No Need to Cross Your Fingers: Towards Predicting Network Function,Performance, and Behavior

Presented by  Daniel Schemmel and Klaus Wehrle
 

Thursday, August 17, 2017
2:30 p.m.
ICSI Lecture Hall

Abstract:

The ability to execute flexible, software-based functionality in network elements is a long-standing dream of network researchers and a nightmare for network operators. Placing software directly on the data path can severely impact performance and cause unwanted network behavior. Worst-case scenarios range from long running or even infinite computations to the generation of unwanted traffic or mistreatment of flows. We recognize the network operators' fears and show that the computational effort of Network Functions (NFs) has a direct impact on network performance and that executions of software-based NFs are subject to significant performance variability. To overcome this anxiety, we propose a new strategy that will enable flexible, fully softwarized data paths by proactively predicting any NF's runtime performance and rigorously exploring its behavior. Unlike traditional performance evaluation, we characterize NF performance for any possible workload automatically, only with code analysis, no testbed required.

Speaker Bios: 

Klaus Wehrle:

Klaus Wehrle is professor of Computer Science and head of the Chair of Communication and Distributed Systems (Informatik 4) at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. In 2002 and 2003, Klaus was postdoctoral researcher at the International Computer Science Institute at University of California at Berkeley. In 2004 he was awarded a DFG Emmy Noether (starting) grant and established a junior research group on Protocol Engineering and Distributed Systems at University of Tübingen. In 2006, he joined RWTH Aachen University as associate professor, since 2010 as full professor. 

Daniel Schemmel:

Daniel Schemmel is the vice head of the Systems Analysis Group and a PHd student at the Chair of Communication and Distributed Systems (Informatik 4) at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. He received his Bachelors (2011) and Masters (2015) degrees from RWTH Aachen University.