The use of service level agreements in tactical military coalition force networks

Tactical military coalition force IP networks will have to offer quality of service. Service level agreements and service level specifications are important elements of the QoS architecture in civilian networks. However, SLAs/SLSs in military coalition networks should not be applied in the same fashion as in a commercial network. Our contribution is to identify the useful role SLAs/SLSs can play in network engineering and QoS management of tactical coalition force networks. The SLS definition needs to be more detailed than for a commercial SLS, and its monitoring must be performed on a finer timescale than in comparable commercial networks. The security architecture of military coalition networks may also restrict the monitoring and SLA management. Finally, we sketch a measurement-based approach showing how SLSs can be used in tactical military coalition force networks to support both call admission control and network engineering. Parts of this analysis include a discussion of SLSs and the proposed NATO standards for tactical communications network.     

A Cooperative QoS Management Scheme Based on DiffServ Network for Real-Time Service

In this paper,an improved scheme based on DiffServ network is proposed to provide a decentralized coopera-tive QoS management for real-time services'admission control and resources'monitoring.The proposed scheme consists of aQoS Control Server(QoSCS),a Service Management Server(SMS),a Network Management Server(NMS)and routersin the concerned management domain.When an application asks for a service with specific QoS requirements,a series ofcooperation are initiated among these components by means of a suit of signaling protocol.Once a service is admitted,itcan provide required QoS services more effectively than original DiffServ network.Monitoring per-flow states are movedfrom edge routers to the QoSCS server.The prototype implementation and experimental results show that this scheme canprovide enhanced manageability and scalability for providing per-flow management in such a distributed way.     

Distributed Busacker–Gowen algorithm for end-to-end QoS pipe negotiation in X-domain networks

Multimedia services and other critical multisite services (e.g., VPN) are becoming mainstream, and they require a guaranteed quality of service (QoS). Services need to be established across several autonomous systems (ASes), often to connect end-users. Thus, provisioning and control of end-to-end QoS requirements arise as one of the main challenges in inter-AS management. The contractual approach, consisting in using service-level agreements (SLAs) defined by each crossed AS, allows to negotiate contract chains that satisfy end-to-end requirements. However, establishing such chains by on-demand negotiations does not scale up for large numbers of requests. Hence, we propose a negotiation process to occur before users’ requests to establish service are received. The proposed negotiation process results in the selection of aggregated contract chains, called pipes, and a distribution between them. Such a distribution would indicate, for each chain of a pipe, the connection flow it may accept. In this paper, we address the pipe negotiation problem as a network flow problem. We also propose a distributed adaptation of an algorithm for network flow problems.     

Design and performance evaluation of active bandwidth brokers

With the arrivals of critical data transactions and multimedia applications, the needs of network services with different Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees increase rapidly. In order to ensure the delivery of information with a desired quality at the application layer, policy-based management (pbm) systems should be deployed at network service providers for configuring network devices properly. A policy-based management system is capable of resolving and enforcing policy rules in realizing end-to-end QoS for all kinds of network connections. In this paper, a novel design of policy-based management system based on active networks is proposed. Active network technology empowers network routers the ability to execute and move data and program code as needed. It is used in the proposed design (Active Bandwidth Broker architecture) to achieve the goals of system scalability and reliability. Moreover, policy control operations can be distributed among different active nodes. Thus, the architecture reduces the aggregate amount of policy control traffic in networks and expedites the response times on policy requests. Furthermore, the Policy Decision Point is a mobile agent that moves and avoids encountering network congestion situations. A system prototype has been constructed to implement the designed architecture. It has successfully demonstrated that the new design framework offers architecture flexibility, improves system reliability, and provides system scalability in handling a large number of service requests.     

Dynamic inter-SLA resource sharing in path-oriented differentiated services networks

This paper proposes novel resource sharing schemes for differentiated services (DiffServ) networks, to achieve both high resource utilization and quality of service (QoS) guarantee. Service level agreements (SLAs) are negotiated at network boundaries and supported by path-oriented resource mapping within the network. The recently proposed SLA management scheme based on virtual partitioning (Bouillet et al., 2002) allows overloaded SLAs to exploit the spare capacity of underloaded SLAs for efficient resource utilization, however, at the the cost of possible SLA violation of the underloaders. In the bandwidth borrowing scheme proposed here, the dedicated bandwidth for underloaded SLAs is determined and adaptively adjusted at network boundaries according to the actual traffic load and QoS policies; the available spare capacity is then properly distributed to related links for lending to others. On the other hand, the traffic flows admitted with borrowed bandwidth are tagged and may be preempted later when the original bandwidth owner needs to claim back the resources. Through a detailed implementation design and extensive computer simulation results we show that, by bandwidth borrowing, both SLA compliance and high resource utilization can be achieved in various load conditions, with some side benefits such as call-level service differentiation, small admission overhead, and convenience for policy-based management. In addition, we propose a distributed bandwidth pushing scheme that can dynamically adjust the spare bandwidth distribution over the network. Combining bandwidth pushing with bandwidth borrowing, the resource utilization can be further improved.     

Guaranteeing the BER in transparent optical networks using OOKsignaling

A network consisting of transparent optical nodes (TONs) can provide high speed end-to-end communication paths with very low bit-error rates (BERs). However, owing to component crosstalk and other degradations at TONs, the BER of a particular communication path traversing several TONs can be degraded by a few orders of magnitude even in the absence of component failure. Monitoring the quality-of-service (QoS) of a communication path has typically relied on sporadic BER testing and operation monitoring by the nodes using probe signals. Intermittent BER testing cannot provide continuous monitoring of the network QoS. On the other hand, the use of probe signals is not sensitive enough to detect the BER degradation. This work investigates a novel approach of monitoring service degradation at individual nodes using a wrap-around device which taps and compares signals from the input and the output at each TON along the lightpath. We propose a modification using hard limiters at TON inputs and derive the BER value that this modified method can guarantee in the presence of signal degradation due to coherent crosstalk at TONs     

QoS routing based on multi-class nodes for mobile ad hoc networks

In this paper, we present a new quality of service (QoS) routing protocol for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Most of the existing routing protocols assume homogeneous nodes in MANETs, i.e., all nodes have the same communication capabilities and characteristics. However, in many ad hoc networks, nodes are not the same. Some nodes have longer transmission range, larger transmission bandwidth, and are more reliable and robust than other nodes. We take advantage of the non-homogeneous property to design more efficient QoS routing protocol. And node location information is used to aid routing. We also develop a new algorithm to calculate end-to-end bandwidth for a given path. Our QoS routing protocol contains end-to-end bandwidth calculation and bandwidth reservation. QoS route is discovered and setup only when it is needed. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate the good performance of the QoS routing protocol.     

End-to-end QoS specification issues in the converged all-IP wired and wireless environment

The emerging next-generation networking environment presents an IP-based core interconnecting many wireless radio access networks, providing ubiquitous access to end users through a vast variety of wireless devices. Although the IP protocol is the common denominator, the new environment brings together many different interconnecting domains, each following different QoS models, complicating the overall end-to-end QoS process. This article discusses the need to standardize an end-to-end QoS protocol. It does not, however, focus on the signaling mechanism, since there is currently a relevant ongoing activity in IETF. Instead, it concentrates on the formulation of the QoS information describing the QoS requirements of the session to be established. It presents the generic service specification framework that not only enables the QoS requirements of a specific session to be captured (like a generic QoS template), but also the QoS classes of each IP domain can be described according to it. Through the systematic specification of a domain's QoS classes, an intelligent automatic mapping algorithm can be applied during an end-to-end QoS request, in order to select the most appropriate service class in each domain, as well as to extract the required traffic-related parameters to perform traffic control operations, such as admission control, policing, and scheduling.     

QUORUM—Quality of Service in Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) can provide seamless broadband connectivity to network users with low setup and maintenance costs. To support next-generation applications with real-time requirements, however, these networks must provide improved quality of service guarantees. Current mesh protocols use techniques that fail to accurately predict the performance of end-to-end paths, and do not optimize performance based on knowledge of mesh network structures. In this paper, we propose QUORUM, a routing protocol optimized for WMNs that provides accurate QoS properties by correctly predicting delay and loss characteristics of data traffic. QUORUM integrates a novel end-to-end packet delay estimation mechanism with stability-aware routing policies, allowing it to more accurately follow QoS requirements while minimizing misbehavior of selfish nodes.     

SNMP-based acquisition system for DiffServ parameters

Modern communication networks cannot get along without quality of service (QoS) assurance. QoS-support mechanisms offer preferential treatment for specific traffic classes that is required especially by real-time network applications. Unfortunately current QoS technologies have certain disadvantages and limitations and therefore they are not always able to guarantee the required QoS level. This paper introduces a quality of service support system that improves the most often used quality of service support technology called Differentiated Services (DiffServ). The system proposed utilizes the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for the acquisition of configuration information from the edge router of the DiffServ domain. This information is subsequently used to control the allocation of network resources within the QoS assurance process. In order to evaluate this system we used the OPNET Modeler simulation environment where we built a simulation scenario able to interact with real network components. For this purpose we implemented the SNMP protocol into the OPNET Modeler and used it for acquisition of management information, stored in the Management Information Base (MIB) of the network node. The paper describes in details the improved QoS-support mechanism and the simulation model able to cosimulate the behavior of both real and virtual network elements.     

在基于GMPLS的无源光网络中支持端到端QoS

文章首先对下一代网络技术的发展趋势以及IETF服务质量（QoS）机制进行了简单介绍,然后对现有无源光网络技术对端到端QoS支持的不足进行了总结,提出了基于通用多协议标签交换（GMPLS）的无源光接入网QoS服务模型。通过在接入网中引入GMPLS通用控制和管理平台,建立了统一的QoS服务模型,实现了对端到端QoS的有效支持。     

浅谈无线IP网络中的QoS规范

随着下一代网络的飞速发展,用户之间可以通过多种多样的无线设备相互联络,而这些无线设备则通过一个基于IP的核心网络所提供的无线链路相互连结的。虽然存在如IP协议之类的共同规范,但是要将许多不同的网络融合起来,而这些网络有着各自不同的QoS模型,这无疑将使端到端的QoS保证变得更加复杂。文中讨论了对端到端QoS协议进行标准化的必要性,重点研究了位于服务层的QoS规范,提出了一种通用服务规范(GSS),并对端到端提供QoS保证的服务等级进行了规范。     

Interprovider IP-MPLS services: requirements, implementations, and challenges

With the worldwide success of IP-MPLS [E. Rosen et al., Jan. 2001] networks deployment, inter-connecting multiple provider IP-MPLS networks for global reachability becomes the next important step. Many providers have implemented MPLS interprovider connections. In this article we first briefly describe the drivers behind the need of interprovider IP-MPLS services, such as layer 3 VPNs [E. Rosen and Y. Rekhter, Oct 2004], pseudowire emulation for transporting layer 2 traffic over IP-MPLS, VoIP, and others. We then discuss the general requirements for the interconnections, from end users' and service providers' perspectives, including security, scalability, manageability, QoS, and end-to-end SLAs. We then address the deployment options and challenges faced by service providers. Specifically, we discuss the following areas of interprovider service implementation: protocol implementation options for L3 VPN and their trade-offs, methods for guaranteeing consistent QoS across providers' boundaries, interprovider traffic engineering approaches, and operation challenges: from business to processes, from troubleshooting/monitoring to SLAs. By identifying the issues and challenges, our ultimate goal is to move toward the development of much needed common practices and procedures to assist in the establishment of interprovider IP-MPLS services.     

COPS-SLS usage for dynamic policy-based QoS management over heterogeneous IP networks

While each IP domain can deploy its own strategy to manage network resources, multimedia traffic needs end-to-end QoS management to obtain an overall service level. The provision of end-to-end QoS over a heterogeneous environment implies the negotiation of a mutually acceptable SLA. This article presents the use of the COPS-SLS protocol as a generic protocol for automatic service-level negotiation and the integration of this protocol in an overall QoS management architecture to manage service levels over multiple domains deploying different QoS technologies.     

Energy Maps for Mobile Wireless Networks: Coherence Time versus Spreading Period

We show that even though mobile networks are highly unpredictable when viewed at the individual node scale, the end-to-end quality-of-service (QoS) metrics can be stationary when the mobile network is viewed in the aggregate. We define the coherence time as the maximum duration for which the end-to-end QoS metric remains roughly constant, and the spreading period as the minimum duration required to spread QoS information to all the nodes. We show that if the coherence time is greater than the spreading period, the end-to-end QoS metric can be tracked. We focus on the energy consumption as the end-to-end QoS metric, and describe a novel method by which an energy map can be constructed and refined in the joint memory of the mobile nodes. Finally, we show how energy maps can be utilized by an application that aims to minimize a node's total energy consumption over its near-future trajectory.     

GMPLS网络的近实时拓扑监视服务的性能

提出了一种基于CORBA的网络管理系统模型和一种适用于GMPLS网络的准实时拓扑监视方案。根据LMP的MIB表得到初始化的拓扑信息,并通过分析SNMP的traps更新其拓扑信息。通过检测所提模型的延迟,证明文中所提出的拓扑监视方案可以实现准实时的要求。     

Performance evaluation of packet aggregation scheme for VoIP service in wireless multi-hop network

In a wireless multi-hop network environment, energy consumption of mobile nodes is an important factor for the performance evaluation of network life-time. In Voice over IP (VoIP) service, the redundant data size of a VoIP packet such as TCP/IP headers is much larger than the voice data size of a VoIP packet. Such an inefficient structure of VoIP packet causes heavy energy waste in mobile nodes. In order to alleviate the effect of VoIP packet transmission on energy consumption, a packet aggregation algorithm that transmits one large VoIP packet by combining multiple small VoIP packets has been studied. However, when excessively many VoIP packets are combined, it may cause deterioration of the QoS of VoIP service, especially for end-to-end delay. In this paper, we analyze the effect of the packet aggregation algorithm on both VoIP service quality and the energy consumption of mobile nodes in a wireless multi-hop environment. We build the cost function that describes the degree of trade-off between the QoS of VoIP services and the energy consumption of a mobile node. By using this cost function, we get the optimum number of VoIP packets to be combined in the packet aggregation scheme under various wireless channel conditions. We expect this study to contribute to providing guidance on balancing the QoS of VoIP service and energy consumption of a mobile node when the packet aggregation algorithm is applied to VoIP service in a wireless multi-hop networks.     

A differentiated optical services model for WDM networks

This article addresses the issues of scalable end-to-end QoS in metropolitan DWDM networks serving as transit networks for IP access networks. DWDM offering a few wavelengths has been deployed in the past in backbone networks to upgrade point-to-point transmission where sharing is based on coarse granularity. This type of DWDM backbone network, offering a few light-paths, provides no support for QoS services traversing the network. As DWDM networks with larger numbers of wavelengths penetrate the data-centric metro environment, specific IP service requirements such as priority restoration, scalability, dynamic provisioning of capacity and routes, and support for coarse-grain QoS capabilities will have to be addressed in the optical domain in order to achieve end-to-end QoS over a DWDM network. We propose a QoS service model in the optical domain called differentiated optical services (DoS) based on a set of optical parameters that captures the quality and reliability of the optical lightpath     

IPv6网络管理与运营支撑系统的研究与设计

IPv6是下一代互联网发展的基础，要真正实现下代网络的可运营。必须建设相应的IPv6网络管理和运营支撑系统。在标准没有正式形成，网络设备接口不完善的现实情况下，文章提出了建设网络层网管系统的方案，以此实现对多厂商设备组网的综合管理，包括对全网资源、拓扑的管理，对网络端到端性能的管理，对网络故障的管理，对客户业务等级协议（SLA）的管理。考虑到虽然网管系统将最终实现纯IPv6网络的管理，但目前还要兼顾对lPv4相关设备的管理，因此采用模块化、层次化等方式来实现系统的平滑过渡。     

A hierarchical multilayer QoS routing system with dynamic SLAmanagement

This paper proposes a hierarchical multilayer QoS routing system with dynamic SLA management for large-scale IP networks. Previously, the promising approach to provide QoS in large-scale IP networks using a mixture of DiffServ-based QoS management and MPLS-based traffic engineering has been actively discussed. However, the introduction of QoS exacerbates the already existing scalability problems of the standard IP routing protocols. In order to address this issue, we propose a new scalable routing framework based on hierarchical QoS-aware path computation. We augment the existing OSPF and CR-LDP protocols to support hierarchical QoS routing, QoS aggregation, and QoS reservation in our MPLS-DiffServ-based hierarchical routing network. In order to provide additional flexibility and cost-efficiency, we augment the network with a policy server which is capable of dynamically handling SLAs between the networks and providing load balancing management within the network. We implement a prototype of the proposed framework and study its performance with a virtual network simulator and specially designed QoS routing algorithm simulator. In our simulations, we evaluate both the implementation complexity and algorithms performance; the results demonstrate the efficiency of the framework and its advantages over the existing proposals