Programmable, Extensible and Secure System for Software-Defined Multi-Domain Performance Monitoring

Successful adoption of open frameworks such as perfSONAR in Science DMZs within DOE labs, universities, and small-businesses, and the emerging trends of software-defined cloud platforms that inherently require multi-domain performance transparency are major drivers for a new market. However, perfSONAR framework and other proprietary solutions developed by industry cannot be effectively integrated for multi-domain enterprise monitoring of network and applications due to lack of programmability, extensibility and security limitations. We will develop a system that enables Network Operators and Cloud Providers within enterprises to obtain software-defined multi-domain performance measurements for meeting monitoring objectives, enforcing measurement policies, and diagnosing bottlenecks. We have built a prototype software product that is service-oriented, modular, and can be deployed at customer sites in the form of low-cost, small form-factor measurement point appliances and a central intelligence system for analysis and visualization. The product integrates DOE-funded R & amp;D efforts such as OnTimeSample and OnTimeDetect tools developed originally to overcome existing programmability and extensibility limitations in perfSONAR. The product use principles of web services, real-time scheduling, policy inference engines, estimation theory, signal processing, federated identity authentication/authorization, and intelligent dashboards. We brought together a strong team of technical and business experts and developed a commercialization plan based on the beachhead model, which allows strategic targeting of pain-points of market groups. We conducted several successful early customer trials and already started revenue generation for our product, and setup a ready-to-go Beta Program to kick-start wider trials in Phase II that we expect will help refine the product and generate sales. This Phase II project will develop a sale-ready system that can overcome the programmability, extensibility and security pain-points by providing the capabilities to: (i) add newer performance tools to collect data from unique devices or services, (ii) deterministically control sampling patterns of measurement points in a distributed manner, (iii) implement policy-awareness for enterprise federations with measurement-level agreements, and (iv) effectively analyze and visualize uncorrelated and correlated performance problems that can be diagnosed in real-time or offline. We will build upon the success of Phase I with early customers and will have a product offering for our first beachhead of Federal labs/Universities deploying Science DMZs. We will hire a Product Manager, and the entire team will pursue Beta Programs and Contracts to target other beachheads of Enterprise Network Operators, Cloud Providers and Small-business IT groups. Commercial Applications and Benefits: Software-defined multi-domain measurement and monitoring is important for communities of Network Operators, Cloud Providers and Small- business IT groups that use advanced science, engineering and cloud computing applications. Our product will be vital for intelligent performance monitoring dashboards, end-to-end performance bottleneck troubleshooting, as well as for adaptive resource provisioning and will ultimately enable measurement federations to satisfy monitoring objectives amongst multiple enterprises that are increasing using distributed and complex applications. Our product can save cost, time and effort for customers, and will foster delivery of satisfactory end-user experience.