An agent-based paradigm for managing service quality in open network environments

摘要

The intermediate nodes (e.g. routers) in the present day Internet are mostly vertically integrated closed systems whose functions are rigidly programmed into the embedded software and hardware by the vendor. Programmability is limited and this results in slow introduction of new services, slow standardisation process, and redundant operations across the protocol layers. The paradigm "Programmable Network" envisions the future telecommunications network as an open system that can be programmed to deliver QoS-based network services (e.g., voice, video and data globally [1 ]). Quality of Service (QoS) represents the set of requirements, imposed by the user, related to the performance to be achieved in order to support the provision of a particular service. Resources such as network bandwidth, processing time and memory are still scarce inside and outside the network and need to be controlled in very tight manner. Active packets or open signalling have been proposed as the mechanism to achieve this programmability. However, it is important to provide a user with mechanisms that permit one to express this QoS. Service Level Agreement is the formal negotiated agreement between a service provider and a customer for service delivery. It is designed to create a common understanding about services, priorities, responsibilities, etc. SLAs can cover many aspects of the relationship between the customer and the service provider such as quality of services, customer care, billing, provisioning, etc. SLA is at the heart of service quality management in open network environments.