COMAN: A Multiple-Language Active Network Architecture Enabled via Middleware

In conventional data communication networks, the basic network components are passive, where routing decisions are made solely on the basis of packet header information. In contrast, active networks allow added computation within the network through user-defined routing and processing instructions, providing the on-demand installation of powerful software-based network services. As an adaptation of previous active networks, this paper introduces an architecture based entirely in middleware. By utilizing middleware services, the architecture resolves authentication, memory-management, and interconnectivity issues otherwise assumed as inherent, and enables a highly functional multiple-language interface for the deployment of dynamic protocols. After describing the architectural design, an empirical system evaluation is presented with comparisons to both conventional network protocols, and a wellknown existing active network architecture. Results indicate performance improvements over the existing architecture, and demonstrate the feasibility of a multiple-language active network infrastructure implemented entirely in middleware. Keywords—Active Networks, Distributed COM, Dynamic Protocols, IP Routing, Middleware