On the selection of management/monitoring nodes in highly dynamic networks

This paper addresses the problem of provisioning
management/monitoring nodes within highly dynamic network
environments, particularly virtual networks. In a network where
nodes and links may be spontaneously created and destroyed
(perhaps rapidly) there is a need for stable and responsive
management and monitoring which does not create a large load
(in terms of traffic or processing) for the system. A subset of nodes
has to be chosen for management/monitoring, each of which will
manage a subset of the nodes in the network.
A new, simple and locally optimal greedy algorithm called
Pressure is provided for choice of node position to minimise
traffic. This algorithm is combined with a system for predicting
the lifespan of nodes, and a tunable parameter is also given
so that a system operator could express a preference for elected
nodes to be chosen to reduce traffic, to be “stable”, or some com-
promise between these positions. The combined algorithm called
PressureTime is lightweight and could be run in a distributed
manner. The resulting algorithms are tested both in simulation
and in a testbed environment of virtual routers. They perform
well, both at reducing traffic and at choosing long life-span nodes.