On the Design of Fast and Scalable Network Applications Through Data Stream Processing

The current trend characterizing new generation networks is to accommodate a variety of services on the same shared infrastructure. In this context, two main aspects are vital for network operators. On one hand, there is the need for proper mechanisms to rapidly and easily (re-)configure the network, to adapt to its changing conditions over time. On the other hand, applications for continuous network monitoring become essential to detect security problems or performance degradation. This is fundamental to guarantee the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for every running service. This paper aims at proposing a new framework for the implementation of fast and scalable applications for real-time continuous network monitoring and data analysis. High-level abstractions will be provided to the network programmer, and the Data Stream Processing computational model will be exploited to improve performance. The framework architecture is described, along with the implementation design for this kind of applications. The main challenges are presented, with proposed solutions to tackle them. Finally, the current status of the work is discussed, along with its future developments.