Digby Macdonald

Tel: (814) 360-3858 (cell); (510) 237-2375 (Home).

GPAN - The Grid Proxy
Architecture of Networks

GPAN (the Grid Proxy Architecture of Networks) aims to deploy Grid-aware networking technology onto existing commercial network devices. Those network devices—such as switches and routers—are not equipped with Grid-ware or the Grid-enabled software that support computing-intensive and data-intensive Grid services. GPAN exposes the unique proxy architecture through integrating DRAC network services and Grid/OGSA/WSRF Web Services under service coordination and resource policy. The outcome is that Grid applications such as GridFTP and GRAM can effectively make reservations on network resources such as bandwidth on demand, dynamic optical links, Ethernet VLANs and IP routes—just like reservations on computer and storage resources.

GPAN has been successfully demonstrated in SuperComputing and Globus World.

DWDM-RAM

DWDM-RAM is a DARPA-funded research project that aims to support data-intensive Grid computing services through advanced optical networking. The primary goal of this Grid-enabled architecture is to enable efficient support for data-intensive Grid applications, which may require moving—without prior notice—Terabytes or even Petabytes of data among multiple sites. The DWDM-RAM solution is to orchestrate data flows with many different types of characteristics, including those requiring exceptionally high bandwidth for sustained periods of time. These high performance data flows are provided by dedicated optical lightpaths (lambdas or wavelengths), which are dynamically established.

The DWDM-RAM system implementation leverages the state of the art DWDM technology with dynamic wavelength switching, which enables the creation of Grid services that allocate and release these light-paths either on-demand or by advance reservation.

The DWDM-RAM architecture relies on a new network service that provides options for allocating dedicated network resources. This service discovers the network topology, explores the availability of network resources, and optimizes the schedule and availability of the optical network resources. It also presents a standardized, high-level, and network-accessible interface. A natural choice for implementing this interface is the Open Grid Service Interface (OGSI). Such interfaces are compliant with the GGF's OGSA specification, and they conform to widely used Web Services standards (WSDL, SOAP, and XML).

DRAC - The Dynamic Resource
Allocation Controller

Application-aware network technology creates a high degree of coupling between user applications and transport networks in order to improve user experience of networking and optimize equipment investments and operational expenses. This allows an application to obtain a share of network resources under service level agreement and to drive its share of network resources within a policy-based control flexibility. Network resources are on-demand, and can include bandwidth, quality of service (QoS), security, acceleration appliances, sensors, and various communication services.

DRAC (Dynamic Resource Allocation Controller) exposes this kind of application-aware network system for dynamic allocations of network resources in advance and in real-time. DRAC is the middleware between data applications and data transport networks. Typical data applications include large data transfer, data-intensive Grid computing, sensor-triggered disaster data evacuation and restoration, and emergent data processing for healthcare. Data transport networks involve carrier and enterprise networks over L1 (DWDM/OXC, ASTN) optical, L2 (Ethernet switch, RPR and SONET, VLAN, VPLS) and L3 (IP routing and VPN router).

DRAC is released as a Nortel product that has control and allocation capabilities with Nortel and other network products, including optical cross-connect, Ethernet switch and IP routers. DRAC has been applied in major backbone networks such as Internet2 and SURFnet6.

CO2 - Content Over Optics

CO2 (Content Over Optics) is a cutting-edge technology that combines content delivery directly over the optical transport network. Its goals are to provide content-aware networking capability and to transport content leveraging to the bandwidth-abundant fiber channels. CO2’s technological advantages include content processing and redirection, media streaming and data replication at network edge, packet/protocol inspection, secure network transport, network resource allocation, and dynamic setup of optical links.

The CO2 system achieves content-aware network resource control and user management for data dissemination and storage applications.

ORE - Oplet Runtime Environment for
Open Programmable Networking

Bringing programmability to a network makes the data transport network accessible to every network user, from an application developer to an Internet service provider or a business service provider.

ORE (Oplet Runtime Environment) is an open, neutral, and programmable platform by which a user can execute network service development and deployment. ORE provides a software development toolkit for customized network service creation and development and a runtime environment for dynamic network service deployment onto commercial network devices.

ORE is implemented in Java and C/C++, and has its development environments on Linux and Windows. ORE runtime has been deployed on commercial network devices such as Nortel Networks Passport 8600 and Accelar 1000 Routing Switches.

ORE supports dynamic service compositions, and it provides common network service features such as routing, forwarding, filtering, QoS/Diffserv and policing. ORE supports customer network services such as Active Networks and ANTS.

Active Networks On
Commercial Network Devices

Active Networks is a DARPA-funded research effort that aims to explore the next generation of inter-network break-through technologies in terms of a programmable and user-oriented approach. The key technological concepts behind Active Networks are active packets and dynamic network protocol composition. As a result, a user can define a new network protocol with its own data format and processing. An ISP can inject network services onto the network "on the fly".

One key challenge is to enable the support of Active Networks on commercial network devices. Our investigation leads to two improvements on a commercial network device. One is that the device has the network programmability to provide dynamic service APIs, and the other is that the device installs an Active Networks core to dispatch active packets. Finally, an Active Networks-enabled Gigabit Ethernet switch is successfully built up and demonstrated in the DARPA Active Networks Conference and Exhibition (DANCE).

This project is a collaboration effort with other research institutions including Columbia University, University of California, Los Angles, University of California, Berkeley, University of Utah, University of South California and University of Washington at St. Louis.

• Dangerous Liaisons - Software Combinations as Derivative Works?

  Determann L.; Berkeley Technology Law Journal. Volume 21, Issue 4, Fall 2006.

  (Lavian T. contributor to the technical section).
  Article

• Applications Drive Secure Lightpath Creation Across Heterogeneous Domains

  Feature Topic: Optical Control Planes for Grid Networks: Opportunities, Challenges and the Vision.

  Gommans L.; Van Oudenaarde B.; Dijkstra F.; De Laat C.; Lavian T.; Monga I.; Taal A.; Travostino F.; Wan A.; IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 44, no. 3, March 2006, pp. 100-106.
  Link Article Abstract

• Lambda data grid: communications architecture in support of grid computing

  Tal Lavian, Randy H. Katz; Doctoral Thesis, University of California at Berkeley. January 2006.
  Article

• Information Switching Networks

  Hoang D.B.; T. Lavian; The 4th Workshop on the Internet, Telecommunications and Signal Processing, WITSP 2005, December 19-21, 2005, Sunshine Coast, Australia.

• Grid Network Services, Draft-ggf-ghpn-netservices-1.0

  George Clapp, Tiziana Ferrari, Doan B. Hoang, Gigi Karmous-Edwards, Tal Lavian, Mark J. Leese, Paul Mealor, Inder Monga, Volker Sander, Franco Travostino, Global Grid Forum(GGF).
  Article

• Impact of Grid Computing on Network Operators and HW Vendors

  Allcock B.; Arnaud B.; Lavian T.; Papadopoulos P.B.; Hasan M.Z.; Kaplow W.; IEEE Hot Interconnects at Stanford University 2005, pp. 89-90.

• Project DRAC: Creating an applications-aware network

  Travostino F.; Keates R.; Lavian T.; Monga I.; Schofield B.; Nortel Technical Journal, February 2005, pp. 23-26.
  Article

• DWDM-RAM: An Architecture for Data Intensive Service Enabled by Next Generation Dynamic Optical Networks

  Hoang D.B.; Cohen H.; Cutrell D.; Figueira S.; Lavian T.; Mambretti J.; Monga I.; Naiksatam S.; Travostino F.; Proceedings IEEE Globecom 2004, Workshop on High-Performance Global Grid Networks, Houston, 29 Nov.-3 Dec. 2004, pp. 400 - 409.
  Article Abstract

• DWDM-RAM: a data intensive Grid service architecture enabled by dynamic optical networks

  Lavian T.; Mambretti J.; Cutrell D.; Cohen H.J; Merrill S.; Durairaj R.; Daspit P.; Monga I.; Naiksatam S.; Figueira S.M.; Gutierrez D.; Hoang D.B., Travostino F.; CCGRID 2004, pp. 762-764.
  Link Article Abstract

• Implementation of a quality of service feedback control loop on programmable routers

  Nguyen C.; Hoang D.B.; Zhao, I.L.; Lavian, T.; Proceedings, 12th IEEE International Conference on Networks 2004. (ICON 2004) Singapore, Volume 2, 16-19 Nov. 2004, pp. 578 - 582.
  Link Article Abstract

• A Platform for Large-Scale Grid Data Service on Dynamic High-Performance Networks

  Lavian T.; Hoang D.B.; Mambretti J.; Figueira S.; Naiksatam S.; Kaushil N.; Monga I. ; Durairaj R.; Cutrell D.; Merrill S.; Cohen H.; Daspit P.; Travostino F; GridNets 2004, San Jose, CA., October 2004.
  Article

• Optical Network Infrastructure for Grid, Draft-ggf-ghpn-opticalnets-1

  Dimitra Simeonidou, Reza Nejabati, Bill St. Arnaud, Micah Beck, Peter Clarke, Doan B. Hoang, David Hutchison, Gigi Karmous-Edwards, Tal Lavian, Jason Leigh, Joe Mambretti, Volker Sander, John Strand, Franco Travostino, Global Grid Forum(GGF) GHPN Standard GFD-I.036 August 2004.
  Article

• DWDM-RAM: Enabling Grid Services with Dynamic Optical Networks

  Figueira S.; Naiksatam S.; Cohen H.; Cutrell D.; Daspit, P.; Gutierrez D.; Hoang D. B.; Lavian T.; Mambretti J.; Merrill S.; Travostino F; Proceedings, 4th IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Cluster Computing and the Grid, Chicago, USA, April 2004, pp. 707-714.
  Link Article Abstract

• An extensible, programmable, commercial-grade platform for internet service architecture

  Lavian T.; Hoang D.B.; Travostino F.; Wang P.Y.; Subramanian S.; Monga I.; IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics on technologies promoting computational intelligence, openness and programmability in networks and Internet services Volume 34, Issue 1, Feb. 2004, pp. 58 - 68.
  Article Abstract

• DWDM-RAM: An Architecture for Data Intensive Service Enabled by Next Generation Dynamic Optical Networks

  Lavian, T.; Cutrell, D.; Mambretti, J.; Weinberger J.; Gutierrez D.; Naiksatam S.; Figueira S.; Hoang D. B.; Supercomputing Conference, SC2003 Igniting Innovation, Phoenix, November 2003.

• Edge device multi-unicasting for video streaming

  Lavian T.; Wang P.; Durairaj R.; Hoang D.; Travostino F.; Telecommunications, 2003. ICT 2003. 10th International Conference on Telecommunications, Tahiti, Volume 2, 23 Feb.- 1 March 2003, pp. 1441 - 1447.
  Link Article Abstract

• The SAHARA Model for Service Composition Across Multiple Providers (2002)

  Raman B.; Agarwal S.; Chen Y.; Caesar M.; Cui W.; Lai K.; Lavian T.; Machiraju S.; Mao Z. M.; Porter G.; Roscoe T.; Subramanian L.; Suzuki T.; Zhuang S.; Joseph A. D.; Katz Y.H.; Stoica I.; Proceedings of the First International Conference on Pervasive Computing. ACM Pervasive 2002, pp. 1 - 14.
  Article

• Enabling active flow manipulation in silicon-based network forwarding engines

  Lavian T.; Wang P.; Travostino F.; Subramanian S.; Duraraj R.; Hoang D.B.; Sethaput V.; Culler D.; Proceeding of the Active Networks Conference and Exposition, 2002.(DANCE) 29-30 May 2002, pp. 65 - 76.
  Link Article Abstract

• Practical active network services within content-aware gateways

  Subramanian S.; Wang P.; Durairaj R.; Rasimas J.; Travostino F.; Lavian T.; Hoang D.B.; Proceeding of the DARPA Active Networks Conference and Exposition, 2002. 29-30 May 2002, pp. 344 - 354.
  Link Article Abstract

• Active Networking On A Programmable Network Platform

  Wang P.Y.; Lavian T.; Duncan R.; Jaeger R.; Fourth IEEE Conference on Open Architectures and Network Programming (OPENARCH), Anchorage, April 2002.
  Link Article Abstract

• Active networking on a programmable networking platform

  Lavian T.; Wang P.Y.;Proceedings of Open Architectures and Network Programming, 2001 IEEE, pp. 95 - 103.
  Article Abstract

• Intelligent Network Services through Active Flow Manipulation

  Lavian T.; Wang P.; Travostino F.; Subramanian S.; Hoang, D.B.; Sethaput V.; IEEE Intelligent Networks 2001 Workshop (IN2001), Boston, May 2001.
  Article Abstract

• Intelligent network services through active flow manipulation

  Lavian T.; Wang P.; Travostino F.; Subramanian S.; Hoang D.B.; Sethaput V.; Intelligent Network Workshop, 2001 IEEE 6-9 May 2001, pp. 73 - 82.
  Article Abstract

• Enabling Active Flow Manipulation in Silicon-based Network Forwarding Engine

  Lavian, T.; Wang, P.; Travostino, F.; Subramanian S.; Hoang D.B.; Sethaput V.; Culler D.; Journal of Communications and Networks, March 2001, pp. 78-87.
  Article Abstract

• Popeye - Using Fine-grained Network Access Control to Support Mobile Users and Protect Intranet Hosts

  Mike Chen, Barbara Hohlt, Tal Lavian, December 2000.
  Article

• Open Networking - Better Networking through Programmability

  Nortel Seminar, Tal Lavian, August 2000.

• Enabling Active Networks Services on a Gigabit Routing Switch

  Wang P.; Jaeger R.; Duncan R.; Lavian T.; Travostino F.; 2nd Workshop on Active Middleware Services, 2000.
  Article

• Dynamic classification in silicon-based forwarding engine environments

  Jaeger R.; Duncan R.; Travostino F.; Lavian T.; Hollingsworth J.; Selected Papers. 10th IEEE Workshop on Metropolitan Area and Local Networks, 1999. 21-24 Nov. 1999, pp. 103 - 109.
  Article Abstract

• Open Programmable Architecture for Java-enabled Network Devices

  Lavian, T.; Jaeger, R. F.; Hollingsworth, J. K.; IEEE Hot Interconnects Stanford University, August 1999, pp. 265-277.
  Article

• Open Java SNMP MIB API

  Rob Duncan; Tal Lavian; Roy Lee; Jason Zhou; Bay Architecture Lab Technical Report TR98-038, December 1998.

• Java-Based Open Service Interface Architecture

  Lavian T.; Lau S.; BAL TR98-010 Bay Architecture Lab Technical Report, March 1998.

• Parallel SIMD Architecture for Color Image Processing

  Lavian T.; Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, November 1995.

• Patents published by Dr. Tal Lavian