ICT SHOK: Future Internet

PROFI project proposal (2008)
(Proactive Future Internet: Smart Semantic Middleware Overlay Architecture for Declarative Networking)

Existing initiatives towards Future Internet, e.g. GENI, DARPA’s Active Networks, argue the need for programmability of the network components. Some other initiatives extend this with argumentation for declarative networking, where the behavior of a network component is specified using some high-level declarative language, with a software-based engine implementing the behavior based on that specification. PROFI subscribes to these visions. Further on, we see at least the following two problems: interoperability of the network elements programmed by different organizations, and the need for flexible cooperation (including coordination, conflict resolution and even negotiation) among network elements. To tackle these problems, PROFI intends utilization of semantic languages (based on semantic technologies such as RDF) for declarative specification of network elements’ behaviour, and application of software agents as engines executing those specifications.

The major project objective is to provide the basis for such future Internet overlay architecture that will integrate autonomous (self-managed) proactive programmable Internet components. To achieve that, a specialized agent-driven middleware platform PROFI will be designed. It is envisioned that each future Internet programmable component (e.g., host, router, edge cluster, edge node, etc.) will be assigned a representative agent within PROFI. The resulting multi-agent system will be the core of the targeted future Internet overlay architecture for enabling flexibility, adaptability, self-configurability and self-management of the future Internet infrastructure. Utilization of semantic technologies in PROFI will ensure efficient and autonomous coordination among PROFI agents and will thus bring another dimension to interoperability of future Internet components and entities.

Also, Future Internet Upper Ontology will be designed as an important asset contributing to interoperability realization within future Internet platform and in stringent conformance with the major principles laid out in ICT-SHOK Future Internet Strategic Research Agenda (FI-SRA). FI Upper Ontology will be used not only for the benefit of PROFI middleware architecture, but also and most importantly for facilitation of interoperability and integration of existing and brand-new future components, solutions and methodologies which will be developed by various research groups working within FI-SRA. This implies that FI-SRA Ontology will be also used to cope with problems other than specific PROFI issues, such as naming and addressing, interoperability and integration, security, privacy and trust on the scale of the entire future Internet architecture. The core ontology-driven PROFI platform as well as a few demonstration cases of its utilization in various application scenarios will be developed during the project period. The PROFI will enable various information and networking components to automatically discover each other and to configure a complex system functionally composed of the individual components’ functionalities.