Showing papers on "Network management published in 2008"

NOX: towards an operating system for networks

Abstract: As anyone who has operated a large network can attest, enterprise networks are difficult to manage. That they have remained so despite significant commercial and academic efforts suggests the need for a different network management paradigm. Here we turn to operating systems as an instructive example in taming management complexity. In the early days of computing, programs were written in machine languages that had no common abstractions for the underlying physical resources. This made programs hard to write, port, reason about, and debug. Modern operating systems facilitate program development by providing controlled access to high-level abstractions for resources (e.g., memory, storage, communication) and information (e.g., files, directories). These abstractions enable programs to carry out complicated tasks safely and efficiently on a wide variety of computing hardware. In contrast, networks are managed through low-level configuration of individual components. Moreover, these configurations often depend on the underlying network; for example, blocking a user’s access with an ACL entry requires knowing the user’s current IP address. More complicated tasks require more extensive network knowledge; forcing guest users’ port 80 traffic to traverse an HTTP proxy requires knowing the current network topology and the location of each guest. In this way, an enterprise network resembles a computer without an operating system, with network-dependent component configuration playing the role of hardware-dependent machine-language programming. What we clearly need is an “operating system” for networks, one that provides a uniform and centralized programmatic interface to the entire network. Analogous to the read and write access to various resources provided by computer operating systems, a network operating system provides the ability to observe and control a network. A network operating system does not manage the network itself; it merely provides a programmatic interface. Applications implemented on top of the network operating system perform the actual management tasks. The programmatic interface should be general enough to support a broad spectrum of network management applications. Such a network operating system represents two major conceptual departures from the status quo. First, the network operating system presents programs with a centralized programming model; programs are written as if the entire network were present on a single machine (i.e., one would use Dijkstra to compute shortest paths, not Bellman-Ford). This requires (as in [3, 8, 14] and elsewhere) centralizing network state. Second, programs are written in terms of high-level abstractions (e.g., user and host names), not low-level configuration parameters (e.g., IP and MAC addresses). This allows management directives to be enforced independent of the underlying network topology, but it requires that the network operating system carefully maintain the bindings (i.e., mappings) between these abstractions and the low-level configurations. Thus, a network operating system allows management applications to be written as centralized programs over highlevel names as opposed to the distributed algorithms over low-level addresses we are forced to use today. While clearly a desirable goal, achieving this transformation from distributed algorithms to centralized programming presents significant technical challenges, and the question we pose here is: Can one build a network operating system at significant scale?

WirelessHART: Applying Wireless Technology in Real-Time Industrial Process Control

Abstract: Wireless technology has been regarded as a paradigm shifter in the process industry. The first open wireless communication standard specifically designed for process measurement and control applications, WirelessHART was officially released in September 2007 (as a part of the HART 7 Specification). WirelessHART is a secure and TDMA- based wireless mesh networking technology operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM radio band. In this paper, we give an introduction to the architecture of WirelessHART and share our first-hand experience in building a prototype for this specification. We describe several challenges we had to tackle during the implementation, such as the design of the timer, network wide synchronization, communication security, reliable mesh networking, and the central network manager. For each challenge, we provide a detailed analysis and propose our solution. Based on the prototype implementation, a simple WirelessHART network has been built for the purpose of demonstration. The demonstration network in turn validates our design. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported effort to build a WirelessHART protocol stack.

Virtual routers on the move: live router migration as a network-management primitive

Abstract: The complexity of network management is widely recognized as one of the biggest challenges facing the Internet today. Point solutions for individual problems further increase system complexity while not addressing the underlying causes. In this paper, we argue that many network-management problems stem from the same root cause---the need to maintain consistency between the physical and logical configuration of the routers. Hence, we propose VROOM (Virtual ROuters On the Move), a new network-management primitive that avoids unnecessary changes to the logical topology by allowing (virtual) routers to freely move from one physical node to another. In addition to simplifying existing network-management tasks like planned maintenance and service deployment, VROOM can also help tackle emerging challenges such as reducing energy consumption. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of novel migration techniques for virtual routers with either hardware or software data planes. Our evaluation shows that VROOM is transparent to routing protocols and results in no performance impact on the data traffic when a hardware-based data plane is used.

Floodless in seattle: a scalable ethernet architecture for large enterprises

Abstract: IP networks today require massive effort to configure and manage. Ethernet is vastly simpler to manage, but does not scale beyond small local area networks. This paper describes an alternative network architecture called SEATTLE that achieves the best of both worlds: The scalability of IP combined with the simplicity of Ethernet. SEATTLE provides plug-and-play functionality via flat addressing, while ensuring scalability and efficiency through shortest-path routing and hash-based resolution of host information. In contrast to previous work on identity-based routing, SEATTLE ensures path predictability and stability, and simplifies network management. We performed a simulation study driven by real-world traffic traces and network topologies, and used Emulab to evaluate a prototype of our design based on the Click and XORP open-source routing platforms. Our experiments show that SEATTLE efficiently handles network failures and host mobility, while reducing control overhead and state requirements by roughly two orders of magnitude compared with Ethernet bridging.

Network Coding: An Introduction

Abstract: Network coding promises to significantly impact the way communications networks are designed, operated, and understood. The first book to present a unified and intuitive overview of the theory, applications, challenges, and future directions of this emerging field, this is a must-have resource for those working in wireline or wireless networking. *Uses an engineering approach - explains the ideas and practical techniques *Covers mathematical underpinnings, practical algorithms, code selection, security, and network management *Discusses key topics of inter-session (non-multicast) network coding, lossy networks, lossless networks, and subgraph-selection algorithms Starting with basic concepts, models, and theory, then covering a core subset of results with full proofs, Ho and Lun provide an authoritative introduction to network coding that supplies both the background to support research and the practical considerations for designing coded networks. This is an essential resource for graduate students and researchers in electronic and computer engineering and for practitioners in the communications industry.

System-of-Systems Engineering Management: A Review of Modern History and a Path Forward

Abstract: As our knowledge of system of systems (SoS) has grown and evolved, so has our understanding of how to engineer and manage them. In systems engineering, we develop architectures and frameworks to bring meaning to this kind of uncertainty, but for SoS engineering (SoSE) we are still in search of how we can structure this understanding. In this paper, we review the SoS literature to illustrate the need to create an SoSE management framework based on the demands of constant technological progress in a complex dynamic environment. We conclude from this review that the history and evolution of defining SoS has shown that: (1) SoS can be defined by distinguishing characteristics and (2) SoS can be viewed as a network where the ldquobest practicesrdquo of network management can be applied to SoSE. We use these two theories as a foundation for our objective to create an effective SoSE management framework. To accomplish this, we utilize modified fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security (FCAPS) network principles (SoSE management conceptual areas). Furthermore, cited distinguishing characteristics of SoS are also used to present a SoSE management framework. We conclude with a case analysis of this framework using a known and well-documented SoS (i.e., Integrated Deepwater System) to illustrate how to better understand, engineer, and manage within the domain of SoSE.

CSAMP: a system for network-wide flow monitoring

Abstract: Critical network management applications increasingly demand fine-grained flow level measurements. However, current flow monitoring solutions are inadequate for many of these applications. In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of CSAMP, a system-wide approach for flow monitoring. The design of CSAMP derives from three key ideas: flow sampling as a router primitive instead of uniform packet sampling; hash-based packet selection to achieve coordination without explicit communication; and a framework for distributing responsibilities across routers to achieve network-wide monitoring goals while respecting router resource constraints. We show that CSAMP achieves much greater monitoring coverage, better use of router resources, and enhanced ability to satisfy network-wide flow monitoring goals compared to existing solutions.

Second Life and the New Generation of Virtual Worlds

Abstract: Unlike online games, metaverses present a single seamless, persistent world where users can transparently roam around without predefined objectives. An analysis of Second Life illustrates the demands such applications place on clients, servers, and the network and suggests possible optimizations.

When HART goes wireless: Understanding and implementing the WirelessHART standard

Abstract: As a newly released industrial communication standard, WirelessHART complements the ever so successful HART field devices by providing the possible means for communicating via wireless channels. The WirelessHART standard is designed to offer simple configuration, flexible installation and easy access of instrument data, and at the same time, ensure robust and reliable communications. In this paper, we first look closely into the specifications and present a comprehensive overview of the standard by summarizing the main functions of the various protocol layers. We then survey the literature and identify amongst the existing methods and algorithms, which ones can be effectively adopted in implementing the standard. More specifically, we set our focus on issues relating to realization of the medium access layer and the network manager, which are essential in creating a successful WirelessHART network for specific applications.

System and method for providing service or adding benefit to social networks

Abstract: A system and method for enhancing the revenue and/or efficiency of a network service is disclosed. The system constructs a graph of a social network in which users are capable of two-way communication with other users, the network service provider, or other entities such as advertisers. Using such methods as social VIP ranking, the system is capable of performing a variety of analyses, the results of which provide the network service provider insights on how to best perform such tasks as monitoring and enhancing campaign effectiveness, identify fraud, optimize resource allocation and ensure the quality of network management.

Review of traffic data estimations extracted from cellular networks

Abstract: One of the main characteristics of modern society is the never-ending increase in mobility. This leads to a series of problems such as congestion and increased pollution. To resolve these problems, it is imperative to have a good road network management and planning. To efficiently identify the characteristics of traffic in the road network, it would be necessary to perform a permanent monitorisation of all roadway links. This would involve an excessive cost of installation and maintenance of road infrastructure. Hence, new alternatives are required which can characterise traffic in a real time with good accuracy at an acceptable price. Mobile telephone systems are considered as a promising technology for the traffic data collection system. Its extensive use in converting its subscribers in a broad sample to draw information from phones becomes anonymous probes to monitor traffic. It is reviewed how to obtain parameters related to traffic from cellular-network-based data, describing methods used in existing simulation works as well as field tests in the academic and industrial field.

A comparative analysis of web and peer-to-peer traffic

Abstract: Peer-to-Peer (P2P) applications continue to grow in popularity, and have reportedly overtaken Web applications as the single largest contributor to Internet traffic. Using traces collected from a large edge network, we conduct an extensive analysis of P2P traffic, compare P2P traffic with Web traffic, and discuss the implications of increased P2P traffic. In addition to studying the aggregate P2P traffic, we also analyze and compare the two main constituents of P2P traffic in our data, namely BitTorrent and Gnutella. The results presented in the paper may be used for generating synthetic workloads, gaining insights into the functioning of P2P applications, and developing network management strategies. For example, our results suggest that new models are necessary for Internet traffic. As a first step, we present flow-level distributional models for Web and P2P traffic that may be used in network simulation and emulation experiments.

More than meets the eye: transforming the user experience of home network management

Abstract: As computing migrates from the workplace to the home, householders must tackle problems of home network maintenance. Often they lack the technical knowledge or motivation to complete these tasks, making the user experience of home network maintenance frustrating. In response to these difficulties, many householders rely on handwritten reminders or interactive networking tools that are ill-suited for the home environment. In this paper, we seek to understand how to design better home network management tools through a study of sketches created by 40 people in 18 households. In our study, we obtained information about householders' knowledge, practices and needs with respect to home networking. Based on our results, we present guidelines for transforming the user experience of home network management.

Key management and secure software updates in wireless process control environments

Abstract: Process control systems using wireless sensor nodes are large and complex environments built to last for a long time. Cryptographic keys are typically preloaded in the wireless nodes prior to deployment and used for the rest of their lifetime. To reduce the risk of successful cryptanalysis, new keys must be established (rekeying). We have designed a rekeying scheme that provides both backward and forward secrecy.Furthermore, since these nodes are used for extensive periods of time, there is a need to update the software on the nodes. Different types of sensors run different types and versions of software. We therefore establish group keys to update the software on groups of nodes. The software binary is split into fragments to construct a hash chain that is then signed by the network manager. The nodes can thus verify the authenticity and the integrity of the new software binary. We extend this protocol by encrypting the packets with the group key such that only the intended receivers can access the new software binary.

On the validation of traffic classification algorithms

Abstract: Detailed knowledge of the traffic mixture is essential for network operators and administrators, as it is a key input for numerous network management activities. Traffic classification aims at identifying the traffic mixture in the network. Several different classification approaches can be found in the literature. However, the validation of these methods is weak and ad hoc, because neither a reliable and widely accepted validation technique nor reference packet traces with well-defined content are available. In this paper, a novel validation method is proposed for characterizing the accuracy and completeness of traffic classification algorithms. The main advantages of the new method are that it is based on realistic traffic mixtures, and it enables a highly automated and reliable validation of traffic classification. As a proof-of-concept, it is examined how a state-of-the-art traffic classification method performs for the most common application types.

Methods and systems for providing hardware updates in a software provisioning environment

Abstract: A provisioning server can remotely determine target machines, requiring a hardware update, and remotely provide the hardware updates to the target machines. The provisioning server can identify hardware updates for target machines in a network it serves. The provisioning server can operate in conjunction with a network management server in order to identify the target machines, requiring the hardware update. The provisioning server can generate the hardware update for the target machines and provide the hardware update to the target machines.

Shadow configuration as a network management primitive

Abstract: Configurations for today's IP networks are becoming increasingly complex. As a result, configuration management is becoming a major cost factor for network providers and configuration errors are becoming a major cause of network disruptions. In this paper, we present and evaluate the novel idea of shadow configurations. Shadow configurations allow configuration evaluation before deployment and thus can reduce potential network disruptions. We demonstrate using real implementation that shadow configurations can be implemented with low overhead.

Enterprise security management for network equipment

Abstract: The inventive device includes a dashboard or graphical user interface (GUI), a security access control (AUTH) and secure communications sub-system (SEC-COMM), network and asset discover and mapping system (NAADAMS), an asset management engine (AME), vulnerability assessment engine (CVE-DISCOVERY), vulnerability remediation engine (CVE-REMEDY), a reporting system (REPORTS), a subscription, updates and licensing system (SULS), a countermeasure communications system (COUNTERMEASURE-COMM), a logging system (LOGS), a database integration engine (DBIE), a scheduling and configuration engine (SCHED-CONFIG), a wireless and mobile devices/asset detection and management engine (WIRELESS-MOBILE), a notification engine (NOTIFY), a regulatory compliance reviewing and reporting system (REG-COMPLY), client-side (KVM-CLIENT) integration with KVM over IP or similar network management equipment, authentication-services (KVM-AUTH) integration with KVM over IP or similar network management equipment and server-side (KVM-SERVER) integration with KVM over IP or similar network management equipment.

Network management using interaction with display surface

Abstract: A computing system is provided to make managing the devices and content on a network easier by making the process intuitive, tactile and gestural. The computing system includes a display surface for graphically displaying the devices connected to a network and the content stored on those devices. A sensor is used to recognize activity on the display surface so that gestures may be used to control a device on the network and transport data between devices on the network. Additionally, new devices can be provided access to communicate on the network based on interaction with the display device.

Systems and methods for remote management of networked systems using secure modular platform

Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems and methods for the remote configuration of networked systems using a secure modular platform. A network management engine communicates with a set of remote machines, such as a collection of clients or servers on a network. The network management engine can present a systems administrator with a set of compact network commands to permit the administrator to interrogate, configure, and manage the set of controlled machines on a dynamic basis. The network management engine can, for instance, install or update software, detect viruses on the controlled machines, perform an inventory of installed hardware on the controlled machines, and perform other network management functions using pre-configured functions and APIs built into a network library or command directory. Besides incorporating pre-configured management modules, the network management engine further allows a systems administrator to add custom modules in the command directory, using efficient modular interfaces compatible with network-level management processing.

ROADMs and their system applications

Abstract: Publisher Summary Subsystem and system vendors are rapidly developing and producing reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs), and carriers are installing and deploying them in their networks. This chapter is a comprehensive treatment of ROADMs and their application in WDM transmission systems and networks, comprising a review of various ROADM technologies and architectures, analyses of their routing functionalities and economic advantages, and considerations of design features and other requirements. The complex interplay between ROADM properties and optical transmission has also been explored, including a detailed discussion of static and dynamic channel power control. ROADMs enable an automated and transparent network capable of rapid reconfiguration. To fully realize this vision within the growing global communication fabric, transmission systems must be capable of dealing with continual changes, including power transients and varying transmission conditions. Network management systems must solve complex problems in routing and wavelength blocking, path verification, and more as the photonic layer assumes some of the tasks previously handled by higher layers. Advanced ROADM functionality, such as colorless add/drop ports, steerable transponders, and adaptive passbands, will be increasingly sought after, as will new and better solutions for signaling, network management, and mesh transmission. By meeting these challenges, the optical R&D community will help address the world's need for flexible, economical, and scalable networks.

Modelling of cascading effects and efficient response to disaster spreading in complex networks

Abstract: In order to assess cascading effects in directed networks, we present a model for the dynamics of failure spreading. The model combines network nodes as active, bistable elements and delayed interactions along directed links. Through simulations, we study the dynamics behaviour of generic sample networks. Besides evaluating the failure cascades, for which we observe a critical threshold for the undamped spreading of failures in a network, we simulated the effect of different strategies for the management of spreading disasters. Our recovery strategies are based on the assumption that the interaction structure of the challenged network remains unchanged, while additional resources for mitigation actions, improving the recovery capacities of system components, can be distributed over the network. The simulations clearly demonstrate that the topology of a network is a crucial factor both for the behaviour under external disturbances and for the optimality of different strategies to cope with an evolving disaster. Our model may be used to improve disaster preparedness and anticipative disaster response management.

Computing diagnostic explanations of network faults from monitoring data

Abstract: Network fault diagnosis is an important aspect of network management. Often, a single component failure will result in a cascade of secondary faults that overwhelm simple reasoning approaches. If the network monitoring information is being transmitted through the network to the network management system (NMS), then fault diagnosis is complicated by the fact that the transmission of relevant monitoring information for fault diagnosis may be blocked either by the fault itself, or by the faultpsilas effects on the network. Without perfect knowledge, the best fault diagnosis algorithm must properly reason about a number of competing diagnostic explanations that are compatible with the ambiguous networking monitoring information known to the NMS. We describe a novel algorithm for computing all such possible diagnostic explanations and their relative likelihoods, thus providing a complete diagnosis of the network state that can be effectively used by an NMS to correct or mitigate faults. The algorithm uses a variant of classic Boolean satisfiability to efficiently and compactly represent the space of possible explanations. The proposed approach is well suited for networks with (semi-)autonomous management domains organized into a larger management hierarchy, a feature common to many military networks.

Automated application dependency mapping

Abstract: A computer-executed method for network management automatically maps applications to network infrastructure. The method comprises monitoring network activity on one or more managed computers and collecting network activity data on the managed computers. The association of executable files to applications is identified and network activity data and the association of executable files to applications are analyzed. Connections from applications on the managed computers are established according to the analysis.

History of electricity network control and distributed generation in the UK and western Denmark

Abstract: Providing distributed electricity within today's liberalized markets will require new innovations in intelligent IT-based network control. This paper draws on research on Large Technological Systems and control in other sectors in order to analyze the evolution of electricity network control in western Denmark and the UK during the post-War period. It concludes that network control has not yet been the kind of `reverse salient' preventing the development of the LTS. The western Danish example highlights the role of the `human factor' in control development, and the need for pragmatism in fostering innovation. Finally, while new intelligent control may help distribute risk more evenly among network participants, it may likewise produce new, systemic risks with unforeseeable impacts.

Context-aware clustering of DNS query traffic

Abstract: The Domain Name System (DNS) is a one of the most widely used services in the Internet. In this paper, we consider the question of how DNS traffic monitoring can provide an important and useful perspective on network traffic in an enterprise. We approach this problem by considering three classes of DNS traffic: canonical (i.e., RFC-intended behaviors), overloaded (e.g.,black-list services), and unwanted (i.e., queries that will never succeed). We describe a context-aware clustering methodology that is applied to DNS query-responses to generate the desired aggregates. Our method enables the analysis to be scaled to expose the desired level of detail of each traffic type, and to expose their time varying characteristics. We implement our method in a tool we call TreeTop, which can be used to analyze and visualize DNS traffic in real-time. We demonstrate the capabilities of our methodology and the utility of TreeTop using a set of DNS traces that we collected from our campus network over a period of three months. Our evaluation highlights both the coarse and fine level of detail that can be revealed by our method. Finally, we show preliminary results on how DNS analysis can be coupled with general network traffic monitoring to provide a useful perspective for network management and operations.

On hierarchical traffic grooming in WDM networks

Abstract: The traffic grooming problem is of high practical importance in emerging wide-area wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks, yet it is intractable for any but trivial network topologies. In this work, we present an effective and efficient hierarchical traffic grooming framework for WDM networks of general topology, with the objective of minimizing the total number of electronic ports. At the first level of hierarchy, we decompose the network into clusters and designate one node in each cluster as the hub for grooming traffic. At the second level, the hubs form another cluster for grooming intercluster traffic. We view each (first- or second-level) cluster as a virtual star, and we present an efficient near-optimal algorithm for determining the logical topology of lightpaths to carry the traffic within each cluster. Routing and wavelength assignment is then performed directly on the underlying physical topology. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by applying it to two networks of realistic size, a 32-node, 53-link topology and a 47-node, 96-link network. Comparisons to lower bounds indicate that hierarchical grooming is efficient in its use of the network resources of interest, namely, electronic ports and wavelengths. In addition to scaling to large network sizes, our hierarchical approach also facilitates the control and management of multigranular networks.