UniFAFF: A unified framework for implementing autonomic fault management and failure detection for self-managing networks

Today's network management, as known within the Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security (FCAPS) management framework, is moving towards the definition and implementation of 'self-managing' network functions, with the aim of eliminating or drastically reducing human intervention in some of the complex aspects or daunting tasks of network management. The fault management plane of the FCAPS framework deals with the following functions: fault detection, fault diagnosis, localization or isolation, and fault removal. Task automation is at the very heart of self-managing (autonomic) nodes and networks, meaning that all functions and processes related to fault management must be automated as much as possible within the functionalities of self-managing (autonomic) nodes and networks , in order for us to talk about autonomic fault management. At this point in time there are projects calling for implementing new network architectures that are flexible to support on-demand functional composition for context- or situation-aware networking. A number of such projects have started, under the umbrella of the so-called clean-slate network designs. Therefore, this calls for open frameworks for implementing self-managing (autonomic) functions across each of the traditional FCAPS management planes. This paper presents a unified framework for implementing autonomic fault management and failure detection for self-managing networks, a framework we are calling UniFAFF

Introducing on-demand MIBs to traffic engineering

A flexible, customizable and programmable network monitoring platform supporting the concept of On-Demand Monitoring(ODM), that provides to network management functions the ability to gather deep knowledge(i.e. monitoring data) about flow(s)-specific traffic flowing at a given point and time in the network e.g. statistics, traffic shape etc. is pivotal to driving management functions of a self-managing network. ODM is triggered or ad-hoc monitoring that transpires only when needed. A Network Management System (NMS) may require triggering the monitoring of some traffic at some ODM-supporting probes placed in strategic points in the network and demand the creation of a data model(s) reflecting some derived traffic characteristics e.g. statistics, so that the NMS or other systems may query the data model during the period in which monitoring is required for say traffic engineering. This paper introduces On-Demand MIBs as a solution to the requirement of dynamic data model( s) creation and deletion

Formal methods for modeling, refining and verifying autonomic components of computer networks

The domain of autonomic and nature-inspired networking comes with its own set of design challenges and requirements for its architectures. This demands a tailored solution to model and design its components rather than a generic approach. In this paper, we provide a hybrid methodology consisting of formal methods to design, refine and verify the entities of autonomic networks. We focus our discussions on the methods for meta-modeling, structural modeling and behavior modeling and design of existing protocols and newly introduced autonomic components, that autonomically manage and adapt the behaviour of protocols to changing policy and network conditions. A case study, based on the recently introduced Hierarchical Autonomic Management and Control Architectural Framework called GANA, is used for highlighting the practical benefits and design choices available to modelers and autonomic components designers. The results of our case study are analyzed to explain the trade of fs that future designers would be forced to make in order to achieve their design objectives for an autonomic network. A tool-chain to realize the methodology is also briefly discussed

A Model-driven approach to design and verify autonomic network behaviors

The domain of autonomic networking comes with its own set of architectural challenges and requirements that necessitates the knowledge of other domains like protocol design, system engineering and modern control theory for the design of autonomic behaviors. Thus, there is a need for an unified framework and methodology for designing the autonomic entities of such networks. A Model-driven framework or approach appears as a viable option, as it integrates and masks the differences between the domains through meta-models and model-to-model transformation services. In this paper, we focus on the instantiation of one such methodology and associated tool-chain for the design of the Auto-Configuration behavior in a network. We showcase how the application of the methodology helps in detecting and resolving conflicting and entangled control-loops during the design phase of autonomic behaviors

Addressing security issues in the autonomic Future Internet

We witness an ongoing intensive research towards the specification and implementation of autonomic behaviors for the Future Internet. Important issues that need to be addressed in that context are related to diverse security aspects of the emerging autonomic network technologies. In this paper, we present our research on security in autonomic networks based on the GANA reference model. We present a number of concepts and show how security can be addressed on the architectural level in an autonomic network

The self-managing future internet powered by the current IPv6 and extensions to IPv6 towards ""IPv6++"" - A viable roadmap scenario for the internet evolution path

In this paper, we report on some perspectives we give on how to create a viable Evolution Path towards Self-Managing Future Internet via a "standardizable" and commonly-shared architectural Reference Model for Autonomic Network Engineering and Self-Management. We present a Scenario on how the Self-Managing Future Internet can be developed via a viable Evolution Path that starts with today's network models, architectures, protocols such as IPv6 (in particular) and paradigms. The scenario then goes on to define the incremental changes and concepts necessitated and guided by a unified, holistic, commonly-shared, architectural Reference Model for Autonomic Network Engineering and Self-Management that needs to be developed and standardized first, as a starting point to creating the Evolution Path towards the Self-Managing Future Internet. This evolution of today's network models, architectures, networking paradigms and protocols such as IPv6 (towards IPv6++) must be guided a nd necessitated by the architectural Reference Model. The Scenario is a "what-if" type of Scenario that presents solid and realistic steps that define an evolutionary roadmap to achieving a very advanced feature-rich Self-Managing Future Internet by 2015, which can continue to evolve beyond that time frame. The ongoing activities of the EC funded FP7-EFIPSANS Project (http://www.efipsans.org/) are geared towards this goal