Towards Autonomic Communications

Abstract

In this talk we provide an overview of our work on autonomic service management systems. The purpose of these systems is to ensure delivery of a multiplicity of network-based applications and content, according to service metrics and in the face of variable demand and equipment failure. We begin by describing our vision of the application-oriented infrastructure that must emerge from the convergence of computing and communications technologies. We then describe an autonomic service architecture that builds on this highly flexible and controllable infrastructure to support the delivery of applications at very low cost and to enable the introduction of new services at very rapid pace.

We describe approaches for creating resource abstractions that accommodate communications and computing capabilities so that service management can be carried out by a single common control framework. We also describe how an application can be supported by the allocation of virtual resources that are managed by autonomic managers that ensure that service metrics are met even in the presence of changing demand. We then present recent results for autonomic resource management algorithms for: 1. the management of network flows; 2. the management of application flows; 3. the management of radio resources in cognitive radio settings.