Network Monitoringin the age of the Cloud_____________________

Augusto CiuffolettiDept. of Computer Science

University of Pisa

Webinar available fromhttp://www.slideshare.net/AugustoCiuffoletti/presentazione-europar-2009

On Demand Network Monitoring

No monitoring infrastructure in place

Use resources only when needed

Dynamically selects tools and topology

Conforms to user needs

Easy to upgrade

Unique interface for many tools

Security levels are negotiated

One step towards standardization

A request-reply model

The User (an application) submits a request to a local server

The local Server propagates the request to find appropriate resources in a network of Servers

Resources are prepared for the task

A (secure) path is built from source to destination

Activity starts

The user terminates the session

gd2: a functional prototype

Simplified in order to be completed with a moderate effort

Contains all relevant ideas of the “on demand network monitoring” concept

Not to reinvent wheels, using known technologies whenever possible

Simplify the interface with outside (XML)

Skip details that are “almost” COTS (e.g. distributed database)

gd2: the components

WMA: the client application, ideally an agent that manages a networked activity

NMA: two-headed

Proxy activity, routes requests towards resources

Proxy activity, routes data from source to client

NME: the network monitoring tool, provided with a SO interface

gd2: interfaces

WMA → NMA: SOAP

NMA → NMA: SOAP

NMA → NME: tool dependent (plugin)

a dynamically loadable plugin on NMA side

a wrapper around the network monitoring tool

NME → NMA: UDP stream

NMA → NMA: UDP stream

NMA → WMA: UDP stream

gd2: nice to know...

Produced in a CoreGRID collaboration

Developed on a virtualized infrastructure by a couple of people

Download: http://www.di.unipi.it/~augusto/gd2/gd2.html

Demonstrated at the end of the CoreGRID#1

Hosts a third party network monitoring tool

Reference paper: “Grid Computing”, Springer US, 85-96, 2008. DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-09457-1_8

News: graphic interface for the (tricky) configuration of the NMA (paper in preparation)

10.1007/978-0-387-09457-1_8

Any future?

gd2 is ready to step into virtual infrastructures

gd2 to monitor a virtual network:

Monitoring is end-to-end

Domain oriented topology fits virtual network abstractions (e.g. EC2 regions/zones)

Is able to host specific monitoring tools

gd2 to implement a network monitoring service (à la Cloudwatch):

monitoring sessions are dynamic

gd2 is not Eucalyptus but...

It works

It's open source

It is a testbed for new ideas

It is a tool that may be embedded

Its internals are simple

...but...

...not a research topic on its own

gd2 implements a service: needs a framework

next step for gd2 is integration in a XaaS platform

CoreGRID explores virtualization issues: should consider using gd2 as a tool

What future for a NM topic

Understand Network Monitoring in the cloud

A white paper on virtual Networking in the cloud

Monitoring a Virtual Network

Monitoring a Cloud infrastructure

Experiments and prototyping (towards gd3):

Replace SOAP with CRUD

A RestFul description of a Network Monitoring Session

With an eye to evolution (OGF OCCI ...)

Next steps?

Interested in the topic?

Contribute to the white paper with:

A relation about a perspective about Virtual Networking (e.g. virtual networking in your infrastructure)

A relation about a perspective about Monitoring a Virtual Network (e.g., see above)

A relation about a perspective about Network Monitoring in a Virtual Infrastructure