Towards Autonomic Networks
Alexander V. Konstantinou
Ph.D. Thesis
Columbia University
New York, NY, USA
October, 2003
Abstract
Autonomic computing has been proposed as an approach to reducing the
cost and complexity of managing Information Technology (IT)
infrastructure. An autonomic system is one that is self-configuring,
self-optimizing, self-healing and self-protecting. Such a system
requires minimal administration, mostly involving policy-level
management. This thesis introduces novel results in autonomic
management organization, autonomic element instrumentation, and
autonomic policy maintenance. Management functions are organized in a
novel two-layer peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture. The bottom layer
organizes management information in a unified object-relationship
model, that is instantiated in a distributed transactional object
modeler repository. The top layer unifies the traditional roles of
managers and elements into a single autonomic management layer.
Autonomic elements use the modeler as a primary management repository,
and effect autonomic behavior in terms of transactions over the shared
model state. A novel language called JSpoon is introduced as a
mechanism for extending element objects at design-time with management
attributes and data modeling layer access primitives. JSpoon elements
may be extended with additional autonomic functions at runtime using
model schema plug-in extensions. This thesis further introduces a
novel autonomic policy model and language in the form of acyclic
spreadsheet change propagation rules, and declarative constraints. An
Object Spreadsheet Language (OSL) is introduced to express autonomic
behavior as dynamic computation of element configuration over the
object-relationship graph model. Static OSL analysis algorithms are
presented over three incremental OSL language extensions for detecting
change rule termination and performing optimal rule evaluation over
any instantiation of the management model. The proposed organization
has been implemented in a large prototype system that has been
successfully demonstrated in security, network configuration, and
active network applications.
Thesis Document
Thesis Defense Presentationt
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