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Active Programmable Networks
Muhammad Farooq (820307-T413) and Farooq Sultan (811007-3395)
Abstract—The current network technology is based on IP and
may not be able to support the future application of internet
which requires integration of services over a single
communication line. The traditional IP network hides the
network from the end users. Active programmable network is a
new technology in the field of networking which gives
opportunity to users to add programmability in to the network
infrastructure according to their own specifications.
Index Terms—APN (Active Programmable Network),
VM (Virtual machine), EE (Execution Environment),
API (Active programmable interface), QoS (Quality of service),
ISP (Internet Service Provider), CDP (Code distribution
protocol) etc
I. INTRODUCTION
T he APN network infrastructure enhances the capability of
the internet to meet the current challenges and issues of
traditional IP based network infrastructure. The current
infrastructure is a black box which hides the network from the
hosts’ at large level. In traditional network switches and router
functionality are built into the preinstalled software’s provided
by the vendors. Therefore development as well as deployment
of new protocols is a very long process and hard to establish.
The traditional network does not support all future
applications.
The concept of APN gives the opportunity to end user to
utilize the network according to their own requirements. It
allows the user to inject customized programs into to the
nodes of the network. Secondly it contains active nodes which
are capable of processing these programs. Active nodes
perform computations on the data injected by the users. So
APN is a two way process which include the execution of
programs by the network elements and the injection of
programs to the network by the users. APN enable the users to
add particular application service or other values added
services.
The current network infrastructure is a packet switched
network which is passive in nature and forward packet from
source to destination based on information in the packet
header. The network nodes only provide the connectivity and
ensure packet delivery from source to destination by following
the predefined rules. APN ensures data delivery based on
smart packets which makes the network to act dynamically.
II. MOTIVATION
APN has become an attractive approach towards networking
due the following abilities.
The ability to develop new networking software- As APN
decouples the software from the hardware which provides the
opportunity and encourages to software developers to develop
new software.
Rapid evolution of networking software- In APN any new
software which can improve the performance of the network
can be adopted very quickly because APN give the right to the
Internet Service Providers (ISP) to make changes to the
router’s software.
Specialization of protocols- The traditional routers are coming
with software for general use of large customers. In APN the
programmable router can be programmed according to their
own networking conditions.
Rapid deployment of new networking services-In APN
additional services can be added to the router software which
can improve the performance. For example dynamic
linking/loading removes the need to reboot router and Code
Distribution Protocol (CDP) which distribute the new
service’s code to programmable router can save a valuable
time.
Better response to market demand- As the speed of internet is
improving day by day through broadband technology which
will decrease the cost of bandwidth. The customer’s selection
of ISP will be based on value-added services which can be
achieved by APN.
Creating new markets- APN gives the opportunity where the
ISP can introduce new services of their own for their
customers to generate more revenue.
III. APN ARCHITECTURE DESIGN
The most common APN architecture includes the following
components.
Kernel OS- It works as an interface to the hardware and
provides resource management and control. It also defines
security mechanism, Real time operations and kernel threads.
Virtual machine- It provides some sort of security and
performs dynamic linking and loading of different software
components. VM include Execution Environment where
active packets are decoupled and executed. The EE dictates
the router to take the required action as specified in the
injected program by the end user.
Service Module- The service module provides different
services as required per active packet. The service module can
be invoked by the Execution Environment.

Fig.1. General APN Architecture Design
IV. ACTIVE PROGRAMMEABLE APPROCHES
There are different types of active network approaches.
Capsules- This is an integrated approach which contains data
and programs all together in one capsule. In this approach user
data can be embedded within the programs.
Switch Ware- In this approach the injection of program is
separated from the processing of messages. Before the data is
sent through the node the method is downloaded and executed.
The router then performs authentication and computation.
Net script- In this approach a virtual network is created which
view the network as a single network rather than a
combination of routers and switches.
Smart packets- Smart packets are capable to carry programs
which are executable at each node as it passes through the
network.
Control on demand- This approach support control policies for
the connection and applications.
V. CHARACTRISTICS OF APN
Programmable network API- APN provides programmable
API which makes the user capable of writing their own
programs according to their own requirements.
Application performance enhancement- APN improves the
performance of application by reducing the demand for
bandwidth and reduced network congestion.
Rapid response to the network events- The APN has the
ability to quickly respond to the network events by collocating
control algorithms with network elements.
VI. QOS REQUIREMENTS IN APN
Soft QoS requirements- Routers that support APN must be
able to define different classes of service for active
computations. It also requires the mechanism that enables
active programs to specify their class of services, queuing
mechanism and resource scheduler that support the required
classes of service.
Hard QoS requirements- Hard QoS deals with resource
reservation and resource policing mechanism which is very
important in active network. Resource reservation mechanism
must be defined which will enable the active program to
reserve the required resource and a policing mechanism which
will prevent the active program from holding more than the
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required resource. It will also require a distribution and
scheduling mechanism which will enforce the appropriate
sharing of resources among different programs.
Latency- Latency is one of the issues with APN. In APN
technology packets contains injected codes which needs to be
downloaded, processed and executed by the active nodes. This
process produces unwanted latency in the current
infrastructure of APN. Research is already underway in this
regard to reduce the time of latency. The approach of Active
messages is one of the mechanisms in this regard which can
reduce the time of latency.
Platform independency- One of the main purposes of APN
infrastructure is its platform independency which can be
achieved by the use of platform independent language like
java etc. This role is still limited and is under process because
a standard language which can be applicable by all APN
architecture has yet not been defined.
Security- As packets in APN technology carries injected
programs which can be executed by the active node of the
network and has the ability to change the behavior of the
network can increase the security issues. The security issues
can be minimized by authentication of active packets,
monitoring and control, limitation techniques and proof
carrying code (FCC).
Complexity- Although APN provides flexibility and
extensibility but the overall network infrastructure becomes
more complex in terms of schedule processes, algorithms and
latency.
VII. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
Programming language that can be suitable for APN must
have some characteristics like fast execution speed, fast
verification, high degree of programmability, secure, mobile,
and portability. Most of the APN architectures use java
programming language while some have designed their own
languages like Smart Packets and Switch Ware.
There are various programming languages which can be used
for APN. Some of them are generic while others are specially
designed for APN. Java and CAML can be used for general
purpose applications. Java and CAML provide re-usability of
code, better support and flexibility. PLAN is used for Active
Packets and Sprocket is designed for network management.
VIII. APPLICATIONS OF APN
APN support reliable multicasting. It uses RMANP which
performs ACK fusing and NACK suppression from
downstream routers. APN has the ability to support mobile
agents. APN enhances feedback congestion control
mechanism. APN support the ACC (Active congestion
control) which include program in data packet that inform the
router how to deal congestion. APN provide better network
management mechanism.
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IX. CONCLUSION
APN is a service based infrastructure and demand of end user
is increasing day by day. The current infrastructure is missing
the support for high multimedia bandwidth applications. APN
can play a very vital role in service oriented multimedia
applications in future. Faster service deployment and
scalability can be achieved through APN.

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