MDM Features
The perfSONAR MDM service includes a number of features that benefit the GÉANT2 community.
- Standardised access to multi-domain network information
- Increased efficiency through on-demand troubleshooting tools
- Easy identification of information sources
- Network performance validation
- Optimised network usage through regular TCP throughput tests
- Fast problem identification through consistent end-to-end service monitoring
- Project control through network monitoring
- Secure access
Standardised access to multi-domain network information
The quality of user communication depends on smooth interaction of network domains. Network administration, however, tends to primarily focus on the individual domain, rather than end-to-end service.
The perfSONAR MDM service bridges the gap between user expectation and network administration by offering a standard means of accessing network information from multiple domains along the end-to-end path. This access allows NRENs to take ownership of user experience and act as a coordinator for their users. By gaining a better understanding of what is happening across the networks, the troubleshooting process can be accelerated, resulting in decreased usage down-time and increased user satisfaction.
Increased efficiency through on-demand troubleshooting tools
Users who have to wait for diagnostic confirmation when they encounter a problem tend to loose patience and move on to other projects, so that opportunities to gain new users and increase network use are lost.
The perfSONAR MDM service speeds up the troubleshooting process by giving network operators authorised access to a range of information and on-demand troubleshooting tools. Information accessed through perfSONAR has the same meaning across the board. This enables operators to discuss problems which span multiple domain boundaries on a communal basis and to collaborate more successfully.
Easy identification of information sources
While in the past it was quite difficult to find out which monitoring capabilities were available in different networks, the perfSONAR MDM service includes a built-in discovery mechanism (the Lookup web service) that automatically identifies and lists available web services.
All Measurement Point and Measurement Archive web services that are available within the perfSONAR networks register with the perfSONAR Lookup web service and confirm their availability in regular intervals while they are running, until un-registering when going offline.
Network performance validation
The users’ focus on end-to-end application usage makes it difficult for network operators to prove that the network is not responsible for an application’s lack of performance.
Using the perfSONAR MDM service, network operators can provide users with information about causes of application performance degradation. Visualisation tools provide graphs, charts and diagrams that make it easy to keep track of network performance. On-demand tests can provide additional evidence that the network behaves appropriately.
Optimised network usage through regular TCP throughput tests
Network operators cannot optimise network usage if they are unable to see how the network behaves for different applications and transport protocols. If professional users, for example, stretch network performance by attempting to transfer large amounts of data, network operators have little information on how the transfers are affected by their networks.
The perfSONAR MDM service allows network operators to perform regular TCP throughput tests between multiple locations. This enables them to optimise application usage by understanding how a TCP transfer behaves on their network and by observing the effect of a change on a TCP transfer.
Fast problem identification through consistent end-to-end service monitoring
Individual domains use different measurement tools to monitor their network, which produce data that is meaningless to other networks as it cannot be understood by them without being converted first.
The perfSONAR MDM web services wrap the measurement tools of the individual networks and translate measurements into consistent data that can be read end-to-end across the network.
Project control through network monitoring
Large projects like to have the ownership of their network. In reality, however, networks are a collection of elements provided by multiple network operators and by the projects themselves, and this makes it difficult to identify the source of a problem.
Using perfSONAR MDM service tools, projects can monitor their virtual network, and be given access to basic network monitoring information that allows them to identify if events on the network impact their usage.
Secure access
perfSONAR’s multi-domain functionality access provides instant access to data from multiple domains. Network domains that join the perfSONAR infrastructure can use an Authentication web service to protect resources within their domain. Users have to be authenticated before they can access measurement data or carry out measurements.
