Wang P.Y.; Lavian T.; Duncan R.; Jaeger R.; Fourth IEEE Conference on Open Architectures and Network Programming (OPENARCH), Anchorage, April 2002.
Current active network research projects are mainly realized in software-based host systems since commercial network devices lack the required networking programmability. This paper studies the active networking approach using the Openet programmable networking platform. Openet comprises ORE (Oplet Runtime Environment) and hierarchical services from low-level systems to high-level applications and provides neutral service-based programmability to network devices. Moreover, Openet can have customer network services, including active network based services deployed on current commercial network platforms. We demonstrate active networking with commercial network devices by deploying the active network service ANTS onto the Accelar routing switches. The performance of active network communication is examined by the experiment in an Accelar-routed active net and compared with regular non-active network communication. The experimental result reveals that Java network I/O is a bottleneck in enhancing capsule processing capability and ends up a look at what active network services are applicable to current commercial network platforms. Finally, we present observations and future works on active networking through the Openet platform.