New applications such as autonomous cars, robot surgery, and the next generation automation and manufacturing technologies demand ever more flexibility and capacity in computer networks. Jonathan Vestin, who recently completed a Degree of Doctor in Computer Science, has investigated how programmable networking can be used to supply the flexibility that is required.
“The areas of Internet use are increasing all the time, and new applications such as for instance autonomous cars and robot surgery place new demands on the reliability and speed of networks,” says Jonathan Vestin. “At the same time, there are attempts to organise the Internet in such a way that different types of traffic can co-exist. This requires flexibility and an ability to prioritise critical traffic over ordinary traffic.”
Programmable networks can micro-manage traffic
Programmable networking is a new technology that opens up the possibility to change the behaviour of network equipment by means of software. This software can be used to micro-manage how traffic is prioritised, based on the specifications of each application.
“My research has focused on ways in which programmable networking can be used to increase flexibility, both for networks in the automation industry and for the 5G network. The aim was to find out how flexibility could be increased, and if this could be done without affecting the performance of the network. Our results strongly indicate that it is possible.”
“The main challenge has been that programmable networking is a new technology in constant development. This means that we have to keep updated all the time as regards new techniques and equipment, in order to reach the best possible results.”
Jonathan Vestin publicly defended his doctoral thesis on 4 February. You can access the doctoral dissertation SDN-Enabled Resiliency, Monitoring and Control in Computer Networks here.
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Jonathan Vestin publicly defended his doctoral thesis on 4 February. You can access the doctoral dissertation SDN-Enabled Resiliency, Monitoring and Control in Computer Networks here.
