Enabling Disaster Resilient 4G Mobile Communication Networks

The 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the cellular technology expected to outperform the previous generations and to some extent revolutionize the experience of the users by taking advantage of the most advanced radio access techniques (i.e. OFDMA, SC-FDMA, MIMO). However, the strong dependencies between user equipments (UEs), base stations (eNBs) and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) limit the flexibility, manageability and resiliency in such networks. In case the communication links between UEs-eNB or eNB-EPC are disrupted, UEs are in fact unable to communicate. In this article, we reshape the 4G mobile network to move towards more virtual and distributed architectures for improving disaster resilience, drastically reducing the dependency between UEs, eNBs and EPC. The contribution of this work is twofold. We firstly present the Flexible Management Entity (FME), a distributed entity which leverages on virtualized EPC functionalities in 4G cellular systems. Second, we introduce a simple and novel device-todevice (D2D) communication scheme allowing the UEs in physical proximity to communicate directly without resorting to the coordination with an eNB.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Communications Magazin

Host-Based Virtual Networks Management in Cloud Datacenters

Infrastructure management is of key importance in a wide array of computer and network environments. The use of virtualization in cloud datacenters has driven the communications and computing convergence to a common operational entity. Failure to effectively manage the involved infrastructure results as impediments in provisioning a successful service. Information models facilitate the infrastructure management and current solutions can be effectively applied in most datacenter scenarios, apart from cases where the networking architecture relies heavily on systems virtualization. In this paper we propose an information model for managing virtual network architectures, where hypervisors and computing server resources are deployed as the basis of the networking layer. We provide a successful proof of concept by managing a virtual machine-based network infrastructure acting as an IP routing platform using statistical methods. Our proposal enables a dynamic reconfiguration of allocated infrastructure resources adapting, in real-time, to variations in the imposed workload

Monitoring of a virtual infrastructure testbed

This paper presents a SNMP-based Monitoring Agents for Multi-Constrain Resource Scheduling in Grids (SBLOMARS) as an effective solution for resource usage monitoring in virtual network environments. SBLOMARS is different to current large-scale distributed monitoring systems in three essential aspects: Firstly, it reaches a high level of generality by the integration of the SNMP protocol and thus, facilitates to handle heterogeneous operating platforms. Secondly, it is able to self-configure the polling periods of the resources to be monitored depending of network context and finally, it makes use of dynamic software structures to interface with third parties, allowing to be deployed in a wide range of devices, from simple mobile access devices to robust multiprocessor systems or clusters with even multiple hard disks and storage partitions. SBLOMARS has been deployed in EmanicsLab, a virtual laboratory constituted by fourteen nodes distributed in seven European Universities. Although the research is not yet concluded, available results confirm its suitability to deal with the challenges of monitoring virtual networks.Postprint (published version

Design and Implementation of a Measurement-Based Policy-Driven Resource Management Framework For Converged Networks

This paper presents the design and implementation of a measurement-based QoS and resource management framework, CNQF (Converged Networks QoS Management Framework). CNQF is designed to provide unified, scalable QoS control and resource management through the use of a policy-based network management paradigm. It achieves this via distributed functional entities that are deployed to co-ordinate the resources of the transport network through centralized policy-driven decisions supported by measurement-based control architecture. We present the CNQF architecture, implementation of the prototype and validation of various inbuilt QoS control mechanisms using real traffic flows on a Linux-based experimental test bed.Comment: in Ictact Journal On Communication Technology: Special Issue On Next Generation Wireless Networks And Applications, June 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2, Issn: 2229-6948(Online

Perfomance Analysis of the Xen Hypervisor For Virtualizing Network Devices

Acknowledging the great potential of virtualization techniques in communication networks, the aim of this project is to understand and analyze the possibilities of virtualization in the network scope. For that reason we set the objectives of the project as follows:• To analyze the different virtualization techniques currently available and to understand their impact in the virtualization process • To identify virtualization tools supporting the above virtualization techniques • To devise a set of scenarios where virtualization can play a role and implement a subset of them for evaluation purposes • To devise a set of performance indexes to evaluate the behaviour of virtual network scenarios. • To select a virtualization tool and run a set of experiments with the virtual network infrastructure • To propose a monitoring mechanism of the usage of resources of each virtual machine • To extrapolate the evaluation results of the proposed tests to more complex scenario

Scheduling in virtual infrastructure

For the execution of the scientific applications, different methods have been proposed to dynamically provide execution environments for such applications that hide the complexity of underlying distributed and heterogeneous infrastructures. Recently virtualization has emerged as a promising technology to provide such environments. Virtualization is a technology that abstracts away the details of physical hardware and provides virtualized resources for high-level scientific applications. Virtualization offers a cost-effective and flexible way to use and manage computing resources. Such an abstraction is appealing in Grid computing and Cloud computing for better matching jobs (applications) to computational resources. This work applies the virtualization concept to the Condor dynamic resource management system by using Condor Virtual Universe to harvest the existing virtual computing resources to their maximum utility. It allows existing computing resources to be dynamically provisioned at run-time by users based on application requirements instead of statically at design-time thereby lay the basis for efficient use of the available resources, thus providing way for the efficient use of the available resources.En la ejecución de aplicaciones científicas, existen diversas propuestas cuyo objetivo es proporcionar entornos adecuados de ejecución que oculten la complejidad de las infraestructuras distribuidas y heterogéneas subyacentes a las aplicaciones. Recientemente, la virtualización ha emergido como una prometedora tecnología que permite abstraer los detalles del hardware, mediante la asignación de recursos virtualizados a las aplicaciones científicas de altas necesidades de cómputo. La virtualización ofrece una solución rentable y además permite una gestión flexible de recursos. Este nivel de abstracción es deseable en entornos de Grid Computing y Cloud Computing para obtener una planificación adecuada de tarea (aplicaciones) sobre los recursos computacionales. Este trabajo aplica el concepto de virtualización al sistema gestor dinámico de recursos Condor, mediante la utilización de Condor Virtual Universe para conseguir una máxima utilización de los recursos computacionales virtuales. Además, permite que los recursos de cómputo existentes sean proporcionados dinámicamente en tiempo de ejecución por los usuarios, en función de los requisitos de la aplicación, en lugar de mantener la definición estática definida en tiempo de diseño, y así sentar las bases del uso eficiente de los recursos disponibles.En l'execució d'aplicacions científiques, existeixen diverses propostes amb l'objectiu de proporcionar entorns adequats d'execució que amaguin la complexitat de les infraestructures distribuïdes i heterogènies subjacents a les aplicacions. Recentment, la virtualització ha sorgit com una prometedora tecnologia que ha de permetre abstraure els detalls del hardware, mitjançant l'assignació de recursos virtualitzats a les aplicacions científiques amb altes necessitats de còmput. La virtualizatzació ofereix una solució rentable i a més permet una gestió flexible de recursos. Aquest nivell d'abstracció es desitjable en entorns de Grid Computing i Cloud Computing per a obtenir una planificació adequada del treball (aplicacions) sobre els recursos computacionals. Aquest treball aplica el concepte de virtualització al sistema gestor dinàmic de recursos Condor, mitjançant la utilització de Condor Virtual Universe per aconseguir una màxima utilització dels recursos computacionals virtuals. A més, permet que els recursos de còmput existents siguin proporcionats dinàmicament en temps d'execució pels usuaris, en funció dels requisits de l'aplicació, en lloc de mantenir la definició estàtica definida en temps de disseny, i així assentar unes bases per l'ús eficient dels recursos disponibles

Providing User Security Guarantees in Public Infrastructure Clouds

The infrastructure cloud (IaaS) service model offers improved resource flexibility and availability, where tenants - insulated from the minutiae of hardware maintenance - rent computing resources to deploy and operate complex systems. Large-scale services running on IaaS platforms demonstrate the viability of this model; nevertheless, many organizations operating on sensitive data avoid migrating operations to IaaS platforms due to security concerns. In this paper, we describe a framework for data and operation security in IaaS, consisting of protocols for a trusted launch of virtual machines and domain-based storage protection. We continue with an extensive theoretical analysis with proofs about protocol resistance against attacks in the defined threat model. The protocols allow trust to be established by remotely attesting host platform configuration prior to launching guest virtual machines and ensure confidentiality of data in remote storage, with encryption keys maintained outside of the IaaS domain. Presented experimental results demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed protocols. The framework prototype was implemented on a test bed operating a public electronic health record system, showing that the proposed protocols can be integrated into existing cloud environments

Dynamic Context Awareness of Universal Middleware based for IoT SNMP Service Platform

This study focused on the Universal Middleware design for the IoT (Internet of Things) service gateway for the implementation module of the convergence platform. Recently, IoT service gateway including convergence platform could be supported on dynamic module system that is required mounting and recognized intelligent status with the remote network protocol. These awareness concepts support the dynamic environment of the cross-platform distributed computing technology is supported by these idea as a Universal Middleware for network substitution. Distribution system commonly used in recent embedded systems include CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture), RMI (Remote Method Invocation), DCE (Distributed Computing Environment) for dynamic service interface, and suggested implementations of a device object context. However, the aforementioned technologies do not support each standardization of application services, communication protocols, and data, but are also limited in supporting inter-system scalability. In particular, in order to configure an IoT service module, the system can be simplified, and an independent service module can be configured as long as it can support the standardization of modules based on hardware and software components. This paper proposed a design method for Universal Middleware that, by providing IoT modules and service gateways with scalability for configuring operating system configuration, may be utilized as an alternative. This design could be a standardized interface provisioning way for hardware and software components as convergence services, and providing a framework for system construction. Universal Middleware Framework could be presented and dynamic environment standardization module of network protocols, various application service modules such as JINI (Apache River), UPnP (Universal Plug & Play), SLP (Service Location Protocol) bundles that provide communication facilities, and persistence data module. In this IoT gateway, management for based Universal Middleware framework support and available for each management operation, application service component could be cross-executed over SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) version 1, version 2, and version 3. The way of SNMP extension service modules are conducted cross-support each module and independent system meta-information that could be built life cycle management component through the MIB (Management Information Base) information unit analysis. Therefore, the MIB role of relation with the Dispatcher applied to support multiple concurrent SNMP messages by receiving incoming messages and managing the transfer of PDU (Protocol Data Unit) between the RFC 1906 network in this study. Results of the study revealed utilizing Universal Middleware that dynamic situations of context objects with mechanisms and tools to publish information could be consisted of IoT to standardize module interfaces to external service clients as a convergence between hardware and software platforms