Intrinsic Monitoring for IPv6

This week in EFIPSANS...
One of things we are researching as part of the EFIPSANS project is the use of intrinsic monitoring where performance metrics could be gathered from each router along a data path as IP packets (IPv6 in our case) traverse the network between two endpoints. Normally, you would expect performance metrics to be collected in a centralised manner by a management system at periodic intervals, so gathering metrics along a path offers an alternative way of finding out specific metrics about a specific flow.

So who would benefit from this and why would they need it? Well we're still trying to establish this. One proposal involves carrying out specific diagnostics for a data flow to identify any bottlenecks along the path of the flow. However, the challenge here is to ensure the collection of the data along the path has the same "experience" as the end-user data that you are trying to troubleshoot and what we have discovered so far is that this may not be that easy to accomplish.

How can this be achieved? Currently we are looking at two potential possibilities. The first is using the IPv6 extension header mechanism with the hop-by-hop option as defined in RFC2460. The second is using the Router Alert mechansim which is defined in RFC2711. I'll elaborate further on these at a future date.

I attended two Light Reading webinars this week also.

Webinar: Converged Backbone Transformation (Alcatel-Lucent)
Based on the Alcatel-Lucent Gigabit Ethernet products with the aim of convergence of access networks, metro and aggregation, edge, backbone and management. It describes flexible grooming mechanisms for convergence of IP to optical layers providing cross-layer control and automation between IP and Optical layers, optimising resource utilisation and converged Management sytems for both IP and optical element management.

Webinar Communications as a Service: What SMBs Really Want (HP)
HP has a CaaS offering for Service Providers that can offer services-on-demand for the SMB (or SMEs as referred to in Europe) customers (e.g. Self-service IVR, Video Surveillance, IP contact Centre, Unified Communications,...). HP predict that this market will be a $12.2B market at 28% CAGR in 2014 with the greatest opportunities for SMB with 100+ employees. The Aggregation Platform for SaaS provided by HP offers the Service Provider a one stop shop for the SMB.

In the news this week...
Ericsson, the leader in the telecom services market which has more than 40,000 staff globally engaged in managed services, systems integration, and consulting roles, generating revenues of $2.7 billion from services in the third quarter of 2009 has named Magnus Mandersson, who was previously head of the vendor's CDMA business, as the new head of Global Services. In 2008, Ericsson generated services revenues of 70.5 billion Swedish Kronor - SEK49 billion from Professional Services and SEK21.5 billion (reported as part of the networks division) - up from SEK61.4 billion in 2007. (See New Names Join Ericsson's Top Team and Ericsson's Services Head Eyes More Growth). The Managed Service business has seen enormous growth over the last few years and is something that is very much related to my area of research.

Amdocs have a new version of its customer experience system, CES 8.0, which enables operators to utilise their network, IT and data assets when pursueing new partnerships with content providers and application developers and designed to support 3 business models: end-to-end customer experience model, vertical model and the partner enabler model. (See Amdocs Adds Telco 2.0 Smarts to Its CES).