On the need for a Control Mechanism in Generic Paths

Abstract

This paper tackles the need for a Resource Management Database under the scope of the Generic Path (GP) architecture, as a result of the 4WARD 7th FP project clean-slate approach. GP is a concept for generalizing data transport and/or transformation across a network facility, allowing for instance route identification and path classification. Though, the GP notion by itself misses a way to efficiently track availability of resources and for coordinating and combining the information of multiple GPs in a versatile way. The present work proposes filling such gap by adding these and other enhancements through the use of a hierarchical management solution, based on the intelligent organization and interaction of records. This approach is aimed to act as an adaptable and configurable resource management model, with concepts realizable in current networks by systematic deployment in network elements - therefore towards the notion of a flat architecture.