MW 1-2:30, Room 310 Soda
3 Units
Prof. Randy H. Katz, Instructor
Distributed systems
are known to
be fragile, easily broken, and exhibit poor reliability. From a network
perspective, reliability is affected by two key factors. In the
wide-area,
routes occasionally fail and the network can take too long to find an
alternative, thus partitioning distributed components. In the
local-area and in enterprise networks, unplanned
for traffic surges (e.g., worm outbreaks, p2p file sharing, flash
crowds) can starve applications for network bandwidth while
simultaneously rendering the network difficult to manage in order to
respond to the surge.
In this seminar, we will examine new network-layer
approaches for improving the dependability of distributed systems. A
key
emergent technology of interest is programmable network elements
(PNEs), providing
protocol-aware packet and stream classification at line speeds,
invocation of
specific packet and flow-level actions, and policy-based forwarding.
Packet
contents can be modified, delayed, filtered or redirected, based on
preferences,
context, or policies specified by network administrators. For example,
a strategically place PNE could detect traffic surges and shape traffic
to reserve bandwidth for control messages when the network is under
stress.
In addition, PNEs provide pervasive monitoring at the network layer, as
a possible foundation for
a network "flight data recorder." This could enable analysis and replay
of network failures after the fact. Given the ability to observe and
act, PNEs can coordinate with algorithms at a higher level to drive
predictions of emerging attacks or impeding failures. Successful
coordination of observe-analyze-act across the network could
dramatically enhance the reliability and dependability of distributed
systems.
The course will be organized around reading and
discussing
key papers in the field, drawn from the literature of network
virtualization,
routing and health monitoring, and active networks and middlebox
functionality.
These readings will be augmented with invited presentations by leading
experts
in the field. Students will propose a significant research project and
see it
through to completion and presentation by the end of the semester. PNEs
are available for student evaluation and prototyping in support of
their
projects.