An Adaptable Network Control and Reporting System (ANCORS)

We present ANCORS, an Adaptable Network Control and Reporting System that merges technology from network management and distributed simulation to provide a unified paradigm for assessing, controlling, and designing active networks. ANCORS introduces a framework to assist in managing the substantial complexities of software reuse and scalability in active network environments. Specifically, ANCORS provides an extensible approach to the dynamic integration, management, and runtime assessment of various network protocols in live network operations. We present some of the advantages that can be obtained by merging technology from network management, distributed simulation, and active networking, and describe how ANCORS leverages complementary elements of each. We also introduce an ANCORS facility called the active network daemon Anetd, which supports the deployment and system management of a large class of legacy software and newer active network applications under the ANCORS framework. Lastly, we present a prototype network engineering service that was developed to demonstrate ANCORS's capabilities.