Integration of Mobile Agents and Legacy System to Manage ATM Heterogeneous Network

1. Integration of Mobile Agents and Legacy System to Manage ATM Heterogeneous Network André Ribeiro Cardoso Coordenação de Pós-Graduação em Informática - COPIN Universidade Federal da Paraíba - UFPB andrec@uece.br Joaquim Celestino Júnior, Ricardo A R Celestino Laboratório de Redes de Computadores e Engenharia de Software - LARCES Universidade Estadual do Ceará - UECE celestino@uece.br

2. Integration of Mobile Agents and Legacy System to Manage ATM Heterogeneous Network 1. Motivation • Problematic • Our proposal 2. Related Works 3. Our Proposal 4. System Prototype 5. PVC Configuration 6. Conclusion

3. Motivation • Problematic: • With the paradigm • With the network management • Usually, Network Management (NM) applications are based on SNMP (for data networks) or CMIP (for telecommunication networks) protocols to solve the interoperability problem in heterogeneous environments • These protocols are based on static and centralized “client/server” solutions. • With the heterogeneous PVC process • Different developers adopt different methods to perform PVCs establishement .

4. Motivation • Our Proposal: • For the Paradigm • We employ Mobile Agents (MAs) to overcome some limitations of the “client/server” paradigm; • For the Network Management • The MA will complement the classic management applications (SNMP and CMIP) allowing more efficient solutions for the NM; • For the Heterogeneous PVC Management • through SNMP management using MAs we intend to attribute heterogeneous character to the PVC establishment task.

5. Related Work • AMETAS, from Dept. of Computer Science, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main - Germany • Perpetuum Mobile Procura Project, from Carleton University • AMI Framework, from LARCES/UECE

6. Our Proposal SNMPEmployment • The goal is to provide a uniform way to perform this task; • There is the need of a common view of a PVC MIB; • FORUM creates ILMI and IETF AToM MIB (RFC 1695) • The primarily purpose of AToM MIB is to manage ATM PVCs. • AToM MIB basic structure: • Interface Information • Virtual Link Information • Cross Connect Information

7. Our ProposalIntegrating MA with SNMP • Why and How? • SNMP is an accepted standard, therefore it is very interesting try to integrate legacy systems mangement with the new management propasals • The issue of interoperability with existing management technologies is very important for the success of mobile agents in the network management area. • In the management of large and heterogeneous systems, mobile agents systems need to provide interoperability. • The legacy technology provides access to management information and services. • It is very interesting that mobile agents incorporate mobile code in order to perform intelligent tasks closer to management data. • The employment of SNMP is mainly to collect data locally instead of remotely.

8. System PrototypeAssumptions • The functionality of the process is only related with the configuration of point-to-point PVCs; • The QoS parameter evaluated is PCR; • The ATM service classis “best effort”; • The user has the knowledge of the whole environment (hosts and switches) along the connection path; • The configuration of the switches that do not support JVM is made by another device responsible for their management; • Concordia system evaluation version is employed.

9. System PrototypeRequirements • All devices must be managed by SNMP through AToM MIB; • The user has an interface applet to launch the PVC Configuration MA; • A set of MA to perform PVC set up, trace and release.

10. System Prototype – Concordia(1)PVC Manager Framework NC:Network Component IACMg: Internet-Agent Communication Manager Amg: Agent Manager AdmMg: Administration Manager PMg: Persistence Manager SMg: Security Manager QMg: Queue Manager DMg: Directory Manager PVC CM: PVC Configuration Manager

11. PVC ConfigurationTasks Description (1) • Use of the AToM MIB (IETF); • MA is launched by the PVC CM component; • MA accomplishes the PVC establishment sequentially, i.e., the MA executes the configuration task in the first host, then it migrates to the switches (s1 throught sn). After it configures the switches, it travels to the final host and completes the configuration;

12. PVC ConfigurationTasks Description (2) • In case of the switch does not execute JVM, the system components must reside in another NC that is executed in another host responsible for the management of its resources; • PVC Configuration Manager releases the user from supplying the devices VPI/VCI included in PVC; • When conditions of recoverable errors occur, the reconfiguration is done through a sequence of negotiations among MAs and devices;

13. Conclusion • The tests included the LARCES/UECE devices (PCs with ATM 25Mb and switches 8285 and 8265 IBM); • The user does not have to worry about the system of each switch and it is able to delegate the responsability of configuration to the MA. • The specific MIB information has its access possible by MAs because of the use of AdventNet classes performing the part of the proxy. • The MA automated the PVC configuration tasks without the need of interventions by users in the decisions. • Although some assumptions were made, this work focuses on a great number of relevants aspects to the project and implementation of real architectures of MAs systems.