Active Networks Group James P.G. Sterbenz, BBN
INTERNET-DRAFT Alden W. Jackson, BBN
Category: Experimental Matthew N. Condell, BBN
1 April 2000
HyperActive Networking
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Status of this Memo
This memo defines an Experimental Architecture for the Internet
community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any
kind. Discussion and suggestions for improvement are requested.
Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
The cost of processors continues to decrease dramatically, and has
resulted in the paradigm shift called Active Networking. The
continued decrease in processor cost and ubiquity of smart-everything
leads us to propose the next revolution in network technology:
HyperActive Networking.
This document motivates the technology, proposes a reference
architecture, and presents the results of preliminary research
spanning the last several hours, consisting of packet formats,
performance metrics, security considerations, and potential
applications.
1.0 Introduction
The cost of processors continues to decrease dramatically. This
observation led to the proposition that new network services could be
enabled by adding significant processing capabilities to network
nodes, and by allowing packets (sometimes called capsules) to contain
code to be executed at these nodes [TW96]. Thus, the discipline of
active networking was born [CBZS98].
We can now declare that Active Networking is a dramatic success and
proven technology, as shown by the quantity of funded research,
papers published, and lack of industry interest. The continuing
trends in the cost of processing power let us again rethink the
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application of computing resource to the network infrastructure. In
particular, we can apply processing power to the communications wires
themselves, creating smart wires, and propose a field of research:
HyperActive Networks (HypeAN).
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL", not
used in this document, are to be interpreted as described in
[RFC-2119].
2.0 Architecture
A great deal of effort has gone into the construction of the current
Active Network reference model [Cal98]. Therefore, we will reuse it
to the degree possible, given the time constraints of this
architectural effort [1]. Thus, we have WiPEs (wire processing
elements) in the wire (copper or fiber), a WireOS, WHEEs (Wire
Hyperactive Execution Environments), and WAAHs (Wire Active
Applications Hyperactive).
There are some key differences from the active node that need to be
considered in designing an active wire reference model, shown in
Figure 1.
Wire
-------------------------------------------------------
( +------+ +------+ +------+ +------+ )
( | WiPE | | WiPE | | WiPE | | WiPE | )
( +-----------------------------------------------+ )
( / *---------- WAAH ----------* / )
( +- WHEEs ---------------------------------------+ )
( / *---- WAAH ----* / )
( +-----------------------------------------------+ )
( - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - )
( WireOS )
( - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - )
( +------+ +------+ +------+ +------+ )
-------------------------------------------------------
Figure 1. HypeAN Reference Model
WiPEs: In spite of the fact that processing elements continue to
greatly decrease in cost, we still expect that the processors
embedded in smart wires will be relatively less powerful than
those in active nodes. Nonetheless, processing elements will
support fully parallel and pipelined operation of the 1 bit
payload of each WHEEP packet (discussed in the next section).
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Furthermore, the WiPEs need to support line rate filtering of WHEEP
packets, including the ability to filter on arbitrary, complex filter
specifications of the payload. Packet filters need to be able to
snarf, copy, or turn WHEEP packets around to the opposite direction
of the wire [2].
WireOS: Since the WiPEs are relatively less powerful than
conventional (hypo-) active node processors, the WireOS will be
linearly distributed along the entire length of the wire. This is
necessary to support a fully functional, multi-threaded, multi-
tasking, virtual-memory, window-GUI, multimedia operating system
[3].
WHEE: WHEEs can similarly be distributed along the length of the
wire. P-WHEEs (permanent WHEEs as assigned by the grand exalted
highness of the HYIANA) [RB00] will be distributed over the
entire length of the wire, as in the case of the WireOS. Other
WHEEs can be instantiated and terminated as necessary, and thus
flow along the wire with the WAAHs which they execute.
WAAH: WAAHs similarly are created and terminated as necessary,
and thus flow along the wire in WAAH-windows along with the code
they execute.
The mobility of WHEEs and WAAHs is a key difference from conventional
(hypo-)active networks; this feature has implications to potential
PhD students that are staggering, indeed.
3.0 Packet Formats
The goal is to provide an efficient mechanism whereby WAAHs and WHEEs
can perform computation on the payload while traversing the
communication medium. The described solution includes defining an
encapsulation protocol to carry the single bit/packet payload.
WHEEP (Wire HyperActive EE Protocol) payloads are one-bit each, to
allow maximum flexibility in the processing by WiPEs, and to
eliminate arguments over the optimal payload sizes. Bandwidth has
become so cheap, that header overhead of 289:1 is not significant.
Active nodes will fragment/reassemble conventional ANEP datagrams to
WHEEP packets.
The WHEEP packet payload consists of a ha-bit, ra-bit, or qu-
bit. The bit is encapsulated in the WHEEP, an ANEP frame (for
compatibility with the existing Active Network architecture), a
transport protocol frame and any appropriate lower layer framing.
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+-----+----+-----------+------+-------+---------+
| MAC | IP | UDP / TCP | ANEP | WHEEP | Payload |
+-----+----+-----------+------+-------+---------+
+-------+-----+----+-----------+------+-------+---------+
| SONET | ATM | IP | UDP / TCP | ANEP | WHEEP | Payload |
+-------+-----+----+-----------+------+-------+---------+
+-------+-----+----+----+-----------+------+-------+---------+
| SONET | ATM | FR | IP | UDP / TCP | ANEP | WHEEP | Payload |
+-------+-----+----+----+-----------+------+-------+---------+
The ANEP Type ID for WHEEP is 1010111110101101 (0xafad).
The format of the WHEEP header is:
0 1 2 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Version | Type ID | Context ID |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |
| |
| |
| Serial Number |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
|P|
+-+
Version: A 1 octet code in Intel(TM) byte order indicating the
WHEEP version number.
Type ID: A 1 octet code in Intel(TM) byte order indicating the
type of bit in the payload with the following values:
0 ha-bit
1 ra-bit
2 qu-bit
3-255 Reserved to HYIANA for future use.
Context ID: A 2 octet unique number, in Intel(TM) byte order, on
the bit originator to identify the application that generated this
bit. Multiple bit generating applications could be running on the
same source, unless it has an operating system from Redmond, WA.
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Serial Number: A 64 octet unique sequence number, in Intel(TM)
byte order, assigned by the source to identify this bit. This
field is able to enumerate the proposed number of hydrogen atoms
in the universe, give or take a galaxy or two, or the IPv6 address
space with room to spare [4].
P: Payload, 1 bit, in Intel(TM) byte order.
4.0 Performance Metrics
While all the usual conventional and active networking performance
measures apply to the HypeAN environment, there are two new key
metrics that need to be considered in performance studies:
P/m: This is the number of processing elements per linear meter
of wire, and indicates the density of processing capability.
BW-x-d-x-P: This is the bandwidth-x-delay-x-processor product, and
refers to the product of the conventional bandwidth-x-delay
product (in bits) and the total processing capability of the link
(in floating point operations per second). Thus the standard
dimension of this unit is yotta-bitflops [5].
5.0 Security Considerations
Security exposures are no worse than the product of general network
security, active networks security, and (in the case of wireless
HypeAN) mobile and wireless security issues.
Securing the WHEEP payload will require single-bit cryptography to
authenticate the sender of the ha-bit. A WAAH can use one-bit
encryption (OBE) to hide its ha-bit from others.
Several hashing and encryption mechanisms have been developed to
provide single-bit security.
5.1 Hash Techniques
Zeroing (HaZe): Hash the ha-bit x using the function f(x)->0.
Rumors claim that a collision has been found in HaZe, however
the discoverers still seem to be lost.
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5.1 Hash Techniques
Bit-flip: XOR the ha-bit with one (1). Very secure when an
attacker does not know the algorithm that is being used.
Bit-leave: The bit-leave technique (BLT) is the equivalent of two
rounds of the Bit-flip algorithm.
One-time pad: A random bit (ra-bit) is handed off (hop'ed) prior to
sending a WHEEP packet. The ra-bit that hop'ed is XORed with
the ha-bit to encrypt it. This is equivalent to performing a
random number of rounds of the bit-flip algorithm.
In the near future, quantum computing will provide better techniques
for single-bit cryptography. The ha-bit will be encrypted as a
single qu-bit. A preliminary implementation of the ha-qu
transformation has been completed. The one-bit encrypting WAAH that
does qu-bit network one-bit encryption (OBE WAAH QNOBE) will be
designed once the ha-qu transformation has been perfected.
6.0 Potential Applications
One of the most promising applications of HypeAN results in a
dramatic reduction in network latency. By overlapping protocol
processing with the transit of bits through the wire, the latency of
processing at a node (router or switch) can be dramatically reduced.
In fact, this eliminates one of the major concerns of active
networking, which is the additional latency at node to do active
processing [6].
A number of useful network services can be envisioned, including
congestion control and traffic shaping in the *middle* of a link, or
multicast by replication on additional wavelengths in a fiber. The
provision of QoS and reliable multicast are problems that are clearly
solved by HypeAN.
Previous researchers have considered how to exploit the storage
characteristics in high bandwidth-x-delay product links. The
expectation of the Interplanetary Internet provides us with the
significant challenge of extremely high bandwidth-x-delay products.
For example, a Web browser on Mars faces irritating delays for Earth-
based content which is not locally cached. HypeAN allows content to
be arbitrarily cached in the wireless link, with WiPE packet filters
dynamically creating storage loops of content along the communication
channel, moving the loop boundary based on application demand. Note
that wireless HypeAN requires smart aether, which is beyond the scope
of this document.
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Security is a particular concern in mobile wireless networks, and it
is important for these networks to be highly adaptive in routing and
policy. HypeAN provides new opportunities in this area, for example
for the channel itself to detect eavesdropping, encrypt the packet
payloads, and then decrypt once the channel has left the malicious
area.
Numerous other military and commercial applications certainly exist,
which provide payoff to funding agencies far in excess of the
establishment of a large HypeAN research program.
7.0 HYIANA Considerations
The assignment of the P-WHEE status to a WHEE is performed by the
HYIANA (or HYBOCC).
The WHEEP header Version and Type ID are assigned by the HYIANA.
New values are to be assigned with the consensus of the DARPA Active
Networking Community or by the fiat of the program manager [WDM00].
8.0 Notice on Intellectual Property
Intellictual Property concerns are not addressed in this document.
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9.0 References
[Cal98] K. Calvert, ed., "Architectural Framework for Active
Networks", AN draft, AN Architecture Working Group, 1998.
[CBZS98] K. Calvert, S. Bhattacharjee, E. Zegura, and J.
Sterbenz., "Directions in active networks", IEEE
Communications Magazine, 36(10), October 1998.
[RB00] Robert Braden.
[RFC-2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFC's to Indicate
Requirement Levels", Internet Request For Comments No.
2119, March 1977.
[RFC-2434] T. Narten and H. Alvestrand, "Guidelines for Writing an
IANA Considerations Section in RFCs", Internet Request For
Comments No. 2434, October 1998.
[RFC-2460] S. Deering and R. Hinden, "Internet Protocol, Version 6
(IPv6) Specification," Internet Request for Comments No.
2460, December 1998.
[TW96] D. L. Tennenhouse and D. J. Wetherall, "Towards an Active
Network Architecture", ACM Computer Communication Review,
April 1996.
[WDM00] W. Douglas Maughan.
10.0 Notes
[1] We realized Friday afternoon 31 March that the deadline for
this document was the next day.
[2] Bidirectional fiber strands are beyond the scope of this
document.
[3] The potential requirement of a Win-32 API is beyond the scope
of our comprehension.
[4] Actually, the proper calculation, which we didn't have time to
do, is to calculate the number of payload bits transmittable
over a link for the remaining life of the universe.
[5] Not to be confused with 'lotta-bitflips' which is the result
of some of the payload encryption schemes described in Section
5.
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[6] The other major objection being "its different than we do it
now in the Internet".
11.0 Authors' Addresses
Matthew Condell Phone: +1 617 873 6203
BBN Technologies Email: mcondell@bbn.com
10 Moulton Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
USA
Alden Jackson Phone: +1 617 873 2126
BBN Technologies Email: awjacks@bbn.com
10 Moulton Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
USA
James Sterbenz Phone: +1 508 944 3067
BBN Technologies Email: jpgs@sterbenz.org
10 Moulton Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
USA
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