Network Working Group M-K. Shin
Internet-Draft ETRI
Intended status: Informational E. Paik
Expires: January 8, 2009 KT
JH. Choi
INRIA/Samsung AIT
July 7, 2008
Meta-Architecture : A Common Means to Accommodate Heterogeneous Network
Architectures
draft-shin-virtualization-meta-arch-00
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Abstract
The today's Internet architecture is under serious reconsideration
and people started thinking about alternatives. Redefining Internet
architecture requires many challenged works and a lot of new
heterogeneous architectures suited to the future of the Internet
would be considered. It is necessary to support a variety of the new
different architectures to accommodate the heterogeneity of Future
Internet. So, a common means should be provided to accommodate the
new heterogeneous architectures. This document presents Meta-
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Architecture to accommodate heterogeneous and diverse multiple
network architecture and user services, for example, heterogeneous
wireless, mobile, sensor, vehicular and/or ad-hoc architectures and
services.
Table of Contents
1. Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Meta-Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1. Network virtualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2. Cross-layer communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.3. Diverse end-to-end arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. Benefiting from Meta-Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.1. Building up a single shared infrastructure for future
networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2. Deploying unconventional network architectures . . . . . . 6
3.3. Deploying new emerging technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.4. The advent of new generation service provider . . . . . . . 6
4. Conclusion and Further Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
7.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Intellectual Property and Copyright Statements . . . . . . . . . . 8
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1. Motivation
Future Internet researches revolve around the notion "Architecture".
Architecture can be defined as the set of principles and basic
mechanisms that guide network engineering. It's bounded from above
by requirements and from below by engineering but sometimes
boundaries are fuzzy, especially the boundary between architecture
and mechanism. Historically, informal architectural ideas guided
design of the Internet protocols, but the architecture was formalized
later [1]. The today's Internet architecture is under serious
reconsideration and people started thinking about alternatives.
Further, the concerns are drastically increasing now that
shortcomings would not be resolved by the conventional incremental
and backward-compatible style of current research efforts. That is
the reason why "Clean-Slate Design for the New Internet's
Architecture" [2, 3] is required for the Future Internet research.
Redefining Internet architecture requires many challenged works and a
lot of new heterogeneous architectures suited to the future of the
Internet would be considered. It is necessary to support a variety
of the new different architectures to accommodate the heterogeneity
of Future Internet. So, a common means should be provided to
accommodate the new heterogeneous architectures.
2. Meta-Architecture
In this position paper, we present Meta-Architecture to accommodate
heterogeneous and diverse multiple network architecture and user
services, for example, heterogeneous wireless, mobile, sensor,
vehicular and/or ad-hoc architectures and services. Meta-
Architecture is an engineering reflection and knowledge about
architecture similar to metaphysics or metamathematics. It
investigates the meaning, usage and desirability of architecture.
Traditional concept of architecture may change because of
virtualization. Network virtualization refers to the abstraction of
network resources. With programmable network elements, we can
realize virtual link, switch and servers to form virtual network over
shared physical infrastructure. Network virtualization plays the key
role in Future Internet research facility. It allows multiple
architectures to share the same resources to realize different
networks.
Network virtualization brings forth a debate on the importance of
traditional architecture and there appear several different opinions
[4]. First there are purists who believe in a single universal
architecture. There needs to be a common architecture around which
network world interoperates. Currently that universal architecture
is IP and Future Internet research would replace it with a new and
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better one. Second there are pluralists who believe in multiple
architectures. Instead of single architecture which fits all, it
would be better to have different architecture for different
occasions and virtualization would enable multiple architectures to
coexist over the same physical resources. Third there are even
anarchists who don't believe in architecture at all. Architecture in
traditional sense is no longer needed. Conceptually network
applications or services deal with physical resources sliced as low a
level of abstraction as possible.
The Meta-Architecture is designed to provide narrowly defined
following three design principles: a) network virtualization, b)
cross-layer communications, and c) diverse end-to-end arguments that
enable co-existence of multiple, diverse heterogeneous networks
within the common shared infra-structure. It defines the "new narrow
waist" for Future Internet hourglass. It can be also called as a new
common layer for Future Internet.
2.1. Network virtualization
The purpose of network virtualization is to de-ossify the Today's
Internet. It could realize virtual network with programmable network
elements and support the architecture of multiple architectures.
Different virtual networks can provide alternate end-to-end packet
delivery systems and may use different protocols and packet formats.
The requirements of network virtualization implementation are a)
multiple network architecture support, b) common control and
distributed management, c) resource federation, d) programmability
support, and e) domain federation. In this principle, for example, a
new future service provider who doesn't have its own physical
infrastructure just chooses a new particular architecture and to
construct an overlay supporting the architecture that the new service
provider needs to do. The new future service provider then
distributes softwares or codes that let anyone, anywhere, access its
overlay [4]. Also, all the resources within the infrastructure could
be uniquely defined and shared. The example for wireless sensor
network using network virtualization is illustrated in Figure 3. For
the first steps of network virtualization experiments, a) bandwidth
virtualization with optical networks, b) security virtualization, and
c) wireless/mobility virtualization are being designed for our Meta-
Architecture.
2.2. Cross-layer communications
Basically, layering was one of important characteristics of Today's
Internet technologies, but recently, it is also reported that it has
sometimes inevitable inefficiencies. Therefore, we choose cross-
layer communication as the second design principle for the Meta-
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Architecture. To achieve this, first thing is to exploit the
dependency between protocol layers to obtain performance gains and
then create new interfaces between layers, redefine the layer
boundaries, design protocol at a layer based on the details of how
another layer is designed, joint tuning of parameters across layers,
or create complete new abstraction. The purpose of cross-layer
communications is to provide a way direct communication between
protocols at nonadjacent layers or sharing variables between layers.
We adopt this principle only within mobile, wireless, sensor sub-
networks, since there is a tradeoff between optimization and
complexity (abstraction). Thus, measurement and monitoring should be
given in advanced. Also, it is designed to support at any layer
(e.g., physical layer to application layer) and implemented through
network virtualization to support flexibility and programmability.
Our first (vertical) target areas for performance enhancement using
cross-layer communications would be a) mobility handover, b) QoS, c)
security, and d) sensor routing.
2.3. Diverse end-to-end arguments
Finally, we adopt diverse end-to-end argument principle. The
original model of Internet's end-to-end principle has been
progressively eroded. While still end-to-end in many ways,
connection establishment in the Internet today involves state and
functionality in the middle as the form of NATs, firewalls, proxies
and so on. The current Internet architecture does not reflect this
resulting in a mismatch between design and practice. Therefore,
diverse end-to-end argument (e.g., end-middle-end (EME) argument,
intermittent connectivity, and so on) principle is provided within
our Meta-Architecture. The diverse end-to-end argument principle is
also implemented through network virtualization, since different
virtual networks can easily provide alternate end-to-end delivery
systems and use different type of connection (e.g., IP or non-IP).
3. Benefiting from Meta-Architecture
Meta-Architecture provides a common means to accommodate the new
heterogeneous architectures and facilitate architecture revolution.
Benefits from Meta-Architecture are listed below : the conceptual
benefits from Meta-Architecture are illustrated in Figure 3.
3.1. Building up a single shared infrastructure for future networks
Meta-Architecture can play a central role to build up a shared common
infrastructure for Future Internet. The functionalities to support
the Meta-Architecture (network virtualization, cross-layer
communication, and diverse end-to-end arguments) could become the
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architecture's core functionalities, its narrow waist. So, in this
assumption, a lot of different networks can be built on a single
shared infrastructure for future experiments.
3.2. Deploying unconventional network architectures
New heterogeneous architectures as well as today's Internet
architecture can co-exist on top of a shared infrastructure. Also,
different virtual networks (e.g., DTN (Delay-tolerant network), I3
(Internet Indirection Infrastructure) may provide alternate end-to-
end packet delivery systems and may use different protocols and
packet formats. Meta-Architecture has the flexibility to support a
broad range of experiments, services and users. It can support
various clean slate-based and disruptive technologies experiments.
3.3. Deploying new emerging technologies
To deploy new emerging technologies and services such as IPv6, mobile
IPTV, wireless mesh (e.g., IEEE 802.11s), etc. each networks should
be isolated and distinct path for new services. Meta-Architecture
can easily support these kinds of new technologies and services.
3.4. The advent of new generation service provider
In this Meta-architecture scenario, a new generation service provider
will appear for Future Internet services. A new generation service
provider chooses a particular new architecture, then constructs a
virtual network supporting architecture [4]. The new generation
service provider could easily support new architecture natively.
4. Conclusion and Further Works
In this documenrt, we introduce Meta-Architecture for Future
Internet, which are provided through network virtualization, cross-
layer communications, and diverse end-to-end arguments. For the
further works, details on how to build up Meta-Architecture and how
to integrate new research works and experiments with regard to
heterogeneous networks and architectures through our Meta-
Architecture will be discussed.
5. Security Considerations
TBD
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6. Acknowledgements
TBD
7. References
7.1. Normative References
7.2. Informative References
[1] Clark, D., "The Design Philosophy of the DARPA Internet
Protocols, ACM SIGCOMM", 1998.
[2] Standford Univ, "Clean Slate Designs for the Internet,
http://cleanslate.stanford.edu".
[3] Feldmann, A., "Internet Clean-Slate Design : What and Why ?, ACM
SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review", 2007.
[4] Anderson, T., "Overcoming the Internet Impasse through
Virtualization, IEEE Computer", 2005.
[5] IRTF, "http://www.irtf.org".
Authors' Addresses
Myung-Ki Shin
ETRI
Email: myungki.shin@gmail.com
Eun Kyoung Paik
KT
Email: euna@kt.com
JinHyeock Choi
INRIA/Samsung AIT
Email: jinchoe@gmail.com
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