Deliverable DJRA1.2. Solutions and protocols proposal for the network control, management and monitoring in a virtualized network context

This deliverable presents several research proposals for the FEDERICA network, in different subjects, such as monitoring, routing, signalling, resource discovery, and isolation. For each topic one or more possible solutions are elaborated, explaining the background, functioning and the implications of the proposed solutions.This deliverable goes further on the research aspects within FEDERICA. First of all the architecture of the control plane for the FEDERICA infrastructure will be defined. Several possibilities could be implemented, using the basic FEDERICA infrastructure as a starting point. The focus on this document is the intra-domain aspects of the control plane and their properties. Also some inter-domain aspects are addressed. The main objective of this deliverable is to lay great stress on creating and implementing the prototype/tool for the FEDERICA slice-oriented control system using the appropriate framework. This deliverable goes deeply into the definition of the containers between entities and their syntax, preparing this tool for the future implementation of any kind of algorithm related to the control plane, for both to apply UPB policies or to configure it by hand. We opt for an open solution despite the real time limitations that we could have (for instance, opening web services connexions or applying fast recovering mechanisms). The application being developed is the central element in the control plane, and additional features must be added to this application. This control plane, from the functionality point of view, is composed by several procedures that provide a reliable application and that include some mechanisms or algorithms to be able to discover and assign resources to the user. To achieve this, several topics must be researched in order to propose new protocols for the virtual infrastructure. The topics and necessary features covered in this document include resource discovery, resource allocation, signalling, routing, isolation and monitoring. All these topics must be researched in order to find a good solution for the FEDERICA network. Some of these algorithms have started to be analyzed and will be expanded in the next deliverable. Current standardization and existing solutions have been investigated in order to find a good solution for FEDERICA. Resource discovery is an important issue within the FEDERICA network, as manual resource discovery is no option, due to scalability requirement. Furthermore, no standardization exists, so knowledge must be obtained from related work. Ideally, the proposed solutions for these topics should not only be adequate specifically for this infrastructure, but could also be applied to other virtualized networks.Postprint (published version

Towards an ontology for system administration case study : backup operation

With the multiplicity of operating systems it is becoming common practice for organizations to deploy heterogeneous systems environments in order to benefit from their different advantages. The tradeoff of building heterogeneous environment is that it often leads to parallel support structures, noninteroperable management tools and system administrators with diverse skills to keep such complex infrastructures running. One basic requirement of interoperability or integration is the mapping between different models. This mapping can be carried out through syntactical and semantic translation using ontologies. This project focuses on the interoperability issues in heterogeneous environment, mainly mixed Unix/Linux and Windows infrastructures. The aim of this text is to investigate, with the help of a specific case study, how integration can be achieved in the management of Unix/Linux and Windows mixed environment through the knowledge sharing and interoperability capabilities provided by ontology engineering.Master i nettverks- og systemadministrasjo

OpenPolarServer (OPS) - An Open Source Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Cryosphere Community

The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) at The University of Kansas has collected approximately 700 TB of radar depth sounding data over the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets since 1993 in an effort to map the thickness of the ice sheets and ultimately understand the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. In addition to data collection, the storage, management, and public distribution of the dataset are also one of the primary roles of CReSIS. The OpenPolarServer (OPS) project developed a free and open source spatial data infrastructure (SDI) to store, manage, analyze, and distribute the data collected by CReSIS in an effort to replace its current data storage and distribution approach. The OPS SDI includes a spatial database management system (DBMS), map and web server, JavaScript geoportal, and application programming interface (API) for the inclusion of data created by the cryosphere community. Open source software including GeoServer, PostgreSQL, PostGIS, OpenLayers, ExtJS, GeoEXT and others are used to build a system that modernizes the CReSIS SDI for the entire cryosphere community and creates a flexible platform for future development

Towards an aspect weaving BPEL engine

This position paper proposes the use of dynamic aspects and the visitor design pattern to obtain a highly configurable and extensible BPEL engine. Using these two techniques, the core of this infrastructural software can be customised to meet new requirements and add features such as debugging, execution monitoring, or changing to another Web Service selection policy. Additionally, it can easily be extended to cope with customer-specific BPEL extensions. We propose the use of dynamic aspects not only on the engine itself but also on the workflow in order to tackle the problems of Web Service hot deployment and hot fixes to long running processes. In this way, composing aWeb Service "on-the-fly" means weaving its choreography interface into the workflow

Implementation of new tools and approaches for the reconstruction of genome-scale metabolic models

Dissertação de mestrado em BioinformáticaThe reconstruction of high-quality genome-scale metabolic (GSM) models can have a rele vant role in the investigation and study of an organism, since these mathematical models can be used to phenotypically manipulate an organism and predict its response, in silico, under different environmental conditions or genetic modifications. Several bioinformatics tools and software have been developed since then to facilitate and accelerate the reconstruction of these models by automating some steps that compose the traditional reconstruction process. “Metabolic Models Reconstruction Using Genome-Scale Information” (merlin) is a free, user-friendly, JavaTM application that automates the main stages of the reconstruction of a GSM model for any microorganism. Although it has already been used successfully in several works, many plugins are still being developed to improve its resources and make it more accessible to any user. In this work, the new tools integrated in merlin will be described in detail, as well as the improvement of other features present on the platform. The general improvements performed and the implementation of the new tools, improve the overall user experience during the process of reconstructing GSM models in merlin. The main feature implemented in this work is the incorporation of the BiGG Integration Tool (BIT) in merlin. This plugin allows the collection of metabolic data that integrates the models present in the BiGG Models database and its association with the genome of the organism in study, by homology, creating, if possible, the boolean rule for each BiGG reaction in the model under construction. All the computation required to execute merlin’s BIT takes place remotely, to accelerate the process. Within a few minutes, the results are returned by the server and imported into the user’s workspace. Running the tool outside the user’s machine also brings advantages in terms of information storage, since the BiGG data structure that supports the entire tool is available remotely. The implementation of this tool provides an alternative to obtaining metabolic information from the KEGG database, the only option available in merlin so far. To test the implemented tool, several draft genome-scale metabolic networks were generated and analyzed.A reconstrução de modelos metabólicos à escala genómica (MEG) de alta qualidade, pode desempenhar um papel relevante na investigação e estudo de um organismo, uma vez que estes modelos matemáticos podem ser utilizados para manipular fenotipicamente um organ ismo e prever a sua resposta, in silico, sob diferentes condições ambientais ou modificações genéticas. Várias ferramentas bioinformáticas e software têm sido desenvolvidos desde então para facilitar e acelerar a reconstrução desses modelos por automatização de algumas etapas que constituem o processo de reconstrução tradicional. O “Metabolic Models Reconstruction Using Genome-Scale Information” (merlin) é uma aplicação JavaTM gratuita, e fácil de utilizar, que automatiza as principais etapas de recon strução de um modelo MEG para qualquer microrganismo. Apesar de já ter sido utilizado com sucesso em vários trabalhos, muitos plugins ainda estão a ser desenvolvidas para aprimorar os seus recursos e torná-lo mais acessível a qualquer utilizador. Neste trabalho, serão descritas em detalhe as novas ferramentas integradas no merlin, bem como a melhoria de outras funcionalidades presentes na plataforma. As melhorias gerais realizadas e a implementação das novas ferramentas permitem melhorar a experiência global do utilizador durante o processo de reconstrução de modelos MEG no merlin. O principal recurso implementado neste trabalho é a integração da BiGG Integration Tool (BIT) no merlin. Este plugin permite a recolha dos dados metabólicos que integram os modelos presentes na base de dados BiGG Models e a sua associação ao genoma do organismo em estudo, por homologia, criando, se possível, a boolean rule para cada reação BiGG presente no modelo sob construção. Todo o processamento exigido para executar a BIT do merlin ocorre remotamente, para acelerar o processo. Em poucos minutos, os resultados são devolvidos pelo servidor e importados para o ambiente de trabalho do utilizador. A execução da ferramenta fora da máquina do utilizador traz também vantagens ao nível do armazenamento da informação, já que a estrutura de dados BiGG que sustenta toda a ferramenta está disponível remotamente. A implementação desta ferramenta fornece uma alternativa à obtenção de informação metabólica a partir da base de dados KEGG, única opção disponibilizada pelo merlin até ao momento. Para testar a ferramenta implementada, várias redes metabólicas à escala genómica rascunho foram geradas e analisadas

Improvement of DHRA-DMDC Physical Access Software DBIDS Using Cloud Computing Technology: a Case Study

The U.S government has created and been executing an Identity and Management (IdM) vision to support a global, robust, trusted and interoperable identity management capability that provides the ability to correctly identify individuals and non-person entities in support of DoD mission operations. Many Directives and Instructions have been issued to standardize the process to design, re-designed new and old systems with latest available technologies to meet the visions requirements. In this thesis we introduce a cloud-based architecture for the Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS), along with a set of DBIDS Cloud Services that supports the proposed architecture. This cloud-based architecture will move DBIDS in the right direction to meet Dod IdM visions and goals by decoupling current DBIDS functions into DBIDS core services to create interoperability and flexibility to expand future DBIDS with new requirements. The thesis will show its readers how DBIDS Cloud Services will help Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) easily expanding DBIDS functionalities such as connecting to other DMDC services or federated services for vetting purposes. This thesis will also serve as a recommendation of a blue-print for DBIDS architecture to support new generation of DBIDS application. This is a step closer in moving DMDC Identity Enterprise Solution toward DoD IdM realizing vision and goals. The thesis also includes a discussion of how to utilize virtualized DBIDS workstations to address software-deployment and maintenance issues to resolve configuration and deployment issues which have been costly problems for DMDC over the years.http://archive.org/details/improvementofdhr109457379Civilian, Department of Defens

Advanced concept of voice communication server on embedded platform

The paper deals with a design of an embedded Voice communication server which was developed within the scope of the BESIP project (Bright Embedded Solution for IP Telephony). The project brings a modular architecture with additional functionality such as a speech quality monitoring and a protection against security threats.The speech quality assessment is carried out in a simplified computational E-model and we implemented our proposal into the BESIP as an optional component. In the security module. We applied a standard approach to the intrusion detection and protection and in addition to the mentioned modules we come up with an idea of unified configuration based on the NETCONF protocol. We implemented ntegrated the complex support of NETCONF configuration protoco into OpenWRT and our modifications were accepted by OpenWRT community. The paper describes the inidvidual modules, their features and entire BESIP concept.Scopus892b23322

An Architecture for Integrated Intelligence in Urban Management using Cloud Computing

With the emergence of new methodologies and technologies it has now become possible to manage large amounts of environmental sensing data and apply new integrated computing models to acquire information intelligence. This paper advocates the application of cloud capacity to support the information, communication and decision making needs of a wide variety of stakeholders in the complex business of the management of urban and regional development. The complexity lies in the interactions and impacts embodied in the concept of the urban-ecosystem at various governance levels. This highlights the need for more effective integrated environmental management systems. This paper offers a user-orientated approach based on requirements for an effective management of the urban-ecosystem and the potential contributions that can be supported by the cloud computing community. Furthermore, the commonality of the influence of the drivers of change at the urban level offers the opportunity for the cloud computing community to develop generic solutions that can serve the needs of hundreds of cities from Europe and indeed globally.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Manufacturing equipment data collection framework

Estágio realizado na Qimonda Portugal, S. A. e orientado pelo Eng.º Nuno SoaresTese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200