a measurement-friendly network (mfn) architecture
Using active Techniques to measure networks, that is by injecting probe packets, has proved to be quite challenging for properties beyond simple end-to-end delay and loss. Some of the greatest difficulties have resulted from our inability to design techniques robust to multi-hop queueing effects. This difficulty is only compounded by the need to keep measurements non-intrusive, that is to minimally affect ongoing data flows. In this paper, we show that novel network primitives based on hop-dependent priority queueing are very effective in addressing these challenges. By enabling these primitives, network operators can perform a variety of active measurements accurately. Such measurement-friendliness results from many factors including ease of applying fundamentally single-hop methods, better measurement capabilities, and easier clock synchronization. Other advantages of our architecture include ease of deployment, simplicity, low overhead and generality, i.e., no constraints on scheduling policies for data packets. We also discuss the challenges faced, for example, in coping with small but unavoidable inaccuracies and with exposing the primitives to end-users.
measurement-friendly network mfn probing priority queueing active measurement