NeTS: Small: Abstractions and Algorithms for Control of Network Services

现代数据中心网络使用软件定义的网络来控制其系统之间的流量。当前对软件定义网络的抽象假设流量在经过网络时不会在途中被修改。然而，在实践中，许多网络运营商利用“中间盒”来执行复杂的流量处理操作，例如深度包检测、负载平衡、广域网优化和缓存。该项目的目标是实现软件定义网络的转变，从今天有限的“数据传输”观点转变为更准确地反映当前和未来网络现实的“数据传输和处理”观点，以提高对网络基础设施的控制和运行效率。该项目旨在设计和制作新的机制，以描述、实施和控制具有集中式和混合式管理的网络中的高级网络服务。具体目标是开发一种新的网络服务控制平面，设计新的控制平面算法，探索网络流量中影响中间盒工作负载的动态变化，并在基于GENI的现实环境中演示所提出的网络服务控制平面的能力。这项工作的结果将提供一种新的方法来控制软件定义的网络中的网络服务。该项目的更广泛影响旨在改善网络基础设施，这是互联网的组成部分，对社会至关重要。虽然软件定义的网络简化并增强了对网络的控制，但它没有考虑中间盒和网络服务，它们是当今网络基础设施不可或缺的一部分。该项目解决了这一缺点，并提供了可以使软件定义的网络在未来更有用的解决方案。该项目将为学生提供最先进的网络技术培训，结果将以开放源码工具包和出版物的形式传播。

Modern data-center networks use software-defined networking to control the flow of traffic among their systems. Current abstractions for software-defined networking assume that traffic traverses the network without being modified en route. In practice, however, many network operators utilize "middleboxes" to perform complex traffic processing operations, such as deep packet inspection, load balancing, WAN optimization, and caching. The goal of this project is to achieve a transformational shift in software-defined networks from today's limited "data transmission" view to a "data transmission and processing" view that more accurately reflects the reality of current and future networks in order to improve control and operational efficiently of the network infrastructure.The project aims to design and prototype novel mechanisms to describe, implement, and control advanced network services in networks with centralized and hybrid management. Specific objectives are to develop a novel control plane for network services, design novel control plane algorithms, explore dynamics in network traffic that affect the workload on middleboxes, and demonstrate the capabilities of our proposed control plane for network services in a realistic setting based on GENI. The results from this work will provide a novel approach to controlling network services within software-defined networks.The broader impacts of this project aim at improving network infrastructure, which makes up the Internet and is of critical importance to society. While software-defined networking simplifies and enhances the control that is exerted on networks, it falls short of considering middleboxes and network services, which are an integral part of today's network infrastructure. This project addresses this shortcoming and provides solutions that can make software-defined networks more useful in the future. This project will provide training to student in state-of-the-art networking technology, and results will be disseminated in the form of open-source toolsets and publications.