MVCE Strategic Partnership: Core 5 Flexible Networks

今天这个多变的社会反映在我们对关系(如对服务提供商或其他用户)的选择、对身份的选择、我们寻求的信息以及更多的问题上。满足最终用户需求的方式隐藏了一个日益复杂的服务和设施提供商生态系统，每个服务和设施提供商都由自己的业务需求驱动。在未来，网络将需要应对用户、网络运营商和服务提供商(以及更多)之间日益增长的利益冲突--争斗的概念。这将需要一种协作谈判方法，能够简单而灵活地安排满足利益相关者要求的组件，并以最终用户看不到的方式执行。传统网络设计以计划和静态的方式完成，反映了新网络部署的高投资和较长的交付期。它包括预测未来的需求，并遵循规范的工程方法进行设计以迎合这一愿景。这种静态设计方法是基于不完全的、先验的信息。因此，过时的解决方案可能会进入无法满足(出乎意料的)用户需求的市场；在部署网络时，推动初始设计的市场驱动因素可能已经改变。这在过去曾导致某些功能和服务(已投资和配置)失败，原因是缺乏部署后客户的接受度(例如移动视频呼叫)。相反，其他服务(如短信和社交网络)出人意料地成为广受欢迎的主流应用。在网络操作中引入一定程度的自主性被许多人视为解决方案的一部分，但这本身可能不能解决运营商对网络可靠性的担忧，并且可能不支持用户、服务提供商等之间日益增加的争斗。这提供了将工程和计算机科学结合在一起以探索能够支持灵活网络所需属性的网络技术的动机。其中包括虚拟化、自我*、网络编码和多宿主。它可以在未来的网络中提供结构灵活性，以及诸如覆盖、自动配置和动态市场方法等技术，这些技术可以提供所需的控制灵活性。任何体现这种强大灵活性的网络都必须是可信的，无论是从其网络组成还是未来的自我演化来看，因此也研究了新的网络验证技术。必须使用新的设计方法将这一系列技术结合在一起，以提供未来灵活、敏捷、自我发展、强大和高效的网络，这些网络结合了支持未来某种不可预测的需求的能力。该项目旨在为未来的灵活网络实现这种新的网络范式和设计方法，这些网络需要应对不可预测的需求模式，很可能是自我进化的，并将需要与今天不同的特性。它将创建能够实现灵活网络的设计方法(灵活、敏捷、动态、自我发展并适应争斗的网络)。在其第一阶段，项目组将调查、分析和开发工具，以模拟未来网络中利益相关者之间的利益冲突。将确定网络虚拟化和基于市场的资源分配的基准指标，并将调查确保跨异类网络的稳健性和提高效率的方法。最后，将确定能够确保信任和责任的网络验证工具的要求和工具。该项目是灵活网络项目的第一阶段，是EPSRC和Mobile VCE之间战略合作伙伴关系的一部分。

Today's fluid society is reflected in the choices we make with respect to relationships (such as to service providers or to other users), choices of identities, information we seek and many more issues. End user demands are met in a way that hides an increasingly complex ecosystem of service and facility providers, each of which is driven by their own business needs. In future networks will need to cope with increasing conflicts of interest between users, network operators and service providers (and more) - the concept of tussle. This will require a collaborative negotiation approach that enables simple and flexible arrangement of the components needed to the requirements of the stakeholders, performed in a way which is invisible to the end user.Traditional network design is done in a planned and static manner, reflecting the high investment and long lead times of new network deployments. It involves predicting future requirements, and designing to cater for that vision, following a prescriptive engineering approach. This static design approach is based on incomplete, a priori, information. Outdated solutions can thus reach the market which fail to meet (unpredicted) user needs; market drivers that motivated the initial design may have changed by the time the network is deployed. This has in the past caused certain features and services (that have been invested in and provisioned) to fail, due to lack of post-deployment customer take-up (e.g. mobile video calling). Conversely, other services (e.g. SMS and social networking) have emerged unexpectedly as hugely popular, mainstream applications. Introducing a degree of autonomy into network operation is seen by many as part of the solution, but on its own this may not address operator concern over network reliability and may not support increasing tussle between users, service providers, etc.This provides the motivation to bring together engineering and computer science to explore network technologies which can support the required properties of flexible networks. These include virtualisation, self-*, network coding and multi-homing. , which can provide structural flexibility in a future network, as well as technologies such as overlaying, auto-configuration and dynamic market approaches, which can provide the required control flexibility. Any network which embodies such powerful flexibilities must be trustworthy, in terms of its network composition and future self-evolution, hence novel network verification techniques are also investigated. This ensemble of technologies must be combined, using a novel design methodology, to enable the provision of future flexible, agile, self-evolving, robust and efficient networks that combine an ability to support the somewhat unpredictable needs of the future. A networking paradigm is required that is less prescriptive and enables network self-evolution.The project aims to enable such new networking paradigm and design methodologies for future flexible networks, which need to cope with unpredictable demand patterns, are likely to be self-evolving and will require different properties from those of today. It will create design methodologies that enable flexible networks (networks that are flexible, agile, dynamic, and self-evolving and accommodate tussle).In its first phase the project team will investigate, analyse and develop tools to model the conflicts of interest between stakeholders in future networks. Baseline metrics for network virtualisation and market based resource allocation will be identified and means to ensure robustness and increase efficiency across heterogeneous networks will be investigated. Finally requirements and tools for network verification tools capable to ensure trust and accountability will be defined.This project forms the first phase of the Flexible Networks project, part of the strategic partnership between EPSRC and Mobile VCE.