Technical Report  TR2004-12-01
Internetworking and Media Communications Research Laboratories
Department of Computer Science, Kent State University
http://medianet.kent.edu/technicalreports.html



Dissertation Title: 

A Framework for Complex Composition of Netcentric Systems

Seung Yang
syang@cs.kent.edu

Advisor: Dr. Javed I. Khan
Department of Computer Science
Kent State University

December 2004


Abstract:

The first generation of active networking research has demonstrated very simple programmable systems, where simple code modules can be executed in network routers and endpoints. However, complex netcentric systems require much more sophisticated design and composition formalism of active network codes. This dissertation presents a netcentric active service composition formalism which particularly focuses on code usability by polymorphism and inheritance. It demonstrates a novel active programming construct called made-to-order channels, which allows a collection of active code modules composed within such a construct to be recursively used within higher order instance of similar construct- thus enabling code reusability for active systems through a socket like interface. The construct allows active services to be incrementally layered to create versatile yet custom communication transports. The power of the formalism has been demonstrated via implementing a set of novel network transport services such for concurrent communication channel, and self-organizing-video-transcoding channel, et cetera. This dissertation has developed the formalism, demonstrated an active network platform for deployment and construction of such complex channels, and has evaluated the performance of the channel systems. The result has implication into other emerging paradigms of programmable netcentric systems such as web services, grid and autonomic computing.



Last Modified: June 2006.