Eduard Grasa

On the complex scheduling formulation of virtual network functions over optical networks

Software-Defined Networking and Network Functions Virtualisation has brought a revolution within the telecom market landscape. Initial proof-of-concept prototypes for NFV-enabled solutions are being developed at the same time SDN models are identified as the futures solutions within the telecom realm. We provide in this article an overview of the SDN/NFV technologies over optical networks, as well as we provide the first formalisation model for the virtual network function complex scheduling problem. The article aims at being used as starting point in order to optimally solve the scheduling problem of virtual network functions that compose network services to be provisioned within the SDN paradigm.

Prototyping the recursive internet architecture: the IRATI project approach

In recent years, many new Internet architectures are being proposed to solve shortcomings in the current Internet. A lot of these new architectures merely extend the current TCP/IP architecture and hence do not solve the fundamental cause of these problems. The Recursive Internet Architecture (RINA) is a true new network architecture, developed from scratch, building on lessons learned in the past. RINA prototyping efforts have been ongoing since 2010, but a prototype on which a commercial RINA implementation can be built has not been developed yet. The goal of the IRATI research project is to develop and evaluate such a prototype in Linux/OS. This article focuses on the software design required to implement a network stack in Linux/OS. We motivate the placement of, and communication between, the different software components in either the kernel or user space. The first open source prototype of the IRATI implementation of RINA will be available in June 2014 for researchers, developers, and early adopters.

Layer discovery in RINA networks

In the course of generalizing the Inter-Process Communication (IPC) model from one system, two, to N systems directly connected, the necessity of a function to figure out via which “wire” or interface the requested application is available became apparent. In a Recursive Inter Network Architecture enabled system this is equivalent to asking on which of the Distributed IPC Facilities (layers) the requested application is available. We name this distributed application, the Inter-DIF Directory (IDD). In this paper we explain why the IDD is fundamental in networks, allowing the discovery of applications that belong to layers other than the one the requested application is on. Moreover, there are two phases of the IDD function: first, finding the requested application and then, creating a DIF that supports the communication. We describe the actions taken in each phase. Finally, we give a simple example of an IDD that makes use of hierarchical names.

Transport over heterogeneous networks using the RINA architecture

The evolution of various wireless technologies has greatly increased the interest in heterogeneous networks, in which the mobile users can enjoy services while roaming between different networks. The current Internet architecture does not seem to cope with the modern networking trends and the growing application demands for performance, stability and efficiency, as the integration of different technologies faces many problems. In this paper, we focus on the issues raised when attempting to provide seamless mobility over a hybrid environment. We highlight the shortcomings of the current architecture, discuss some of the proposed solutions and try to identify the key choices that lead to failure. Finally, we introduce RINA (Recursive Inter-Network Architecture), a newly-proposed network architecture that achieves to integrate networks of different characteristics inherently and show a simple example that demonstrates this feature.

A software development kit to exploit RINA programmability

The Recursive InterNetwork Architecture (RINA) is a general architecture for all forms of computer networking, based on a single type of programmable layer that recurs as many times as required by the network designer. The recursion and programmability aspects of RINA are key to design flexible, heterogeneous networks while still bounding their complexity. In this paper we show how the programmability enabled by the RINA architecture can be exploited in practice by means of a Software Development Kit (SDK) developed for IRATI, the open source RINA implementation. A proof of concept validation of the SDK is carried out by experimenting with multiple policies in a distributed cloud network scenario.

Reducing the complexity of virtual machine networking

Virtualization is an enabling technology that improves scalability, reliability, and flexibility. Virtualized networking is tackled by emulating or paravirtualizing network interface cards. This approach, however, leads to complexities (implementation and management) and has to conform to some limitations imposed by the Ethernet standard. RINA turns the current approach to virtualized networking on its head: instead of emulating networks to perform inter-process communication on a single processing system, it sees networking as an extension to local inter-process communication. In this article, we show how RINA can leverage a paravirtualization approach to achieve a more manageable solution for virtualized networking. We also present experimental results performed on IRATI, the reference open source implementation of RINA, which shows the potential performance that can be achieved by deploying our solution.

Unreliable inter process communication in Ethernet: migrating to RINA with the shim DIF

There is often a requirement to interface a new model to a legacy implementation by creating a shim between them to make the legacy appear as close to the new model as possible. This is a common exercise, usually fraught with frustrations, but here we find the exercise reveals fundamental aspects about nature of layers that were previously not well understood. Here we will be primarily concerned with creating a shim between RINA and IEEE 802.1q (VLANs). The Recursive InterNet Architecture (RINA) proposes a network architecture derived from the fundamentals of InterProcess Communication (IPC). This yields a recursively layered architecture of Distributed IPC Facilities (DIFs).

Bounding the router table size in an ISP network using RINA

One of the biggest problems of todays Internet is the explosion of the size of the routing tables of Internet core routers, especially due to the growth of multi-homed hosts and networks. This paper explains the benefits that the Recursive InterNetwork Architecture (RINA) brings to network service providers in terms of routing scalability: with an appropriate design the size of the router tables can be bounded. The recursive layer approach, the independence of the address space at each layer in conjunction with the use of hierarchical addressing prove to be effective tools that greatly reduce the storage requirements of routers as well as speed up the calculation of routes, resulting in more efficient and scalable routing.

Developing a RINA prototype over UDP/IP using TINOS

RINA is a very promising internetwork architecture based on the fundamental patterns presented in the Patterns in Network Architecture book. This paper describes the rationale, major design choices and implementation of a RINA prototype over UDP/IP. The prototype is mainly a tool for research and experimentation, the outcome of this work is not meant to be the final solution, but a vehicle to think deeply and experiment around RINA open research areas.

From protecting protocols to layers: Designing, implementing and experimenting with security policies in RINA

Current Internet security is complex, expensive and ineffective. The usual argument is that the TCP/IP protocol suite was not designed having security in mind and security mechanisms have been added as add-ons or separate protocols. We argue that fundamental limitations in the Internet architecture are a major factor contributing to the insecurity of the Net. In this paper we explore the security properties of the Recursive InterNetwork Architecture, analyzing the principles that make RINA networks inherently more secure than TCP/IP-based ones. We perform the specification, implementation and experimental evaluation of the first authentication and SDU protection policies for RINA networks. RINAs approach to securing layers instead of protocols increases the security of networks, while reducing the complexity and cost of providing security.