Monique Morrow

Blueprint for the Intercloud - Protocols and Formats for Cloud Computing Interoperability

Cloud Computing is a term applied to large, hosted datacenters, usually geographically distributed, which offer various computational services on a “utility” basis. Most typically the configuration and provisioning of these datacenters, as far as the services for the subscribers go, is highly automated, to the point of the service being delivered within seconds of the subscriber request. Additionally, the datacenters typically use hypervisor based virtualization as a technique to deliver these services. The concept of a cloud operated by one service provider or enterprise interoperating with a clouds operated by another is a powerful idea. So far that is limited to use cases where code running on one cloud explicitly references a service on another cloud. There is no implicit and transparent interoperability. Use cases for interoperability, as well as work-in-progress around inter-cloud protocols and formats for enabling those use cases, are discussed in this paper.

Wireless sensor network virtualization: early architecture and research perspectives

WSNs have become pervasive and are used in many applications and services. Usually, deployments of WSNs are task-oriented and domain-specific, thereby precluding reuse when other applications and services are contemplated. This inevitably leads to the proliferation of redundant WSN deployments. Virtualization is a technology that can aid in tackling this issue, as it enables the sharing of resources/infrastructure by multiple independent entities. In this article we critically review the state of the art and propose a novel architecture for WSN virtualization. The proposed architecture has four layers (physical layer, virtual sensor layer, virtual sensor access layer, and overlay layer) and relies on a constrained application protocol. We illustrate its potential by using it in a scenario where a single WSN is shared by multiple applications, one of which is a fire monitoring application. We present the proof-of-concept prototype we have built along with the performance measurements, and discuss future research directions.

A Comprehensive Survey on Fog Computing: State-of-the-Art and Research Challenges

Cloud computing with its three key facets (i.e., Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service, and Software-as-a-Service) and its inherent advantages (e.g., elasticity and scalability) still faces several challenges. The distance between the cloud and the end devices might be an issue for latency-sensitive applications such as disaster management and content delivery applications. Service level agreements (SLAs) may also impose processing at locations where the cloud provider does not have data centers. Fog computing is a novel paradigm to address such issues. It enables provisioning resources and services outside the cloud, at the edge of the network, closer to end devices, or eventually, at locations stipulated by SLAs. Fog computing is not a substitute for cloud computing but a powerful complement. It enables processing at the edge while still offering the possibility to interact with the cloud. This paper presents a comprehensive survey on fog computing. It critically reviews the state of the art in the light of a concise set of evaluation criteria. We cover both the architectures and the algorithms that make fog systems. Challenges and research directions are also introduced. In addition, the lessons learned are reviewed and the prospects are discussed in terms of the key role fog is likely to play in emerging technologies such as tactile Internet.

A platform as-a-service for hybrid cloud/fog environments

Fog computing brings cloud close to end-users and data sources by enabling computation and storage at the edges of the network. An application can have some of its components running in a “distant” cloud and interacting with the other components running in the fog, closer to end-users and data sources such as wireless sensors. Low latency is the main benefit. Applications spanning cloud and fog, such as Internet of Things (IoT) applications, are still provisioned manually nowadays. This paper proposes an architecture for a Platform as-a-Service (PaaS) to automate applications provisioning in a hybrid cloud/fog environment. Cloud Foundry is used as the basis for its implementation. As a use case, the proposed PaaS was employed to provision a simple component-based IoT application that detects fire and dispatches robots to fight the fire. A prototype is built and measurements are made.

Internet of things implications on ICN

The number of connected devices over the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to be over 25 billion by 2015. This is more than three devices for every human being on earth. The most common deployment of the IoT is expected to be based on Information-Centric Networking (ICN) where control and intelligent related information are hosted at a centralized location. Cleary performance and security implications must be considered very carefully when developing IOT architectural frameworks. This paper addresses the key ICN performance and security requirements of IP based IoT networks and presents a case study using smart services in IT infrastructure network.

NFV based gateways for virtualized wireless sensor networks: A case study

Virtualization enables the sharing of a same wireless sensor network (WSN) by multiple applications. However, in heterogeneous environments, virtualized wireless sensor networks (VWSN) raise new challenges such as the need for on-the-fly, dynamic, elastic, and scalable provisioning of gateways. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is an emerging paradigm that can certainly aid in tackling these new challenges. It leverages standard virtualization technology to consolidate special-purpose network elements on top of commodity hardware. This article presents a case study on NFV based gateways for VWSNs. In the study, a VWSN gateway provider operates and manages an NFV based infrastructure. We use two different brands of wireless sensors. The NFV infrastructure makes possible the dynamic, elastic, and scalable deployment of gateway modules in this heterogeneous VWSN environment. The prototype built with Openstack as platform is described.

A demo of a PaaS for IoT applications provisioning in hybrid cloud/fog environment

This demo will show the key features of a Platform as-a-Service (PaaS) we have proposed in a research paper accepted for presentation at IEEE LANMAN 2016 conference. The proposed PaaS enables IoT applications provisioning in hybrid cloud/fog environments. Two goals are assigned to the demo. On the one hand, we will highlight how IoT applications can be provisioned in such environments. On the other hand, we will show concretely the advantages these hybrid environments have over traditional cloud environments. The provisioning in these hybrid environments enables latency reduction and processing performance enhancement. Indeed, in order to reduce latency, the applications can have some of its components running in a distant cloud and interacting with the other components running in the fog, closer to IoT devices.

A cloud based — Architecture for cost-efficient applications and services provisioning in wireless sensor networks

More and more wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are being deployed. However, provisioning WSN applications and services in a cost efficient manner remains an uphill task. In the current state of affairs, WSN applications and services make little re-use of third party modules due to the lack of appropriate discovery mechanisms. Furthermore, they are bundled with the WSNs in which they are provisioned and this precludes the use of the same WSN by other applications and services. Novel approaches are indeed required. Cloud computing is an emerging paradigm with three key aspects (Software as a Service - SaaS, Platform as a Service - PaaS, and Infrastructure as a Service - IaaS) and several inherent benefits (e.g, efficient use of resources, easy introduction of new applications and services). It can potentially aid in tackling the cost efficiency issue in WSN applications and services provisioning. Unfortunately, this area has not yet received much attention in the research community. This position paper pinpoints the challenges, reviews the state-of-the-art, sketches a new architecture and proposes a research agenda.

A coalition formation algorithm for Multi-Robot Task Allocation in large-scale natural disasters

In large-scale natural disasters, humans are likely to fail when they attempt to reach high-risk sites or act in search and rescue operations. Robots, however, outdo their counterparts in surviving the hazards and handling the search and rescue missions due to their multiple and diverse sensing and actuation capabilities. The dynamic formation of optimal coalition of these heterogeneous robots for cost efficiency is very challenging and research in the area is gaining more and more attention. In this paper, we propose a novel heuristic. Since the population of robots in large-scale disaster settings is very large, we rely on Quantum Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (QMOPSO). The problem is modeled as a multi-objective optimization problem. Simulations with different test cases and metrics, and comparison with other algorithms such as NSGA-II and SPEA-II are carried out. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing algorithms not only in terms of convergence but also in terms of diversity and processing time.

Network functions virtualization architecture for gateways for virtualized wireless sensor and actuator networks

Virtualization enables multiple applications to share the same WSAN. However, in heterogeneous environments, VWSANs raise new challenges, such as the need for on-the-fly, dynamic, elastic, and scalable provisioning of gateways. NFV is a paradigm emerging to help tackle these new challenges. It leverages standard virtualization technology to consolidate special-purpose network elements on commodity hardware. This article presents NFV architecture for VWSAN gateways, in which software instances of gateway modules are hosted in NFV infrastructure operated and managed by a VWSAN gateway provider. We consider several VWSAN providers, each with its own brand or combination of brands of sensors and actuators/ robots. These sensors and actuators can be accessed by a variety of applications, each of which may have different interface and QoS (latency, throughput, etc.) requirements. The NFV infrastructure allows dynamic, elastic, and scalable deployment of gateway modules in this heterogeneous VWSAN environment. Furthermore, the proposed architecture is flexible enough to easily allow integration of new sensors and actuators, and accommodation of new application domains. We present a prototype that is built using the OpenStack platform. Performance results are also discussed.