A Comparison of wide area network performance using virtualized and non-virtualized client architectures

The goal of this thesis is to determine if there is a significant performance difference between two network computer architecture models. The study will measure latency and throughput for both client-server and virtualized client architectures. In the client server environment, the client computer performs a significant portion of the work and frequently requires downloading uploading files to and from a remote location. Virtual client architecture turns the client machine into a terminal, sending only keystrokes and mouse clicks and receiving only display pixel or sound changes. I accomplished the goal of comparing these architectures by comparing completion times for ping reply, file download, a small set of common work tasks, and a moderately large SQL database query. I compared these tasks using simulated wide area network, local area network, and virtual client network architectures. The study limits the architecture to one where the virtual client and server are in the same data center

A Survey on the Contributions of Software-Defined Networking to Traffic Engineering

Since the appearance of OpenFlow back in 2008, software-defined networking (SDN) has gained momentum. Although there are some discrepancies between the standards developing organizations working with SDN about what SDN is and how it is defined, they all outline traffic engineering (TE) as a key application. One of the most common objectives of TE is the congestion minimization, where techniques such as traffic splitting among multiple paths or advanced reservation systems are used. In such a scenario, this manuscript surveys the role of a comprehensive list of SDN protocols in TE solutions, in order to assess how these protocols can benefit TE. The SDN protocols have been categorized using the SDN architecture proposed by the open networking foundation, which differentiates among data-controller plane interfaces, application-controller plane interfaces, and management interfaces, in order to state how the interface type in which they operate influences TE. In addition, the impact of the SDN protocols on TE has been evaluated by comparing them with the path computation element (PCE)-based architecture. The PCE-based architecture has been selected to measure the impact of SDN on TE because it is the most novel TE architecture until the date, and because it already defines a set of metrics to measure the performance of TE solutions. We conclude that using the three types of interfaces simultaneously will result in more powerful and enhanced TE solutions, since they benefit TE in complementary ways.European Commission through the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (GN4) under Grant 691567 Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the Secure Deployment of Services Over SDN and NFV-based Networks Project S&NSEC under Grant TEC2013-47960-C4-3-

Design and Development of a Framework for Traffic Management in a Global Manufacturing Enterprise: The American Standard Case Study

Managed Bandwidth Services (MBSs) use Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees to effectively control traffic flows and reduce network delay. In the past, the provision of MBS in a global manufacturing enterprise was a difficult task for network administrators. However, advances in recently emerging technologies, such as Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS), Integrated Services (IntServ), Differentiated Services (DiffServ), and Constraint-based Routing (CBR), hold promise to make MBS implementation more manageable. QoS technologies, such as DiffServ and IntServ, offer the benefits of better application performance and delivery of reliable network service. As a consequence of network traffic loads, packet congestion and latency increases still exist and must be addressed by enterprises that intend to support an MBS solution. In this investigation, the author addressed an issue that is faced by many large manufacturing enterprises, i.e., the addition of latency and congestion sensitive traffic such as Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) to networks with limited bandwidth. The goal of this research was to provide global manufacturing enterprises with a model for bandwidth management in their offices and plants. This model was based on findings from a case study of traffic management at American Standard Companies

Otimização de métricas de rede de operadora de telecomunicações com roteamento por segmentos e engenharia de tráfego

Currently, telecommunication operators’s main problems include managing and configuring a large number of tunnels in the IP/MPLS network edge and core routers, resulting an increasing of router flow states, and also a complexity of control protocol maintenance, and optimization of network resources with different metrics. In this scenario, dynamic changes and network failures requires constantly a manual tunnel planning and reconfiguration to a predictable controlled traffic routing. In this sense, segment routing is a technology that simplifies routing and the configuration of these networks. Segment routing is accomplished by combining segments that finds a path for traffic demands, however, segments can be reused, reducing the number of states in the network. Thus, this thesis formulates a two-step optimization problem, considering a backbone network with segment routing and traffic engineering. The model has the purpose of distributing traffic flows considering the link load and different traffic engineering parameters established by the telecommunications operator, minimizing the number of states or segments per router. Results based on real examples are presented, demonstrating the state-of-the-art model benefits of current segment routing modeling proposals, such as addressing multiple network metric objectives.Atualmente, dentre os principais problemas das operadoras de telecomunicações estão a administração e a configuração de uma grande quantidade de túneis nos roteadores de borda e de núcleo de redes IP/MPLS. A quantidade de túneis resulta no aumento de estados por fluxo nos roteadores, na complexidade de manutenção de protocolos de controle e otimização dos recursos de rede, com diferentes métricas. Neste cenário, mudanças dinâmicas e falhas na rede exigem constante planejamento e reconfiguração manual de túneis, para controle do encaminhamento do tráfego de forma previsível. Nesse contexto, o roteamento por segmentos é uma tecnologia que permite a simplificação do roteamento e a configuração dessas redes. O roteamento por segmentos é realizado através da combinação de segmentos que compõe um caminho para atender demandas de tráfego, no entanto, segmentos podem ser reaproveitados, diminuindo a quantidade de estados na rede. Assim, nesta tese formula-se um problema de otimização em duas etapas, considerando uma rede de backbone com roteamento por segmentos e engenharia de tráfego. O modelo tem a finalidade de distribuir os fluxos considerando a carga nos enlaces e diferentes parâmetros de engenharia de tráfego estabelecidos pela operadora, minimizando a quantidade de estados ou segmentos por roteador. Resultados baseados em exemplos reais são apresentados, demonstrando-se os benefícios do modelo em relação ao estado da arte das propostas de modelagem de roteamento por segmentos, como o tratamento de múltiplas métricas de rede

Latency inflation with MPLS-based traffic engineering

While MPLS has been extensively deployed in recent years, lit-tle is known about its behavior in practice. We examine the per-formance of MPLS in Microsoft’s online service network (MSN), a well-provisioned multi-continent production network connecting tens of data centers. Using detailed traces collected over a 2-month period, we find that many paths experience significantly inflated la-tencies. We correlate occurrences of latency inflation with routers, links, and DC-pairs. This analysis sheds light on the causes of latency inflation and suggests several avenues for alleviating the problem. Categories and Subject Descriptor

A framework for Traffic Engineering in software-defined networks with advance reservation capabilities

298 p.En esta tesis doctoral se presenta una arquitectura software para facilitar la introducción de técnicas de ingeniería de tráfico en redes definidas por software. La arquitectura ha sido diseñada de forma modular, de manera que soporte múltiples casos de uso, incluyendo su aplicación en redes académicas. Cabe destacar que las redes académicas se caracterizan por proporcionar servicios de alta disponibilidad, por lo que la utilización de técnicas de ingeniería de tráfico es de vital importancia a fin de garantizar la prestación del servicio en los términos acordados. Uno de los servicios típicamente prestados por las redes académicas es el establecimiento de circuitos extremo a extremo con una duración determinada en la que una serie de recursos de red estén garantizados, conocido como ancho de banda bajo demanda, el cual constituye uno de los casos de uso en ingeniería de tráfico más desafiantes. Como consecuencia, y dado que esta tesis doctoral ha sido co-financiada por la red académica GÉANT, la arquitectura incluye soporte para servicios de reserva avanzada. La solución consiste en una gestión de los recursos de red en función del tiempo, la cual mediante el empleo de estructuras de datos y algoritmos específicamente diseñados persigue la mejora de la utilización de los recursos de red a la hora de prestar este tipo de servicios. La solución ha sido validada teniendo en cuenta los requisitos funcionales y de rendimiento planteados por la red GÉANT. Así mismo, cabe destacar que la solución será utilizada en el despliegue piloto del nuevo servicio de ancho de banda bajo demanda de la red GÉANT a finales del 2017