Abdelnasser M. Abdelaal and Hesham H. Ali Department of Computer Science College of Information Science and Technology University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE 68182 {aabdelaal | hali}@mail.unomaha.edu An Efficient Accounting Architecture for QoS-aware Internet Traffic

Abdelnasser M. Abdelaal and Hesham H. Ali Department of Computer Science College of Information Science and Technology University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE 68182 {aabdelaal | hali}@mail.unomaha.edu

Outline Introduction Why Internet accounting? Challenges of Internet accounting Previous work The proposed Internet accounting architecture E-Business applications Conclusion and future directions

Introduction

Why Internet accounting?

Challenges of Internet accounting

Previous work

The proposed Internet accounting architecture

E-Business applications

Conclusion and future directions

Introduction What is Internet accounting ? An architecture to meter and report users’ usages for network resources.

What is Internet accounting ?

An architecture to meter and report users’ usages for network resources.

Why Internet accounting ? A tool to influence user behavior Illustrates the user/provider relation Allows for service differentiation Allows for efficient resource allocation ISPs want accounting for charging, revenue sharing, and management

A tool to influence user behavior

Illustrates the user/provider relation

Allows for service differentiation

Allows for efficient resource allocation

ISPs want accounting for charging, revenue sharing, and management

Why Internet Accounting? Cont. Required for billing, revenue sharing, and resource management among ISPs

Required for billing, revenue sharing, and resource management among ISPs

Why Internet accounting ?, Cont. Reasons for QoS-aware Internet Accounting : Increasing pervasive computing The emergence of content-based applications Increasing VoIP and real-time applications Diversity of QoS requirements The features of the foreseen 4G networks

Reasons for QoS-aware Internet Accounting :

Increasing pervasive computing

The emergence of content-based applications

Increasing VoIP and real-time applications

Diversity of QoS requirements

The features of the foreseen 4G networks

Challenges of Internet Accounting Can you make a difference between local, national and international traffic? Can you distinguish inter and intra traffic? Can you do accounting when (e.g. ) Retransmission is involved ? What is the influence of future developments ?

Can you make a difference between local, national and international traffic?

Can you distinguish inter and intra traffic?

Can you do accounting when (e.g. ) Retransmission is involved ?

What is the influence of future developments ?

Challenges of Internet Accounting, Cont. Who are involved in the accounting process ? How will it be ‘organized’? What accounting information needs to be exchanged among ISPs/operators ? At what level is accounting possible/needed (users or aggregates)? IP addresses do not indicate the identity and the location of the user

Who are involved in the accounting process ?

How will it be ‘organized’?

What accounting information needs to be exchanged among ISPs/operators ?

At what level is accounting possible/needed (users or aggregates)?

IP addresses do not indicate the identity and the location of the user

Previous work The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has few Internet accounting working groups The Real-Time Traffic Flow Measurement (RTFM) accounting architecture. The Cisco Netflow accounting server: Collects the IP addresses, flow duration, number of packets and bytes for each flow, used protocol, class of service, etc Does not support real-time routing Its accounting process is based on randomized samples of the system traffic. Packet based Per-hop behavior (PHB) Not end-to-end tracing. Developing eBusiness applications such as QoS-aware billing based on a PHB or randomized samples is not reliable.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has few Internet accounting working groups

The Real-Time Traffic Flow Measurement (RTFM) accounting architecture.

The Cisco Netflow accounting server:

Collects the IP addresses, flow duration, number of packets and bytes for each flow, used protocol, class of service, etc

Does not support real-time routing

Its accounting process is based on randomized samples of the system traffic.

Packet based

Per-hop behavior (PHB)

Not end-to-end tracing.

Developing eBusiness applications such as QoS-aware billing based on a PHB or randomized samples is not reliable.

Previous work, Cont. The Authorization, authentication, and accounting (AAA) architecture: Collects and reports information such as users’ identities, executed commands, number of bytes, number of packets, consumed resources, and connection start and end time. Redundancy in calculating the number of packets and the number of bytes for each flow . Other architectures: DIAMETER, RADIUS, and ATM server. Disadvantages of current accounting architectures No QoS tracing No end-to-end property Per hop behavior

The Authorization, authentication, and accounting (AAA) architecture:

Collects and reports information such as users’ identities, executed commands, number of bytes, number of packets, consumed resources, and connection start and end time.

Redundancy in calculating the number of packets and the number of bytes for each flow .

Other architectures:

DIAMETER, RADIUS, and ATM server.

Disadvantages of current accounting architectures

No QoS tracing

No end-to-end property

Per hop behavior

Internet accounting applications: Billing The NZGate (New Zealand Gate Way) billing server Identifies incoming flows from outgoing flows Adapts the concept of committed traffic volume based on which subscribers are charged. Offers a 30% discount for low priority traffic (e.g. emails, FTP) and an 80% discount for off- peak usages. Informs subscribers about the costs and the benefits of different usage options so that they could budget for their usages. The Monash University billing and accounting server Does not charge students and faculty who use the server’s mailing system, but it charges them if they use any external mailing system such as Hotmail or Yahoo. Pilot billing server: Uses users authentications to charge them based on call duration.

The NZGate (New Zealand Gate Way) billing server

Identifies incoming flows from outgoing flows

Adapts the concept of committed traffic volume based on which subscribers are charged.

Offers a 30% discount for low priority traffic (e.g. emails, FTP) and an 80% discount for off- peak usages.

Informs subscribers about the costs and the benefits of different usage options so that they could budget for their usages.

The Monash University billing and accounting server

Does not charge students and faculty who use the server’s mailing system, but it charges them if they use any external mailing system such as Hotmail or Yahoo.

Pilot billing server:

Uses users authentications to charge them based on call duration.

The Proposed Internet Accounting Approach

The proposed efficiency framework Efficiency criteria : Optimal grain size: Collect packet, link, or flow information End-to-end tracing Facilitates ISPs settlements. For low operational cost Fairness: Different QoS requirements Content-based applications among users and ISPs Completeness: Collects the necessary information No redundancy:

Efficiency criteria :

Optimal grain size:

Collect packet, link, or flow information

End-to-end tracing

Facilitates ISPs settlements.

For low operational cost

Fairness:

Different QoS requirements

Content-based applications

among users and ISPs

Completeness:

Collects the necessary information

No redundancy:

Assumptions and simulation environment Assumptions: Each connection is only one flow. All flows require the same amount of resources All flows have the same distance. The required QoS is 0% PDR. Fixed committed delay 1ns per packet Simulation environment: IntServ and MS call admission control model in ns-2.26 Single source single distention. 10BT link with exponential traffic pattern The simulation time is 3000 Sec.

Assumptions:

Each connection is only one flow.

All flows require the same amount of resources

All flows have the same distance.

The required QoS is 0% PDR.

Fixed committed delay 1ns per packet

Simulation environment:

IntServ and MS call admission control model in ns-2.26

Single source single distention.

10BT link with exponential traffic pattern

The simulation time is 3000 Sec.

The proposed architecture Collected parameters Link utilization Connection admission and rejection rate Average call duration QoS Call duration Start and end time Call QoS Packet drop rate Packet delay Per-flow parameters Packet parameters Link parameters Internet Accounting

Collected parameters

Link utilization level and accounting parameters Link utilization, call admission and rejection rate, call lifetime, packet drop rate related to utilization target

Link utilization, call admission and rejection rate, call lifetime, packet drop rate related to utilization target

Link utilization level and accounting parameters Call admission and rejection related to link utilization

Call admission and rejection related to link utilization

Per-flow treatment and accounting, Cont. Per-flow parameters

Per-flow parameters

Per-flow treatment and accounting, Cont. Flows which have different lifetimes should be treated differently

Flows which have different lifetimes should be treated differently

eBusiness applications Link parameters: Expansion and investment plans. Congestion control and traffic classification ( e.g. peak traffic, off-peak traffic) Price differentiation (e.g., content, QoS requirements), incentives. service enforcement for prepaid services. Minimize accounting cost transactions Entra-domain settlements, security analysis, distributed resource allocation, traffic control, revenue sharing, and dispute resolution.

Link parameters:

Expansion and investment plans.

Congestion control and traffic classification ( e.g. peak traffic, off-peak traffic)

Price differentiation (e.g., content, QoS requirements), incentives. service enforcement for prepaid services.

Minimize accounting cost transactions

Entra-domain settlements, security analysis, distributed resource allocation, traffic control, revenue sharing, and dispute resolution.

eBusiness applications, Cont. Per-flow parameters: e-Auctions and stock quote services ( start and end time for each flow) Targeting misbehaving and unresponsive flows Flow-based pricing congestion control Content-based billing and reverse charging. Network management and efficient resource allocation

Per-flow parameters:

e-Auctions and stock quote services ( start and end time for each flow)

Targeting misbehaving and unresponsive flows

Flow-based pricing

congestion control

Content-based billing and reverse charging.

Network management and efficient resource allocation

Conclusion and future directions The contribution of this paper is twofold: Efficiency framework for accounting architectures: Optimal grain size, End-to-end tracing, Fairness, Completeness, Non-redundancy. An efficient Internet accounting architecture whose parameters: Per-link parameters with respect to end-to-end QoS requirements and path characteristics Per-flow parameters Per-packet parameters.

The contribution of this paper is twofold:

Efficiency framework for accounting architectures:

Optimal grain size,

End-to-end tracing,

Fairness,

Completeness,

Non-redundancy.

An efficient Internet accounting architecture whose parameters:

Per-link parameters with respect to end-to-end QoS requirements and path characteristics

Per-flow parameters

Per-packet parameters.

Conclusion and future directions, Cont. Advantages of the proposed architecture: Low operational overhead. Appropriate for several eBusiness applications and network management tools Suitable for the next generation networks. Future research: Optimizing the accounting measuring and reporting mechanisms in the wireless domain. Investigating the scalability of accounting architectures Considering other QoS parameters such as packet jitter and service security.

Advantages of the proposed architecture:

Low operational overhead.

Appropriate for several eBusiness applications and network management tools

Suitable for the next generation networks.

Future research:

Optimizing the accounting measuring and reporting mechanisms in the wireless domain.

Investigating the scalability of accounting architectures

Considering other QoS parameters such as packet jitter and service security.