wiki:ReqInf

Version 5 (modified by jjacob@geni.net, 16 years ago) (diff)

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Requested Information for The Spiral 1 Substrate Catalog

The following lists six topic areas that were sent to the PI’s of each of the substrate projects funded in spiral 1. This section describes those questions and sets some scope for the answers. The discussion of these topic areas for each of the spiral-1 prototype substrates forms the spiral 1 substrate catalog. Some of the information may be incomplete or tentative as a projects scope may include identification of solutions in these areas.

Substrate Overview

Provide an overview of the hardware systems in your contribution.
The scope for this section should cover a detailed description of substrate systems. In some instances, e.g. optical networks, where the individual aggregate components tend to be comprised of a relatively small number of high-end components, descriptions of the node functionality, and component brand, model, and particular configurations will be requested. It is expected that the substrate technologies in these aggregates will not be exchanged or upgraded at regular intervals, as such this information is expected to be relatively static. In other examples, aggregates may be formed by a large number of less expensive, commodity technologies, in which swapping components may be readily achieved. In this case, the knowledge of brand, model, and configuration specifics are less valuable. In addition to the nodes information, description of the overall aggregate networks and site locations is requested.

GENI Resources

Discuss the GENI resources offered by your substrate contribution and how they are shared, programmed, and/or configured. Include in this discussion to what extent you believe the shared resources can be isolated.
This section describes the essence of what a substrate means to GENI. These resources define what experimenters will discover, reserve and program within their slices. Describing these resources is fundamental in shaping the types of early experiments that will be supported by spiral-1. Resources are clearly technology dependent, yet similar substrates may result in significantly different resource attributes given their implementation for GENI. It is essential that spiral-1 document these resources as precisely as possible. In some projects, these resources are being developed throughout the early phases of spiral-1, in these cases, providing the latest understanding or expectations will be helpful. Resource isolation may permit a repeatable and realistic experimental environment. Resource isolation is also recognized to be a challenging topic within the context of GENI. Documenting issues and expectations in the early phase of GENI prototyping will provide valuable guidance as GENI designs and requirements unfold. As a reference, the substrate working group compiled a general list of substrate technologies for components and aggregates, and the types of resources which may exist for each technology type. This list is likely incomplete but may still be useful as a reference.

Aggregate Physical Network Connections (Horizontal Integration)

Provide an overview of the physical connections within the substrate aggregate, as well as between the aggregate and the GENI backbones. Identify to the extent possible, non-GENI equipment, services and networks involved in these connections.

Integration within GENI is discussed in two forms, horizontal and vertical. Horizontal integration refers to physical connections, electrical power, bit rates, frequency spectrum, framing protocols, IP addresses, mobility modes, etc. as well at network management and operations. To the extent possible, this section should capture all of this detail. In some instances, connections between GENI prototypes and other aggregates or the GENI backbone may traverse networks and interfaces outside the domain of a GENI control framework. In these cases, it is desired to identify these non-GENI networks, as well as their connections and services. To understand the level of effort involved for intra-aggregate and inter-aggregate connections supporting a GENI spiral-1 objective to enable end-to-end slicing across heterogeneous substrates, it is necessary to identify many details of horizontal integration.

Aggregate Manager Integration (Vertical Integration)

Identify the physical connections and software interfaces for integration into your cluster's assigned control framework.
The second form of integration within GENI is referred to as vertical integration. This is the integration of a component or aggregate with the GENI control framework. As discussed earlier, one side of the interface is technology independent, while the other side interfacing to specific components of the aggregate will often be required to operate to a specific provisioning/configuration specification. Furthermore, in some instances, the aggregate manager will reside on a local host. In this section, the substrate specific interface specifications and connections between host servers and node/element controllers should be described. Substrate independent aspects of the aggregate manager are not being requested in this section.

Measurement and Instrumentation

Identify any measurement capabilities either embedded in your substrate components or as dedicated external test equipment.
One of the key attribute of GENI is that it promises to be a well instrumented test-bed. Nearly all substrate components and technologies will support some level of embedded measurements for performance monitoring and health status reporting. Other forms of measurements may also be available either through embedded mechanisms or through independent external test equipment. The measurements and any instrumentation used to collect them should be discussed in detail within this section.

Aggregate Specific Tools and Services

Describe any tools or services which may be available to users and unique to your substrate contribution.
Some of the more complex aggregates will have various tools and services available for the researchers to discover and assist them in using the aggregate resources. Any substrate aggregate offering unique tools and services should discuss those in this section.