Deliverable JRA1.1: Evaluation of current network control and management planes for multi-domain network infrastructure

This deliverable includes a compilation and evaluation of available control and management architectures and protocols applicable to a multilayer infrastructure in a multi-domain Virtual Network environment.The scope of this deliverable is mainly focused on the virtualisation of the resources within a network and at processing nodes. The virtualization of the FEDERICA infrastructure allows the provisioning of its available resources to users by means of FEDERICA slices. A slice is seen by the user as a real physical network under his/her domain, however it maps to a logical partition (a virtual instance) of the physical FEDERICA resources. A slice is built to exhibit to the highest degree all the principles applicable to a physical network (isolation, reproducibility, manageability, ...). Currently, there are no standard definitions available for network virtualization or its associated architectures. Therefore, this deliverable proposes the Virtual Network layer architecture and evaluates a set of Management- and Control Planes that can be used for the partitioning and virtualization of the FEDERICA network resources. This evaluation has been performed taking into account an initial set of FEDERICA requirements; a possible extension of the selected tools will be evaluated in future deliverables. The studies described in this deliverable define the virtual architecture of the FEDERICA infrastructure. During this activity, the need has been recognised to establish a new set of basic definitions (taxonomy) for the building blocks that compose the so-called slice, i.e. the virtual network instantiation (which is virtual with regard to the abstracted view made of the building blocks of the FEDERICA infrastructure) and its architectural plane representation. These definitions will be established as a common nomenclature for the FEDERICA project. Other important aspects when defining a new architecture are the user requirements. It is crucial that the resulting architecture fits the demands that users may have. Since this deliverable has been produced at the same time as the contact process with users, made by the project activities related to the Use Case definitions, JRA1 has proposed a set of basic Use Cases to be considered as starting point for its internal studies. When researchers want to experiment with their developments, they need not only network resources on their slices, but also a slice of the processing resources. These processing slice resources are understood as virtual machine instances that users can use to make them behave as software routers or end nodes, on which to download the software protocols or applications they have produced and want to assess in a realistic environment. Hence, this deliverable also studies the APIs of several virtual machine management software products in order to identify which best suits FEDERICA’s needs.Postprint (published version

Hybrid SDN Evolution: A Comprehensive Survey of the State-of-the-Art

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is an evolutionary networking paradigm which has been adopted by large network and cloud providers, among which are Tech Giants. However, embracing a new and futuristic paradigm as an alternative to well-established and mature legacy networking paradigm requires a lot of time along with considerable financial resources and technical expertise. Consequently, many enterprises can not afford it. A compromise solution then is a hybrid networking environment (a.k.a. Hybrid SDN (hSDN)) in which SDN functionalities are leveraged while existing traditional network infrastructures are acknowledged. Recently, hSDN has been seen as a viable networking solution for a diverse range of businesses and organizations. Accordingly, the body of literature on hSDN research has improved remarkably. On this account, we present this paper as a comprehensive state-of-the-art survey which expands upon hSDN from many different perspectives

New Challenges in Quality of Services Control Architectures in Next Generation Networks

A mesura que Internet i les xarxes IP s'han anat integrant dins la societat i les corporacions, han anat creixent les expectatives de nous serveis convergents així com les expectatives de qualitat en les comunicacions. Les Next Generation Networks (NGN) donen resposta a les noves necessitats i representen el nou paradigma d'Internet a partir de la convergència IP. Un dels aspectes menys desenvolupats de les NGN és el control de la Qualitat del Servei (QoS), especialment crític en les comunicacions multimèdia a través de xarxes heterogènies i/o de diferents operadors. A més a més, les NGN incorporen nativament el protocol IPv6 que, malgrat les deficiències i esgotament d'adreces IPv4, encara no ha tingut l'impuls definitiu.Aquesta tesi està enfocada des d'un punt de vista pràctic. Així doncs, per tal de poder fer recerca sobre xarxes de proves (o testbeds) que suportin IPv6 amb garanties de funcionament, es fa un estudi en profunditat del protocol IPv6, del seu grau d'implementació i dels tests de conformància i interoperabilitat existents que avaluen la qualitat d'aquestes implementacions. A continuació s'avalua la qualitat de cinc sistemes operatius que suporten IPv6 mitjançant un test de conformància i s'implementa el testbed IPv6 bàsic, a partir del qual es farà la recerca, amb la implementació que ofereix més garanties.El QoS Broker és l'aportació principal d'aquesta tesi: un marc integrat que inclou un sistema automatitzat per gestionar el control de la QoS a través de sistemes multi-domini/multi-operador seguint les recomanacions de les NGN. El sistema automatitza els mecanismes associats a la configuració de la QoS dins d'un mateix domini (sistema autònom) mitjançant la gestió basada en polítiques de QoS i automatitza la negociació dinàmica de QoS entre QoS Brokers de diferents dominis, de forma que permet garantir QoS extrem-extrem sense fissures. Aquesta arquitectura es valida sobre un testbed de proves multi-domini que utilitza el mecanisme DiffServ de QoS i suporta IPv6.L'arquitectura definida en les NGN permet gestionar la QoS tant a nivell 3 (IP) com a nivell 2 (Ethernet, WiFi, etc.) de forma que permet gestionar també xarxes PLC. Aquesta tesi proposa una aproximació teòrica per aplicar aquesta arquitectura de control, mitjançant un QoS Broker, a les noves xarxes PLC que s'estan acabant d'estandarditzar, i discuteix les possibilitats d'aplicació sobre les futures xarxes de comunicació de les Smart Grids.Finalment, s'integra en el QoS Broker un mòdul per gestionar l'enginyeria del tràfic optimitzant els dominis mitjançant tècniques de intel·ligència artificial. La validació en simulacions i sobre un testbed amb routers Cisco demostra que els algorismes genètics híbrids són una opció eficaç en aquest camp.En general, les observacions i avenços assolits en aquesta tesi contribueixen a augmentar la comprensió del funcionament de la QoS en les NGN i a preparar aquests sistemes per afrontar problemes del món real de gran complexitat.A medida que Internet y las redes IP se han ido integrando dentro de la sociedad y las corporaciones, han ido creciendo las expectativas de nuevos servicios convergentes así como las expectativas de calidad en las comunicaciones. Las Next Generation Networks (NGN) dan respuesta a las nuevas necesidades y representan el nuevo paradigma de Internet a partir de la convergencia IP. Uno de los aspectos menos desarrollados de las NGN es el control de la Calidad del Servicio (QoS), especialmente crítico en las comunicaciones multimedia a través de redes heterogéneas y/o de diferentes operadores. Además, las NGN incorporan nativamente el protocolo IPv6 que, a pesar de las deficiencias y agotamiento de direcciones IPv4, aún no ha tenido el impulso definitivo.Esta tesis está enfocada desde un punto de vista práctico. Así pues, con tal de poder hacer investigación sobre redes de prueba (o testbeds) que suporten IPv6 con garantías de funcionamiento, se hace un estudio en profundidad del protocolo IPv6, de su grado de implementación y de los tests de conformancia e interoperabilidad existentes que evalúan la calidad de estas implementaciones. A continuación se evalua la calidad de cinco sistemas operativos que soportan IPv6 mediante un test de conformancia y se implementa el testbed IPv6 básico, a partir del cual se realizará la investigación, con la implementación que ofrece más garantías.El QoS Broker es la aportación principal de esta tesis: un marco integrado que incluye un sistema automatitzado para gestionar el control de la QoS a través de sistemas multi-dominio/multi-operador siguiendo las recomendaciones de las NGN. El sistema automatiza los mecanismos asociados a la configuración de la QoS dentro de un mismo dominio (sistema autónomo) mediante la gestión basada en políticas de QoS y automatiza la negociación dinámica de QoS entre QoS brokers de diferentes dominios, de forma que permite garantizar QoS extremo-extremo sin fisuras. Esta arquitectura se valida sobre un testbed de pruebas multi-dominio que utiliza el mecanismo DiffServ de QoS y soporta IPv6. La arquitectura definida en las NGN permite gestionar la QoS tanto a nivel 3 (IP) o como a nivel 2 (Ethernet, WiFi, etc.) de forma que permite gestionar también redes PLC. Esta tesis propone una aproximación teórica para aplicar esta arquitectura de control, mediante un QoS Broker, a las noves redes PLC que se están acabando de estandardizar, y discute las posibilidades de aplicación sobre las futuras redes de comunicación de las Smart Grids.Finalmente, se integra en el QoS Broker un módulo para gestionar la ingeniería del tráfico optimizando los dominios mediante técnicas de inteligencia artificial. La validación en simulaciones y sobre un testbed con routers Cisco demuestra que los algoritmos genéticos híbridos son una opción eficaz en este campo.En general, las observaciones y avances i avances alcanzados en esta tesis contribuyen a augmentar la comprensión del funcionamiento de la QoS en las NGN y en preparar estos sistemas para afrontar problemas del mundo real de gran complejidad.The steady growth of Internet along with the IP networks and their integration into society and corporations has brought with it increased expectations of new converged services as well as greater demands on quality in communications. The Next Generation Networks (NGNs) respond to these new needs and represent the new Internet paradigm from the IP convergence. One of the least developed aspects in the NGNs is the Quality of Service (QoS) control, which is especially critical in the multimedia communication through heterogeneous networks and/or different operators. Furthermore, the NGNs natively incorporate the IPv6 protocol which, despite its shortcomings and the depletion of IPv4 addresses has not been boosted yet.This thesis has been developed with a practical focus. Therefore, with the aim of carrying out research over testbeds supporting the IPv6 with performance guarantees, an in-depth study of the IPv6 protocol development has been conducted and its degree of implementation and the existing conformance and interoperability tests that evaluate these implementations have been studied. Next, the quality of five implementations has been evaluated through a conformance test and the basic IPv6 testbed has been implemented, from which the research will be carried out. The QoS Broker is the main contribution to this thesis: an integrated framework including an automated system for QoS control management through multi-domain/multi-operator systems according to NGN recommendations. The system automates the mechanisms associated to the QoS configuration inside the same domain (autonomous system) through policy-based management and automates the QoS dynamic negotiation between peer QoS Brokers belonging to different domains, so it allows the guarantee of seamless end-to-end QoS. This architecture is validated over a multi-domain testbed which uses the QoS DiffServ mechanism and supports IPv6.The architecture defined in the NGN allows QoS management at level 3 (IP) as well as at level 2 (e.g. Ethernet, WiFi) so it also facilitates the management of PLC networks. Through the use of a QoS Broker, this thesis proposes a theoretical approach for applying this control architecture to the newly standardized PLC networks, and discusses the possibilities of applying it over the future communication networks of the Smart Grids.Finally, a module for managing traffic engineering which optimizes the network domains through artificial intelligence techniques is integrated in the QoS Broker. The validations by simulations and over a Cisco router testbed demonstrate that hybrid genetic algorithms are an effective option in this area.Overall, the advances and key insights provided in this thesis help advance our understanding of QoS functioning in the NGNs and prepare these systems to face increasingly complex problems, which abound in current industrial and scientific applications

Design and deployment of real scenarios of TCP/IP networking and it security for software defined networks with next generation tools

This thesis is about NSX, a Software Defined tool provided by VMware, to deploy and design virtual networks. The recent growth in the marked pushed companies to invest and use this kind of technology. This thesis explains three main NSX concepts and the basis to perform some deployments. Some use cases regarding networking and security are included in this document. The purpose of these use cases is to use them in real scenarios, which is the main purpose of the thesis. The budget to deploy these use cases is included as an estimation about how much a project like this would cost for the company. Finally, there are some conclusions and tips for best practices

Docker-ryppäiden clusterf -kuormantasaajan suunnittelu ja toteutus

Docker uses the Linux container namespace and cgroup primitives to provide isolated application runtime environments, allowing the distribution of self-contained application images that can be run in the form of Docker containers. Container platforms provide the infrastructure needed to deploy horizontally scalable container services into the Cloud, including orchestration, networking, service discovery and load balancing. This thesis studies container networking architectures and existing Cloud load balancer implementations to create a design for a scalable load balancer using the Linux IPVS network-level load balancer implementation. The clusterf load balancer architecture uses a two-level load balancing scheme combining different packet forwarding methods for scalability and compatibility with existing Docker applications. A distributed load balancer control plane is implemented to provide automatic load balancing for Docker containers. The clusterf load balancer is evaluated using a testbed environment, measuring the performance the network-level Linux IPVS implementation. The scalability of the clusterf load balancer is tested using Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing and IPVS connection synchronization The result is that the network-level Linux IPVS load balancer performs significantly better than the application-level HAProxy load balancer in the same configuration. The clusterf design allows for horizontal scaling with connection failover between IPVS load balancers. The current clusterf implementation requires the use of asymmetric routing within a network, such as provided by local Ethernet networks. Extending the clusterf design to support deployment onto existing Cloud infrastructure platforms with different networking implementations would qualify the clusterf load balancer for use in container platforms.Docker tarjoaa omavaraisia sovelluslevykuvia joita voidaan siirtää eri tietokoneille ja tavan suorittaa kyseisiä sovelluslevykuvia Docker konttien muodostamissa eristetyssä sovellusympäristöissä. Konttialustat tarjoavat pilvessä ajettavien skaalautuvien sovelluspalveluiden käyttöönottoon vaadittuja peruspalveluita, kuten orkestrointia, verkkoviestintää, palvelinetsintää sekä kuormantasausta. Tämä työ tutkii konttiverkkojen arkkitehtuuria sekä olemassa olevia pilvikuormantasaajatoteutuksia luodakseen skaalautuvan Linux IPVS-toteutukseen pohjautuvan verkkotason kuormantasaajan toteutusmallin. Tämä clusterf kuormantasaaja käyttää kaksikerroksista kuormantasausmallia joka yhdistää eri kuormantasausmenetelmiä saavuttaakseen sekä skaalautuvuuden että yhteensopivuuden olemassa olevien Docker konttisovelluksien kanssa. Työssä toteutetaan hajautettu ohjauspinta joka tarjoaa automaattisen kuormatasauksen Docker konttisovelluksille. Tämän clusterf kuormantasausmallin toteutusta arvioidaan erillisessä ympäristössä mittaamalla Linux IPVS-toteutuksen tarjoama suorituskyky. Tämän clusterf kuormantasaajan skaalautuvuus arvioidaan käyttäen Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) reititystä sekä IPVS-yhteystilojen synkronointia. Tutkimustyön tuloksena nähdään että verkkotason IPVS kuormantasaaja suoriutuu huomattavasti paremmin kuin sovellustason HAProxy kuormantasaaja samassa konfiguraatiossa. Tämä clusterf toteutus mahdollistaa myös kuormantasaajan skaalautumisen, sallien yhteyksien siirtämisen kuormantasaajalta toiselle. Nykyinen clusterf toteutus perustuu epäsymmetrisen reitityksen käyttöön, joka onnistuu Ethernet-pohjaisessa paikallisverkoissa. Toteutuksen laajentaminen mahdollistaakseen käyttöönoton erilaisia verkkototeutuksia käyttävien pilvialustojen päällä sallisi clusterf-kuormantasaajan käytön osana yleistä konttialustaa

Internet of Things From Hype to Reality

The Internet of Things (IoT) has gained significant mindshare, let alone attention, in academia and the industry especially over the past few years. The reasons behind this interest are the potential capabilities that IoT promises to offer. On the personal level, it paints a picture of a future world where all the things in our ambient environment are connected to the Internet and seamlessly communicate with each other to operate intelligently. The ultimate goal is to enable objects around us to efficiently sense our surroundings, inexpensively communicate, and ultimately create a better environment for us: one where everyday objects act based on what we need and like without explicit instructions

Review and analysis of networking challenges in cloud computing

Cloud Computing offers virtualized computing, storage, and networking resources, over the Internet, to organizations and individual users in a completely dynamic way. These cloud resources are cheaper, easier to manage, and more elastic than sets of local, physical, ones. This encourages customers to outsource their applications and services to the cloud. The migration of both data and applications outside the administrative domain of customers into a shared environment imposes transversal, functional problems across distinct platforms and technologies. This article provides a contemporary discussion of the most relevant functional problems associated with the current evolution of Cloud Computing, mainly from the network perspective. The paper also gives a concise description of Cloud Computing concepts and technologies. It starts with a brief history about cloud computing, tracing its roots. Then, architectural models of cloud services are described, and the most relevant products for Cloud Computing are briefly discussed along with a comprehensive literature review. The paper highlights and analyzes the most pertinent and practical network issues of relevance to the provision of high-assurance cloud services through the Internet, including security. Finally, trends and future research directions are also presented

Solução Linux para "backhaul" de redes móveis usando IP/MPLS

Mestrado em Engenharia Electrónica e TelecomunicaçõesOs operadores de redes móveis enfrentam actualmente um problema na procura de largura de banda para o núcleo das suas redes, principalmente devido à proliferação dos serviços de dados 3G, às recentes melhorias nas interfaces rádio de alto débito, como é o caso do HSPA, e às tecnologias emergentes como o LTE. O IP/MPLS torna-se uma solução atractiva para o núcleo destas redes devido à sua flexibilidade, proporcionando redes multi-serviços, escaláveis e mais económicas. O objectivo principal desta dissertação é a selecção e avaliação de uma solução IP/MPLS para utilização nos equipamentos de núcleo de redes móveis da PT Inovação. Inicialmente é realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica sobre as diversas tecnologias MPLS, usadas actualmente nas redes móveis. Para a pesquisa das diversas soluções existentes no mercado, é realizado um levantamento dos requisitos exigidos pelas redes móveis. Estes requisitos têm em conta não só os serviços suportados actualmente pelas redes móveis mas que serão descontinuados no futuro, mas também a evolução prevista para as mesmas. De acordo com estes requisitos, são apresentadas algumas soluções existentes no mercado. A solução escolhida é então sujeita a um conjunto de testes, previamente definidos e justificados. Estes testes são divididos em testes funcionais, garantindo a conformidade da solução com as normas, e em testes de desempenho, caracterizando-a em termos de robustez e capacidade de funcionamento. Por fim, a tese conclui sobre as capacidades e as lacunas da solução testada, permitindo avaliar a adequabilidade da sua implementação nos equipamentos da PT Inovação.Mobile operators are facing a significant spike in bandwidth demands in the core of their networks due to the proliferation of 3G-based data services, the recent improvements of high-speed air interface enhancements such as HSPA, and the emergence of new technologies such as LTE. IP/MPLS becomes an attractive solution for the core of these networks due to its flexibility, providing scalable, multi-propose and more cost-effective infrastructures. The main goal of this thesis is the selection and evaluation of an IP/MPLS solution to use in the core equipments for mobile networks of PT Inovação. Initially, a bibliography research about MPLS technologies, actually used in mobile networks, is realized. For the software solutions research, it is made a previous survey of the requirements. These requirements take in account not only the services supported actually in mobile networks but that will become legacy, but also the evolution forecast for these networks. According to these requirements, some solutions, available on market, are exposed. Then, the chosen solution is subject to test procedures, previously defined and justified. These tests are divided in functional tests, ensuring the solution conformity with the standards, and in performance tests, featuring the solution in terms of stability and functional capacity. Finally, the thesis concludes about the tested solution capabilities and gaps, allowing the evaluation for the solution implementation in PT Inovação equipments

Next generation control of transport networks

It is widely understood by telecom operators and industry analysts that bandwidth demand is increasing dramatically, year on year, with typical growth figures of 50% for Internet-based traffic [5]. This trend means that the consumers will have both a wide variety of devices attaching to their networks and a range of high bandwidth service requirements. The corresponding impact is the effect on the traffic engineered network (often referred to as the “transport network”) to ensure that the current rate of growth of network traffic is supported and meets predicted future demands. As traffic demands increase and newer services continuously arise, novel network elements are needed to provide more flexibility, scalability, resilience, and adaptability to today’s transport network. The transport network provides transparent traffic engineered communication of user, application, and device traffic between attached clients (software and hardware) and establishing and maintaining point-to-point or point-to-multipoint connections. The research documented in this thesis was based on three initial research questions posed while performing research at British Telecom research labs and investigating control of transport networks of future transport networks: 1. How can we meet Internet bandwidth growth yet minimise network costs? 2. Which enabling network technologies might be leveraged to control network layers and functions cooperatively, instead of separated network layer and technology control? 3. Is it possible to utilise both centralised and distributed control mechanisms for automation and traffic optimisation? This thesis aims to provide the classification, motivation, invention, and evolution of a next generation control framework for transport networks, and special consideration of delivering broadcast video traffic to UK subscribers. The document outlines pertinent telecoms technology and current art, how requirements I gathered, and research I conducted, and by which the transport control framework functional components are identified and selected, and by which method the architecture was implemented and applied to key research projects requiring next generation control capabilities, both at British Telecom and the wider research community. Finally, in the closing chapters, the thesis outlines the next steps for ongoing research and development of the transport network framework and key areas for further study