Abstract: In this talk, we present an overview of our research to design networks where new applications can be readily deployed on a converged pool of computing, communications, and storage resources that are managed by autonomic management systems. First we introduce the VANI (Virtualized Application Networking Infrastructure) platform for experimenting with networked systems and distributed applications. VANI enables the deployment of new network architectures by providing virtualized resources using service-oriented methods. In addition to computing, communications and storage resources, VANI also provides reprogrammable hardware resources that enable experimenting with hardware-based or hardwareaccelerated networking algorithms and protocols. Next we discuss our efforts to develop an analytic framework, using our network criticality metric, for synthesizing autonomic resource management algorithms. We are also interested in the allocation of capacities to links in a network, the design of network topologies, and the dynamic control of virtual and physical network topologies to achieve communication goals, such as optimizing robustness. We will introduce the notion of network criticality, point out intriguing relationships to optimizations that occur in nature, and provide examples of design and control algorithms in a variety of network scenarios.
Bio: Alberto Leon-Garcia is a Fellow of the IEEE. In 2006, he received the Thomas Eadie Medal from the Royal Society of Canada and in 2010 he received the IEEE A. G. T. McNaughton Gold Medal. He holds a Canada Research Chair in Autonomic Service Architecture. From 1999 to 2002, he was founder and CTO of AcceLight Networks in Ottawa which developed an all-optical fabric multi-terabit, multiservice core switch. He holds several patents and has published research extensively in the areas of switch architecture and traffic management. Professor Leon-Garcia’s current research interests are focused on application-oriented networking and autonomic resources management with a focus on enabling pervasive smart infrastructure. He is author of the leading textbooks: Probability and Random Processes for Electrical Engineering, and Communication Networks: Fundamental Concepts and Key Architecture.