A middleware service for employing and evaluating resource management algorithms in distributed networks

Abstract

The first part of this paper introduces the design of a middleware-based service which is valuable for distributed networks for mainly managing their resources. The second part evaluates the performance of a distributed intelligent network (D-IN), which comprises the proposed service together with a resource management algorithm. We test the network's performance by building and emulating its basic functionality, based on distributed object technology (DOT), in a real environment. The resource management algorithm mainly aims at avoiding congestion and balancing load. Its implementation uses the ICALB algorithm (Comput. Commun. 2002; 25(17):1548–1556) model. Its incorporation is succeeded through the use and implementation of the distributed middleware-based service. It is a CORBA-based service that is used for successfully managing resource management algorithms, such as ICALB, facilitate their operation, and solving classes of problems related to communications over the distributed network, sharing of resources spread over the network, scheduling, synchronization, and management of various tasks. By this means we argue that the method that we use can be employed for operating in various distributed networks. We also evaluate the network's performance by measuring various D-IN node parameters with critical meaning and by showing the improvements that appeared to the D-IN from the operation of both the ICALB algorithm and the proposed service. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.