Internet of Things Cloud: Architecture and Implementation

The Internet of Things (IoT), which enables common objects to be intelligent and interactive, is considered the next evolution of the Internet. Its pervasiveness and abilities to collect and analyze data which can be converted into information have motivated a plethora of IoT applications. For the successful deployment and management of these applications, cloud computing techniques are indispensable since they provide high computational capabilities as well as large storage capacity. This paper aims at providing insights about the architecture, implementation and performance of the IoT cloud. Several potential application scenarios of IoT cloud are studied, and an architecture is discussed regarding the functionality of each component. Moreover, the implementation details of the IoT cloud are presented along with the services that it offers. The main contributions of this paper lie in the combination of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) servers to offer IoT services in the architecture of the IoT cloud with various techniques to guarantee high performance. Finally, experimental results are given in order to demonstrate the service capabilities of the IoT cloud under certain conditions.Comment: 19pages, 4figures, IEEE Communications Magazin

End-to-end elasticity control of cloud-network slices

The design of efficient elasticity control mechanisms for dynamic resource allocation is crucial to increase the efficiency of future cloud-network slice-defined systems. Current elasticity control mechanisms proposed for cloud- or network-slicing, only consider cloud- or network-type resources respectively. In this paper, we introduce the elaSticity in cLOud-neTwork Slices (SLOTS) which aims to extend the horizontal elasticity control to multi-providers scenarios in an end-to-end fashion, as well as to provide a novel vertical elasticity mechanism to deal with critical insufficiency of resources by harvesting underused resources on other slices. Finally, we present a preliminary assessment of the SLOTS prototype in a real testbed, revealing outcomes that suggest the viability of the proposal.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A survey of communication protocols for internet of things and related challenges of fog and cloud computing integration

The fast increment in the number of IoT (Internet of Things) devices is accelerating the research on new solutions to make cloud services scalable. In this context, the novel concept of fog computing as well as the combined fog-to-cloud computing paradigm is becoming essential to decentralize the cloud, while bringing the services closer to the end-system. This article surveys e application layer communication protocols to fulfill the IoT communication requirements, and their potential for implementation in fog- and cloud-based IoT systems. To this end, the article first briefly presents potential protocol candidates, including request-reply and publish-subscribe protocols. After that, the article surveys these protocols based on their main characteristics, as well as the main performance issues, including latency, energy consumption, and network throughput. These findings are thereafter used to place the protocols in each segment of the system (IoT, fog, cloud), and thus opens up the discussion on their choice, interoperability, and wider system integration. The survey is expected to be useful to system architects and protocol designers when choosing the communication protocols in an integrated IoT-to-fog-to-cloud system architecture.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Tram-tastic Cloud Computing

This master’s thesis evaluates the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the AWS cloud platform used to collect and utilize data generated by the 87 digitally equipped trams. The SL-18 Cloud Platform was developed before the trams arrived, and resource configuration estimates were made to handle the data generated by the trams. However, with a few trams currently operational, it is crucial to evaluate the allocation of resources to the services based on actual data. Thus, the thesis's objective is to estimate the data generated by all 87 trams and evaluate the current resource provisioning on the AWS Cloud Platform in terms of scalability and cost. By doing so, this study will provide insights into the optimal resource allocation required for the AWS Cloud Platform to accommodate the data generated by the trams. In this study, we use an existing Digital Twin tool for the trams to evaluate the scalability of the platform, ensuring that it can handle the load while keeping the cost low. To achieve this, the existing Digital Twin is modified to run 87 or more instances concurrently. Using this modified tool, the SL-18 IT platform, which processes real-time data from all 87 trams simultaneously, is evaluated. We monitored the metrics of AWS services to identify any issues. Then based on measurements, we make recommendations for each service's upgrading, downgrading, or keeping the current configuration. Most services are recommended to scale down to reduce costs, while three services require scaling up to be operational. Although our process is well-defined and could be replicated by other studies, it is crucial to have in-depth discussions with the relevant teams for each service and perform repeated validations and evaluations. This is also a necessary protocol in Sporveien to present the results to the various stakeholders and implement the recommended changes. With these changes, Sporveien can save costs and most importantly have a platform capable of handling the data load of 87 SL-18 trams

Hacker Combat: A Competitive Sport from Programmatic Dueling & Cyberwarfare

The history of humanhood has included competitive activities of many different forms. Sports have offered many benefits beyond that of entertainment. At the time of this article, there exists not a competitive ecosystem for cyber security beyond that of conventional capture the flag competitions, and the like. This paper introduces a competitive framework with a foundation on computer science, and hacking. This proposed competitive landscape encompasses the ideas underlying information security, software engineering, and cyber warfare. We also demonstrate the opportunity to rank, score, & categorize actionable skill levels into tiers of capability. Physiological metrics are analyzed from participants during gameplay. These analyses provide support regarding the intricacies required for competitive play, and analysis of play. We use these intricacies to build a case for an organized competitive ecosystem. Using previous player behavior from gameplay, we also demonstrate the generation of an artificial agent purposed with gameplay at a competitive level