Technical Summary
Services such as content distribution, distributed databases, or
inter-data center connectivity place a set of new requirements on the
operation of networks. They need on-demand and application-specific
reservation of network connectivity, reliability, and resources (such
as bandwidth) in a variety of network applications (such as point-to-
point connectivity, network virtualization, or mobile back-haul) and
in a range of network technologies from packet (IP/MPLS) down to
optical. An environment that operates to meet this type of
requirement is said to have Application-Based Network Operations
(ABNO).
ABNO brings together many existing technologies for gathering
information about the resources available in a network, for
consideration of topologies and how those topologies map to
underlying network resources, for requesting path computation, and
for provisioning or reserving network resources. Thus, ABNO may be
seen as the use of a toolbox of existing components enhanced with a
few new elements. The key component within an ABNO is the Path
Computation Element (PCE), which can be used for computing paths and
is further extended to provide policy enforcement capabilities for
ABNO.
This document describes an architecture and framework for ABNO
showing how these components fit together. It provides a cookbook of
existing technologies to satisfy the architecture and meet the needs
of the applications.
Working Group Summary
This document is not the product of any IETF working group. There is
currently no working group chartered to work on this topic.
However, the document has been widely circulated for review with
focus in the PCE, ALTO, and OPSAWG. Notification of the document with
a request for review was also sent to the I2RS and RTGWG working
groups. The SDNRG of the IRTF has had this work presented at several
IETF meetings.
Document Quality
There are currently believed to be two implementations of network
management packages in operators' research labs that are based on the
architectural model described here. A further implementation is
rumored to be planned by a third network operator.
Although the operators have not been publically forthcoming about
their implementations, some information can be found at:
http://www.vlopezalvarez.com/Profesional/Publications/Conferences/2014_OFC_1.pdfhttp://www.infinera.com/pdfs/misc/Infinera-Telefonica_SDN_Demo.pdfhttps://www.fi-athens.eu/sites/default/files/presentations/ABNO.pdfhttp://www.cttc.es/publication/experimental-assessment-of-abno-based-network-orchestration-of-end-to-end-multi-layer-opsocs-provisioning-across-sdnopenflow-and-gmplspce-control-domains/
Personnel
Quintin Zhao <quintin.zhao@huawei.com> is the Document Shepherd.
Alia Atlas <akatlas@gmail.com> is the Responsible Area Director.