Service management in multiparty active networks

Active networking is an expanding field of research. It includes the ability to easily install and modify customized network services and to process packets within the network in a customized way. This article addresses the question of how the benefits of active networking can be exploited in an environment where a large number of customers must share a common network infrastructure. We introduce a management framework for active networks that allows customers to deploy and manage their own active services in a provider domain. The key concept in our framework is the virtual active network. From the customer perspective, the VAN represents an environment in which the customer can install, run, and manage active services without interaction with the VAN provider. From the VAN provider perspective, the VAN represents the object of resource partitioning and customer isolation. Active networking combined with the VAN concept allows for new business models in the telecom industry.