DRRM: Dynamic Resource Reservation Manager

Abstract

Much of the success of the Internet can be attributed to the IP "hour-glass" model: IP provides a consistent, best-effort service interface that has allowed the relatively independent development of applications and underlying networking technology. As network services and applications become more complex, so does the task of mapping an application to the appropriate service. We propose a Dynamic Resource Reservation Manager (drrm ) that maps application streams into network services. This entity will shield applications from the details of network services, in the same spirit as the hour-glass model of IP. We describe the architecture and implementation of a drrm , and investigate a key problem that must be solved: determining locations to renegotiate connection parameters. We consider the complexity of finding the optimal locations, and propose heuristics for both on-line and offline cases. We evaluate the performance of the heuristics using several application models. 1 Introductio..