Exploring traffic and QoS management mechanisms to support mobile cloud computing using service localisation in heterogeneous environments

In recent years, mobile devices have evolved to support an amalgam of multimedia applications and content. However, the small size of these devices poses a limit the amount of local computing resources. The emergence of Cloud technology has set the ground for an era of task offloading for mobile devices and we are now seeing the deployment of applications that make more extensive use of Cloud processing as a means of augmenting the capabilities of mobiles. Mobile Cloud Computing is the term used to describe the convergence of these technologies towards applications and mechanisms that offload tasks from mobile devices to the Cloud. In order for mobile devices to access Cloud resources and successfully offload tasks there, a solution for constant and reliable connectivity is required. The proliferation of wireless technology ensures that networks are available almost everywhere in an urban environment and mobile devices can stay connected to a network at all times. However, user mobility is often the cause of intermittent connectivity that affects the performance of applications and ultimately degrades the user experience. 5th Generation Networks are introducing mechanisms that enable constant and reliable connectivity through seamless handovers between networks and provide the foundation for a tighter coupling between Cloud resources and mobiles. This convergence of technologies creates new challenges in the areas of traffic management and QoS provisioning. The constant connectivity to and reliance of mobile devices on Cloud resources have the potential of creating large traffic flows between networks. Furthermore, depending on the type of application generating the traffic flow, very strict QoS may be required from the networks as suboptimal performance may severely degrade an application’s functionality. In this thesis, I propose a new service delivery framework, centred on the convergence of Mobile Cloud Computing and 5G networks for the purpose of optimising service delivery in a mobile environment. The framework is used as a guideline for identifying different aspects of service delivery in a mobile environment and for providing a path for future research in this field. The focus of the thesis is placed on the service delivery mechanisms that are responsible for optimising the QoS and managing network traffic. I present a solution for managing traffic through dynamic service localisation according to user mobility and device connectivity. I implement a prototype of the solution in a virtualised environment as a proof of concept and demonstrate the functionality and results gathered from experimentation. Finally, I present a new approach to modelling network performance by taking into account user mobility. The model considers the overall performance of a persistent connection as the mobile node switches between different networks. Results from the model can be used to determine which networks will negatively affect application performance and what impact they will have for the duration of the user's movement. The proposed model is evaluated using an analytical approac

Virtualisation and Thin Client : A Survey of Virtual Desktop environments

This survey examines some of the leading commercial Virtualisation and Thin Client technologies. Reference is made to a number of academic research sources and to prominent industry specialists and commentators. A basic virtualisation Laboratory model is assembled to demonstrate fundamental Thin Client operations and to clarify potential problem areas

Service-centric networking

This chapter introduces a new paradigm for service centric networking. Building upon recent proposals in the area of information centric networking, a similar treatment of services – where networked software functions, rather than content, are dynamically deployed, replicated and invoked – is discussed. Service-centric networking provides the mechanisms required to deploy replicated service instances across highly distributed networked cloud infrastructures and to route client requests to the closest instance while providing more efficient network infrastructure usage, improved QoS and new business opportunities for application and service providers. </jats:p

Reducing Internet Latency : A Survey of Techniques and their Merit

Bob Briscoe, Anna Brunstrom, Andreas Petlund, David Hayes, David Ros, Ing-Jyh Tsang, Stein Gjessing, Gorry Fairhurst, Carsten Griwodz, Michael WelzlPeer reviewedPreprin

Incrementando as redes centradas à informaçãopara uma internet das coisas baseada em nomes

The way we use the Internet has been evolving since its origins. Nowadays, users are more interested in accessing contents and services with high demands in terms of bandwidth, security and mobility. This evolution has triggered the emergence of novel networking architectures targeting current, as well as future, utilisation demands. Information-Centric Networking (ICN) is a prominent example of these novel architectures that moves away from the current host-centric communications and centres its networking functions around content. Parallel to this, new utilisation scenarios in which smart devices interact with one another, as well as with other networked elements, have emerged to constitute what we know as the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is expected to have a significant impact on both the economy and society. However, fostering the widespread adoption of IoT requires many challenges to be overcome. Despite recent developments, several issues concerning the deployment of IPbased IoT solutions on a large scale are still open. The fact that IoT is focused on data and information rather than on point-topoint communications suggests the adoption of solutions relying on ICN architectures. In this context, this work explores the ground concepts of ICN to develop a comprehensive vision of the principal requirements that should be met by an IoT-oriented ICN architecture. This vision is complemented with solutions to fundamental issues for the adoption of an ICN-based IoT. First, to ensure the freshness of the information while retaining the advantages of ICN’s in-network caching mechanisms. Second, to enable discovery functionalities in both local and large-scale domains. The proposed mechanisms are evaluated through both simulation and prototyping approaches, with results showcasing the feasibility of their adoption. Moreover, the outcomes of this work contribute to the development of new compelling concepts towards a full-fledged Named Network of Things.A forma como usamos a Internet tem vindo a evoluir desde a sua criação. Atualmente, os utilizadores estão mais interessados em aceder a conteúdos e serviços, com elevados requisitos em termos de largura de banda, segurança e mobilidade. Esta evolução desencadeou o desenvolvimento de novas arquiteturas de rede, visando os atuais, bem como os futuros, requisitos de utilização. As Redes Centradas à Informação (Information-Centric Networking - ICN) são um exemplo proeminente destas novas arquiteturas que, em vez de seguirem um modelo de comunicação centrado nos dispositivos terminais, centram as suas funções de rede em torno do próprio conteúdo. Paralelamente, novos cenários de utilização onde dispositivos inteligentes interagem entre si, e com outros elementos de rede, têm vindo a aparecer e constituem o que hoje conhecemos como a Internet das Coisas (Internet of Things - IoT ). É esperado que a IoT tenha um impacto significativo na economia e na sociedade. No entanto, promover a adoção em massa da IoT ainda requer que muitos desafios sejam superados. Apesar dos desenvolvimentos recentes, vários problemas relacionados com a adoção em larga escala de soluções de IoT baseadas no protocolo IP estão em aberto. O facto da IoT estar focada em dados e informação, em vez de comunicações ponto-a-ponto, sugere a adoção de soluções baseadas em arquiteturas ICN. Neste sentido, este trabalho explora os conceitos base destas soluções para desenvolver uma visão completa dos principais requisitos que devem ser satisfeitos por uma solução IoT baseada na arquitetura de rede ICN. Esta visão é complementada com soluções para problemas cruciais para a adoção de uma IoT baseada em ICN. Em primeiro lugar, assegurar que a informação seja atualizada e, ao mesmo tempo, manter as vantagens do armazenamento intrínseco em elementos de rede das arquiteturas ICN. Em segundo lugar, permitir as funcionalidades de descoberta não só em domínios locais, mas também em domínios de larga-escala. Os mecanismos propostos são avaliados através de simulações e prototipagem, com os resultados a demonstrarem a viabilidade da sua adoção. Para além disso, os resultados deste trabalho contribuem para o desenvolvimento de conceitos sólidos em direção a uma verdadeira Internet das Coisas baseada em Nomes.Programa Doutoral em Telecomunicaçõe

Best Environmental Management Practice in the Telecommunications and ICT Services sector: Learning from front runners

The steady growth over the past decades of the Telecommunications and ICT Services sector, and its uninterrupted progress with the constant provision of renewed and ever-faster services as well as new applications, has transformed many aspects of our society and lives but has also spurred the development of ever more power- and resource-hungry systems, contributing to the sector’s ever-growing environmental footprint. On the basis of an in-depth analysis of the actions implemented by environmental front runners and of existing EU and industry initiatives addressing the environmental performance of the sector, this report describes a set of best practices with high potential for larger uptake. These are called Best Environmental Management Practices (BEMPs). The BEMPs, identified in close cooperation with a technical working group comprising experts from the sector, cover improvement of environmental performance across all significant environmental aspects (energy consumption, resource consumption, etc.) at the different life cycle stages (planning and design, installation, operation, end-of-life management, etc.) and for different ICT assets (software, data centres, etc.). Besides actions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of Telecommunications and ICT Services operations (with a special focus on data centres and telecommunications networks), the report also identifies best practices in the ICT sector that contribute towards reducing the environmental impact of other sectors of the economy ("greening by ICT" measures). The report gives a wide range of information (environmental benefits, economics, indicators, benchmarks, references, etc.) for each of the proposed best practices in order to be a source of inspiration and guidance for any company in the sector wishing to improve its environmental performance. In addition, it will be the technical basis for a Sectoral Reference Document on Best Environmental Management Practice for the Telecommunications and ICT Services sector, to be produced by the European Commission according to Article 46 of Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009 (EMAS Regulation).JRC.B.5-Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi

Evolving an efficient and effective off-the-shelf computing infrastructure for schools in rural areas of South Africa

Upliftment of rural areas and poverty alleviation are priorities for development in South Africa. Information and knowledge are key strategic resources for social and economic development and ICTs act as tools to support them, enabling innovative and more cost effective approaches. In order for ICT interventions to be possible, infrastructure has to be deployed. For the deployment to be effective and sustainable, the local community needs to be involved in shaping and supporting it. This study describes the technical work done in the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL), a long-term ICT4D experiment in the Mbashe Municipality, with a focus on the deployment of ICT infrastructure in schools, for teaching and learning but also for use by the communities surrounding the schools. As a result of this work, computing infrastructure was deployed, in various phases, in 17 schools in the area and a “broadband island” connecting them was created. The dissertation reports on the initial deployment phases, discussing theoretical underpinnings and policies for using technology in education as well various computing and networking technologies and associated policies available and appropriate for use in rural South African schools. This information forms the backdrop of a survey conducted with teachers from six schools in the SLL, together with experimental work towards the provision of an evolved, efficient and effective off-the-shelf computing infrastructure in selected schools, in order to attempt to address the shortcomings of the computing infrastructure deployed initially in the SLL. The result of the study is the proposal of an evolved computing infrastructure model for use in rural South African schools

Greening IT : How greener it can form a solid base for a low-carbon society

272 p.Libro ElectrónicoInformation Technology is responsible for approximately 2% of the world's emission of greenhouse gases. The IT sector itself contributes to these greenhouse gas emissions, through its massive consumption of energy - and therefore continuously exacerbates the problem. At the same time, however, the IT industry can provide the technological solutions we need to optimise resource use, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We call this Greening IT. This book looks into the great potential of greening society with IT - i.e. the potential of IT in transforming our societies into Low-Carbon societies. The book is the result of an internationally collaborative effort by a number of opinion leaders in the field of Greening IT. Tomado de http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8791936020The Greening of IT is a symptom of a much larger challenge for humankind - transitioning from economic childhood into maturity. Despite the emergence of large regional alliances such as the EC, humankind remains incredibly fragmented; and yet the need for global climate and energy policies is pressing. IT offers tantalizing technical solutions to our emissions and growth dilemma: it can grow greener and help with the greening of other industries. This book explores this potential.AcknowledgementsDisclosure1 Prologue2 Our Tools Will Not Save Us This Time - by Laurent Liscia3 Climate Change and the Low Carbon Society - by Irene N. Sobotta4 Why Green IT Is Hard - An Economic Perspective - by Rien Dijkstra5 Cloud Computing - by Adrian Sobotta6 Thin Client Computing - by Sean Whetstone7 Smart Grid - by Adrian Sobotta8 How IT Contributes to the Greening of the Grid - by Dr. GeorgeW. Arnold9 The Green IT Industry Ecosystem - by Ariane Rüdiger10 Out of The Box Ways IT Can Help to Preserve Nature and Reduce CO2 - by Flavio Souza11 From KPIs to the Business Case - Return on Investment on Green IT? - by Dominique C. Brack12 Computing Energy Efficiency - An Introduction - by Bianca Wirth13 A Future View: Biomimicry + Technology - by Bianca Wirth14 Greening Supply Chains - The Role of Information Technologies - by Hans Moonen15 EpilogueReferencesInde