An Architecture for Publishing and Distributing Service Components in Active Networks

Application level active networks provide a way of transforming the current network infrastructure into one where new services and protocols are more easily adopted without the need for standardization. In this paper we deal with an application layer active networking system, and address the problem of publishing and distributing software components, provided by trusted service providers, throughout the active network. We propose a distribution architecture that is based on forming a network of dedicated servers providing Content Distribution Network (CDN) functionality; this leads to smaller response times to client requests and decreased network traffic. Experimental results from a test network configuration illustrate the benefits obtained from exploiting CDN capabilities, and support the viability of our approach.