecarga significativa en la red y a otros servicios. Más específicamente, proponemos un mecanismo escalable de selección de pasarela a Internet del lado del cliente, adecuado para entornos heterogéneos como las redes comunitarias. Además, estudiamos y proponemos técnicas para compartir la capacidad de Internet sin deteriorar el desempeño de los participantes que contribuyen.Postprint (published version

Community sharing of spare network capacity

In several community scenarios, people share benevolently their spare broadband Internet access connectivity with other people who cannot afford it. Although laudable, this sharing process can negatively affect the service received by the primary users, thus jeopardizing the continuity of this community service. In this paper we propose the use of a gateway that separates the traffic of the primary users from that of the secondary users, the beneficiaries of this sharing. We analyze the impact and behavior of several mechanisms for using this gateway, to determine how to maximize network utilization, use of the excess network capacity, and minimize the impact on the primary traffic. As a result we present a set of lessons learned and recommendations. Particularly, some strategies that use tunneling for managing the primary and secondary traffic achieve the best performance isolation for the primary user, while the secondary user obtains the spare capacity equivalent to non-differentiated best effort, with a limited penalty (around 20%). Combined with complementary queueing techniques (instead of FIFO), other important flows for the user experience (such as DNS or ICMP) can be practically unaffected.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Community sharing of spare network capacity

In several community scenarios, people share benevolently their spare broadband Internet access connectivity with other people who cannot afford it. Although laudable, this sharing process can negatively affect the service received by the primary users, thus jeopardizing the continuity of this community service. In this paper we propose the use of a gateway that separates the traffic of the primary users from that of the secondary users, the beneficiaries of this sharing. We analyze the impact and behavior of several mechanisms for using this gateway, to determine how to maximize network utilization, use of the excess network capacity, and minimize the impact on the primary traffic. As a result we present a set of lessons learned and recommendations. Particularly, some strategies that use tunneling for managing the primary and secondary traffic achieve the best performance isolation for the primary user, while the secondary user obtains the spare capacity equivalent to non-differentiated best effort, with a limited penalty (around 20%). Combined with complementary queueing techniques (instead of FIFO), other important flows for the user experience (such as DNS or ICMP) can be practically unaffected.Peer Reviewe