WP8 PHASE NUMBER
Phase 1
Motivation
Managing the broadband infrastructure of tomorrow's broadband
Internet requires suitable technology and mechanisms as well as valid
and viable economic means, which will lead to a generic information
infrastructure and which enables multiple parties' access in an
economically fair manner.
While major factors have been addressed until now in the research
community as separated activities, such as achieving technical
efficiency of accounting modules, definitions of charging models
independent of technological prerequisites, maintaining viable Service
Level Management (SLM) aspects, and determining management-independent
Internet services models, the inter-operation model of those essential
components still remains to be designed. The development of a customer
service management architecture and corresponding interfaces as a
foundation for the integration for a production environment is
essential. In addition, the mapping of different Quality-of-Service
(QoS) architectures and parameters between organizational boundaries
and platforms will lead to an approach to map QoS parameters to the
infrastructure and across organizational boundaries. Therefore, the
need for appealing new service offerings is emerging, and which are
provided to customers with a guaranteed QoS at an agreed cost and are
captured in a Service Level Agreements (SLA).
Objectives
The above identified areas areas determine a collaborative and joint research effort. An investigation and integration effort to make those effects configurable to various broadband provider needs is targeted at within this work-package within four steps, where the first two are addressed as outlined below in the first 18 month of EMANICS
- Step 1 — Service Provisioning Goals and SLAs: The definition of generic technical and economic goals determines the underlying key model for IP services management. This is based on the general set of services and a particular product offering of broadband Internet Service Providers (ISP), mainly according to their plan with respect to available advanced technologies of accounting systems, tools, and accounting management principles. This step includes an integrated approach to apply known policy-based management methods on economic measures, backed by available Service Level Agreements (SLA). In addition, while customers are primarily interested in accessing and using services with the guaranteed quality and the agreed cost, service providers must address technical and management challenges. In principle, the term infrastructure refers to resources such as network devices, end systems, applications, and even to human personnel, technicians, Step 1 addresses only end-systems and applications.
- Step 2 — ISP-to-ISP Interaction and Generic Service Model: The determination of ISP requirements, both technical and economical, across provider domains is crucial for tomorrow’s Internet. Incentive-driven charging models on top of services, transport, and network level data are required. This provides the basis for the development of an integrated economic traffic management approach. The introduction of advanced traffic management mechanisms, being dependent on economic measures, enhances the QoS instrumentation for IP services. The key focus is on the economic perspective of the respective management time scale of charging models, being able to minimize technological efforts and maximizing economic dimensions. While short-term actions may look completely different than long-term actions, the accounting and policy management systems need to bridge this time scale gap accordingly. In order to address various aspects of service management, an existing service model will be deployed. The potential use of web services technology, as a standardized, platform-independent way of describing service management interfaces and attributes, is proposed. This includes the design of concepts for a Service Level Management (SLM).
- Step 3 on the development of advanced economic traffic management mechanisms and Step 4 on a detailed evaluation are planned for the second 18 month of MAGIX.
Tasks
According to the step-wise objective presentation, each step will be refined in separate tasks, addressing the following issues and topics:
- T8.1: Service provisioning goals and SLAs
- Integration of partner views and concepts on viable and accountable economic measures and SLAs based on technology metrics known and required accountable units for IP as well as on viable accounting management solutions in roaming service scenarios
- Application of a SLA-driven policy-based management method for obtaining viable economic measures out of technical parameters accounted for, while the meaningful usage of complex SLA-driven policies is based on the association of relevant accounting policies
- Modelling key technical areas for an ISP in relation to a charging model and the economic perspective of the respective management time scale, mainly addressing one-time costs and operational costs
- Formalization of an SLA management language
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- T8.2: ISP-to-ISP Interaction and Generic Service Model
- Determination of larger scales such as multi-providers domains, including an ISP-to-ISP scenario and QoS assurance/measurement and economic management among IP service providers.
- Definition of cost parameters for services on the economic side in a minimized analogy to QoS parameters for a service on the technical side and development of a mapping between service-oriented cost parameters to technical accounting functionality and mechanisms for an all-IP broadband network
- Description of a service management model with interfaces and attributes; sketch of an SLM concept
Partners
The following EMANICS partners are involved in this work package:
Deliverables
The deliverables produced by this workpackage can be found in the 'Documents' section of the EMANICS web site.
Phase 2
(Economic Management)
Objectives
Managing the infrastructure of tomorrow's Internet requires suitable technology and mechanisms as well as valid and viable economic means, which will lead to a generic informationinfrastructure and which enables multiple parties' access in an economically fair manner. In particular the economic dimension of network management for Internet Service Providers (ISP)has to be an integrated part of an overall IP-based network solution. While different measures depend on various factors and influence providers’ models, their mechanisms for accounting,traffic control, auditing, network state supervision, their management optimization dimension, and their way of technical operations, e.g., by admission control schemes as well as by ServiceLevel Agreements (SLA) management schemes, have to be integrated for a suitable economicmanagement model. While major factors have been addressed until now in the research community as separatedactivities, such as achieving technical efficiency of accounting modules, definitions of chargingmodels independent of technological prerequisites, maintaining viable Service LevelManagement (SLM) aspects, operating admission control, and determining management- independent services models, the core inter-operation model of the most essential of thosecomponents has been determined in Phase I of EMANICS. On this basis, the development of a suitable service management architecture and corresponding interfaces as a foundation for the integration for a production environment has to be refined in Phase II, mainly with respect toefficient interfaces, operationally applicable mechanisms, Value-added Service provisioning, and potentially based on a heterogeneous technology infrastructure. In addition, advanced traffic management mechanisms, being dependent on economic measures, as well as auditing will beconsidered to enhance the QoS instrumentation and compliance checking for IP-based services.In consequence, the envisaged future IP networks will have the potential to become enablers forattractive new kinds of services and applications in the business and private sectors, such asGrid services. Therefore, the need for appealing new service offerings is emerging, and which are provided to customers with a guaranteed QoS at an agreed upon cost. The SLA does formin all of these cases the contractual obligation to be fulfilled and negotiated. Finally, Service Performance Management will complete this set of essential functionality.These areas determine for Phase II a collaborative and joint research effort. An investigation and integration effort to make those effects configurable to various service provider needs istargeted at within this work-package within four steps, where the first two have been addressedas outlined for Phase I, the second two are addressed in second 18 month of EMANICS.Step 3 — Economic Traffic Management: The introduction of advanced traffic management mechanisms, such as admission control, accounting, auditing, and SLA management, being dependent on economic measures, to enhance the QoS instrumentation for new services. In particular, the technical areas of major importance for an ISP will be investigated in close conjunction with a Bandwidth-on-Demand model and potentially a related business approach. The key focus is on the economic perspective of the respective management time scale, being able to minimize technological efforts and maximizing economic advantages. While short-term actions may look completely different than long-term actions, the technical accounting and auditing system as well as respective SLA management schemes need toVersion bridge this time scale gap accordingly. The extension of the Service Model in the Deployment Model of Phase I by service usage parameters is envisioned to ensure that a link between the static (technical) service design and service performance management including capacity planning and availability management will be in place. Finally, the accounting based on content and service needs provider-specific charging and pricing schemes, which will complement existing approaches.Step 4 — Evaluation: Due to the potential of some partners to operate a test-bed, where the developed concepts are expected to be prototypically applied partially and tested in use case situations, the evaluation of the integrated design of the approach on economic management of IP-based networks can be applied in functional terms. This may include potential simulative investigations as well.WP8 will follow an open-call model to select joint proposals and allocate funds accordingly.
Description of work
According to the step-wise objective presentation above, each of those two steps is refined inseparate tasks, addressing the following issues and topics, which may be extended or refined inthe course of action within Phase II, mainly based on specific intermediate results obtained:
Task 8.3: Application View Point
• Investigations of Bandwidth-on-Demand approaches and related business approaches.
• Definition of content- and service-specific charging and pricing approaches.
Task 8.4: Mechanisms View Point
• Integration of traffic control and explicit admission control schemes and performance management with capacity metrics/IT service usage parameters.
• Combination of accounting models with Grid services and auditing for SLA compliance purposes.
Task 8.5: Optimization View Point
• Investigations on SLA planning and negotiation.
• Application of promise theory onto SLAs and their economic value.
Task 8.6: Functional Evaluations
• Investigation of the functional strength of available mechanisms (e.g., admission control, accounting, auditing, SLA management, performance management).
• Rating of charging and pricing approaches for new services.
Partners
The following EMANICS partners are involved in this work package:
Deliverables
The deliverables produced by this workpackage can be found in the 'Documents' section of the EMANICS web site.
