Towards concern-based SDN management framework for computer networks

While worms and their propagation have been a major security threat over the past years, causing major financial losses and down times for many enterprises connected to the Internet, we will argue in this paper that valuable lessons can be learned from them and that network management, which is the activity supposed to prevent them, can actually benefit from their use. We focus on five lessons learned from current malware that can benefit to the network management community. For each topic, we analyse how it is been addressed in standard management frameworks, we identify their limits and describe how current malware already provides efficient solutions to these limits. We illustrate our claim through a case study on a realistic application of worm based network management, which is currently developed in our group.

The deregulation of the global telecommunication industry has seen a change in the business and operational environment in which services are deployed and managed. The requirements have intensified to provide a management framework for telecommunication networks and services across multiple technology domains and using multiple management technologies. This paper describes an integrated TMN service management architecture that provides an environment for different service management functions and different management domains to be integrated. To further substantiate this architecture, a system was built to demonstrate the integration concepts. The research and development work reported in this paper focuses on the following two aspects of integration: first the integration between TMN network and service management functions; and next the integration between different service management functions. A proof of concept system was developed to demonstrate such integration. It consists of the following components: Generic service ordering and provisioning; connection management based on a generic network model concept; and service management based upon service level agreement management and customer service management concepts. This paper reports this work and the experiences gained from this research.

Focused interfaces for end-user network management

A network management system can be divided into the management function and management intelligence logically according to the coordination concept. We represent a cooperative network management (CNM) framework using a reactive intelligent agent. The agent includes two types of objects. The event manager agent communication object (ACO) and business object repository compose the management function. Management intelligence is embodied in an engine which analyzes the received events from the event manager and messages from the ACO, then decide to invoke the business object's method based on action rules. The CNM framework is comprised of a management console, cooperative intelligent agents and access adapters. Using this framework, the administrator can decompose the management task into several subtasks and delegate these subtasks to cooperative intelligent agents. The management framework enables the administrator to modify the intelligent agent's subtask without interrupting the system's running.

With the development of the computer network, and the great change in the demands of network management, any Network Management System is a process of development and perfection. Therefore, designing a rational system structure is the foundation to ensure the good scalability of the system. The main issues and characteristics of Network Management in Campus Network at present were analyzed in the thesis, and the system structure of Network Management in Campus Network were discussed, which includes data collecting layer, centralized-processing layer, network management layer, service management layer. The basic network management system framework of campus network based on Web and its deployment method were also proposed in this paper, which cover the most of the demand for network management. The framework has a good scalability, which lay the foundation for the development of Network Management System in campus network.

A variety of Web-based applications, mobile apps, and other over the top data services with affordable 3G/4G enabled smart devices are major factors for enormous increase in heterogeneous data traffic at enterprise and mobile networks. This creates challenges regarding traffic management and requires traffic-aware intelligent network management to deliver sustained quality of experience for subscribers. Deep packet inspection and analysis (DPIA) provides base platform for development of traffic-aware intelligent network management and security systems. However, computationally complex DPIA-related packet processing for high speed data traffic makes these systems expensive. Furthermore, conventionally these traffic-aware network management and security systems are deployed in enterprise networks with independent and dedicated DPIA-related processing resources and require multiple copies of passively provisioned high speed data from network, while performing similar DPIA operations over the same data again and again. This duplicate deployment of expensive software and hardware resources for DPIA processing eventually results in higher capital expenditures as well as operational expenditures for network operators. We have proposed a novel service-oriented framework for heterogeneous deep packet inspection and analysis (SoDPI) that simultaneously provides diversified DPIA services to multiple client applications for network management and security operations in high-speed networks. Proposed framework provides flexible and comprehensive API-based service interface for client applications to register required DPIA services. SoDPI framework implementation is based on commodity hardware and deploys shared set of DPIA-related packet processing components, requiring only single copy of passive data provisioned from network. Experimental evaluations show that novel SoDPI framework requires considerably reduced amount of software and hardware resources to fulfill heterogeneous DPIA packet processing requirements for multiple client applications in comparison with conventional network management and security applications with dedicated DPIA components. This results in lower cost impacts for network operators with more network manageability.

Introducing a simulation tool for WirelessHART networks

A typical management application in today's enterprise network involves remote cooperation of a number of skilled people within and across organisations. Hence there is a need to consider the role of human resources and their interactions in a network operation and management process. However, most of the present day management solutions concentrate on the management of network equipment/devices. In view of the critical nature of many networked applications, it is important to provide effective and reliable management from the perspective of an enterprise. This paper reports our study of human cooperation in a network management environment in a large telecom organisation. This resulted in our proposed cooperative management framework for enterprise networks, which is presented.

The ETSI's Zero touch network and Service Management (ZSM) framework is a prominent initiative to tame the envisioned complexity in operating and managing 5G and beyond networks. To this end, the ZSM framework promotes the shift toward full Automation of Network and Service Management and Operation (ANSMO) by leveraging the flexibility of SDN/NFV technologies along with Artificial Intelligence, combined with the portability and reusability of model-driven, open interfaces. Besides its benefits, each leveraged enabler will bring its own security threats, which should be carefully tackled to make the ANSMO vision a reality. This paper introduces the ZSM's potential attack surface and recommends possible mitigation measures along with some research directions to safeguard ZSM system security.

In this paper, we present a novel cell outage management (COM) framework for heterogeneous networks with split control and data planes—a candidate architecture for meeting future capacity, quality-of-service, and energy efficiency demands. In such an architecture, the control and data functionalities are not necessarily handled by the same node. The control base stations (BSs) manage the transmission of control information and user equipment (UE) mobility, whereas the data BSs handle UE data. An implication of this split architecture is that an outage to a BS in one plane has to be compensated by other BSs in the same plane. Our COM framework addresses this challenge by incorporating two distinct cell outage detection (COD) algorithms to cope with the idiosyncrasies of both data and control planes. The COD algorithm for control cells leverages the relatively larger number of UEs in the control cell to gather large-scale minimization-of-drive-test report data and detects an outage by applying machine learning and anomaly detection techniques. To improve outage detection accuracy, we also investigate and compare the performance of two anomaly-detecting algorithms, i.e., $k$ -nearest-neighbor- and local-outlier-factor-based anomaly detectors, within the control COD. On the other hand, for data cell COD, we propose a heuristic Grey-prediction-based approach, which can work with the small number of UE in the data cell, by exploiting the fact that the control BS manages UE-data BS connectivity and by receiving a periodic update of the received signal reference power statistic between the UEs and data BSs in its coverage. The detection accuracy of the heuristic data COD algorithm is further improved by exploiting the Fourier series of the residual error that is inherent to a Grey prediction model. Our COM framework integrates these two COD algorithms with a cell outage compensation (COC) algorithm that can be applied to both planes. Our COC solution utilizes an actor-critic-based reinforcement learning algorithm, which optimizes the capacity and coverage of the identified outage zone in a plane, by adjusting the antenna gain and transmission power of the surrounding BSs in that plane. The simulation results show that the proposed framework can detect both data and control cell outage and compensate for the detected outage in a reliable manner.

Computer Network has increased and extended dramatically in size and complexity during the passed years. In a typical computer network, there are many nodes, which different from various manufacturers and device types, distributed in different physical position where network device needed. More complex network architecture more faced difficult in network management and control. As faults are inevitable, fast detection, position, identification, isolation and recovery are key fields in network management. In this paper, based on deeply study of the current Network Management System, GIS technology and multi years network management application development, an new network management model, i.e., GIS based Network Management System, is proposed and implemented. The new model can provide object-oriented network utilities management methods, implement quick network fault position on the electronic geography map, and give new useful tools for network fault management, make the current network more robust and reliable.

Wireless networks today are partially being formed by nodes (e.g. Internet access points, smartphones, femtocells) that are owned and carried by humans. In such scenarios where several strangers are expected to interact for the sake of robust data transmission, trust and cooperation incentives are of vital importance as these establish a way for the nodes involved in the system to communicate with each other in a safe manner, to share services and information, and above all, to form communities that assist in sustaining robust connectivity models. The aim of this thesis is to build a framework that will combine a fully decentralized trust management system with cooperation incentives, in order to persuade users to behave in a correct manner to create a sustainable and scalable systems in exchange of some form of compensation/remuneration, in order to achieve an overall more robust architecture.

According to the paradigm of Internet of Mobile Things, the paper proposes and investigates a novel framework to support the management and the collaboration of Mobile Smart Objects (MSOs) considered as terrestrial and aerial drones (i.e., UAVs, UGVs) with embedded sensors and/or actuators that can move autonomously remaining always connected, accessible and controllable. The proposed framework allows (i) the network setup and maintenance of smart drones (ii) the mission assignment to a group of smart drones, (iii) the task/role assignment to the different drones involved into a particular mission and (iv) the task/role rearrangement according to specific executive parameters and system conditions (i.e., residual energy, computational power, abilities offered by specific on board sensors). To evaluate the effectiveness and the reliability of the proposed framework, a real testbed was realized using drones commonly available on the market.

The ever-increasing use of broad-band Internet and complex multimedia applications is pushing fiber closer and closer to the homes. Within the European project IST HARMONICS (Hybrid Access Reconfigurable Multi-wavelength Optical Networks for IP-based Communication Services), an optical access feeder network and resource management framework were developed that tackle this demand for bandwidth and the desire to stimulate the convergence of last-mile access technologies. To cope with the lack of bandwidth in the access and last-mile networks and the different needs of applications and users, the developed management system provides end-to-end quality of service (QoS) while integrating multiple technologies. In this paper, a detailed overview of the end-to-end QoS management framework and novel time slot/wavelength MAC protocol for the optical feeder network is given. End-to-end QoS is based on Differentiated services (DiffServ) at layer 3, various QoS supporting technologies at layer 2, and QoS mappings between both layers. The paper will also focus on the field trial results of the HARMONICS project and give some guidelines for possible problems and solutions in this area.

While the networks of different Telecommunications Administrations forming a global network are interconnected, their Network Management Systems (NMSs) are isolated from each other. As a result, various network management functions (e.g., configuration, fault management) necessary for managing the network resources common to the administrations require extensive manual coordination and exchange of information using telephone and facsimile. In this paper, we present a standards based interoperable interface between network management systems belonging to different administrations. The interface is based on Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) architecture and standards. It is intended to automate and standardize information exchanged between the administrations so that network maintenance and provisioning activities could be done with minimal human involvement at the far-end administration. The interface provides significant benefits in improving the quality and the cycle time of provisioning and maintenance, implementing proactive maintenance, and greater awareness of the end-to-end performance of the managed resources.