This thesis provides a software prototype of Container Terminal Management system with the help of a Multi Agent systems technology. The goal that has been tried to achieve during this research work was to solve the management issues residing in a CT. The software prototype can be implemented as simulation software that will help the Terminal Managers to take necessary decisions for the better productivity of CT. The CTs are struggling with taking proper management decisions. There are many policies implemented but the use of a certain policy at a proper time is the main issue. It is possible with simulation software to visualize the affects of decisions taken by the implementation of a policy and see the expected output. This can really improve the performance of a CT. The management decision problem is solved by modeling the whole CT in a computer modeling language. The prototype shows all the actors appearing in a CT in the form of Agents and these agents are responsible for carrying out certain tasks. The prototype is the final contribution along with partial implementation. The model is proposed to be a web based system which removes the platform dependability problem and provide availability online. / Qazi Sohail Ahmad: qazisohail101@gmaili.com Syed Sikandar Bakht: sikandarbakht101@gmail.com

This thesis provides a software prototype of Container Terminal Management system with the help of a Multi Agent systems technology. The goal that has been tried to achieve during this research work was to solve the management issues residing in a CT. The software prototype can be implemented as simulation software that will help the Terminal Managers to take necessary decisions for the better productivity of CT. The CTs are struggling with taking proper management decisions. There are many policies implemented but the use of a certain policy at a proper time is the main issue. It is possible with simulation software to visualize the affects of decisions taken by the implementation of a policy and see the expected output. This can really improve the performance of a CT. The management decision problem is solved by modeling the whole CT in a computer modeling language. The prototype shows all the actors appearing in a CT in the form of Agents and these agents are responsible for carrying out certain tasks. The prototype is the final contribution along with partial implementation. The model is proposed to be a web based system which removes the platform dependability problem and provide availability online.

Container terminal capacity is a crucial issue for port and terminal operators nowadays as it is one of the key points for their success and increasing their competitive market position in the maritime industry. Therefore, researchers have tried to find solutions for the over capacity problem that faces many terminal operators. This research suggests dry ports as one of the most suitable solution for this problem through proposing a structured framework to adopt the right policy decisions for Dry Port location and capacity. To achieve the presented framework some areas were addressed in detail to have the full picture clear. The current status of the global container sector was assessed, also, the main capacity problems of container terminals with a view to reviewing the suggested solutions was investigated, hence the need for dry ports. In addition, policies for providing optimal location and capacity decisions for container terminals were identified. A technique that supports assessing container terminal location and capacity policy decisions with particular reference to dry ports were developed. Moreover, a case study on Alexandria International Container Terminal for validating the results was conducted. The current research was facilitated by experts from the maritime transport industry, through the application of the Delphi Technique. Applying such a technique enables collaborating experts to share experience modify statements and re-asking to reach a final exact answer that could be generalized. The consensus achieved will help build knowledge and understanding of potential Dry Ports’ policies of the maritime transport sector. This research seeks to make an original contribution to knowledge by developing a structured framework to identify policy decisions for location and capacity of Dry Ports using a Delphi technique as a support tool for terminal managers and operators, port planners, policy makers, and investors in deciding decisions relevant to Dry Port investment.

Stockholms stads kulturskoleverksamhet behöver fler och bättre anpassade lokaler snabbt. Förslaget “Kulturskolan Tältet” berättar med sin gestalt om dess ambition att “växa och beskäras” samt agera som sambandscentral för uppsökande kulturskoleverksamhet. Alla valda byggmaterial är återvinningsbara och en stor del av byggnaden kan prefabriceras av tidigare återvunnet material och i sin tur sammansättas på mindre än ett halvår. Byggprincipen är mycket billig och enkel att anpassa, flytta och utöka; Ett femtiotal ombyggda containrar är importerade till platsen, ställda på en betongplatta och kapslade av en kanalplastfasad samt ett generöst tälttak buret av vertikala limträelement. Byggnaden innehåller en stor halvklimatiserad omprogrammerbar arbetsyta anpassad för inlastning och ombyggnation av containrar som i nästa steg flyttas till Stockholms skolgårdar fyllda med kulturverksamhet. Förslaget innehåller även den framtida nya tunnelbaneuppgången för den stundande orangea linjen och skapar ett tydlig rum mellan uppgången och skolan där mässbesökare, pendlare och kulturskoleelever har samma rätt till platsen och bildar en ny stark knytpunkt mellan förstad och stad. / Stockholm's Culture school need more and better adapted spaces quickly. The proposal "Culture school the Tent" speeks in its gestalt of its ambition to "grow and be pruned" and also act as liaison for outreach cultural school activities. All chosen materials are recyclable and a large part of the building can be prefabricated of previously recycled materials and in turn be assembled in less than six months. The construction principle is very cheap and easy to adapt, move and expand; Fifty rebuilt containers are imported to the site, set on a concrete slab and enclosed by a corrugated plastic facade, as well as a generous tent roofing carried by vertical glued wood elements. The building contains a large half acclimatised reprogrammable workspace suited for loading and refurbishment of containers and in the next step exported to Stockholms school yards filled with cultural activities. The proposal also includes new subway entrance for the coming "orange line" and creates a distinct place between the entrances of the subway and the school where fair visitors, commuters and culture school students have the same right to the site and forms a new strong connection point between suburban and urban.

Mit Hilfe der Container-Virtualisierung lassen sich Anwendungen flexibel in die Cloud auslagern, administrieren, zwischen Rechenzentren migrieren, etc. Dafür baut die Containervirtualisierung auf eine komplexe IT-Landschaft auf, in der Hardware, Betriebssystem und Anwendungen von verschiedenen Parteien bereitgestellt und genutzt werden. Der IT-Sicherheit kommt daher eine große Bedeutung zu. Das Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) stellt mit dem ITGrundschutz eine Methode zur Umsetzung von angemessenen Schutzmaßnahmen im IT-Umfeld zur Verfügung. Es gibt jedoch wenig Erfahrung mit der Absicherung der Container-Virtualisierung gemäß IT-Grundschutz: Das Grundschutz-Kompendium und die Standards zur Risikoanalyse wurden erst im November 2017 in überarbeiteter Form neu eingeführt, und der Baustein SYS. 1.6 zur Container-Virtualisierung wurde erst im Mai 2018 als Community Draft veröffentlicht. In dieser Arbeit untersuchen wir, wie gut sich der aktuelle IT-Grundschutz auf einen Web-Shop anwenden lässt, der mittels Docker virtualisiert wurde. Wir gehen dabei insbesondere auf die Gefährdungsanalyse, Docker-spezifische Gefährdungen sowie entsprechende Maßnahmen zur Abwendung dieser Gefährdungen ein. Darüber hinaus diskutieren wir, wie sich unsere Erkenntnisse über das Docker-Szenario hinaus auf Container-Technologie verallgemeinern lassen.Wir haben festgestellt, dass der Baustein SYS. 1.6 das Grundschutz-Kompendiums eine umfassende Hilfestellung zur Absicherung von Containern bietet. Wir haben jedoch zwei zusätzliche Gefährdungen identifiziert.

Rootless containers are commonly perceived as more secure, as they run without added privileges. To the best of my knowledge, this hypothesis has never been proven.  This thesis aims to contribute to addressing knowledge gaps in research by measuring the attack surface of Rootless Podman, Rootless Docker, as well as Rootful Docker for comparison. Furthermore, different Rootless Container Engines are analysed in a prestudy to summarise what current options exist on the market today. The attack surface is systematically measured using the Attack Surface Measurement Method. The method identifies resources and groups them into different attack classes, based on the resource attackability. The authors of the method defines attackability as the likelihood of a successful attack. Finally, the total attackability of the container engines is computed.  The study concludes that attack surface is significantly reduced when a local container image is used, instead of downloading one. In addition, the design choice of the container engine influences the attack surface more than whether the container is rootless or rootful.

The adoption of containers and container orchestration in cloud computing is motivated by many aspects, from technical and organizational to economic gains. In this climate, even security demanding organizations are interested in such technologies but need reassurance that their requirements can be satisfied. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how separation of applications could be achieved with Docker and Kubernetes such that it may satisfy the demands of the Swedish Police Authority. The investigation consisted of a literature study of research papers and official documentation as well as a technical study of iterative creation of Kubernetes clusters with various changes. A model was defined to represent the requirements for the ideal separation. In addition, a system was introduced to classify the separation requirements of the applications. The result of this thesis consists of three architectural proposals for achieving segmentation of Kubernetes cluster networking, two proposed systems to realize the segmentation, and one strategy for providing host-based separation between containers. Each proposal was evaluated and discussed with regard to suitability and risks for the Authority and parties with similar demands. The thesis concludes that a versatile application isolation can be achieved in Docker and Kubernetes. Therefore, the technologies can provide a sufficient degree of separation to be used in security demanding environments. / Populariteten av containers och container-orkestrering inom molntjänster motiveras av många aspekter, från tekniska och organisatoriska till ekonomiska vinster. I detta klimat är även säkerhetskrävande organisationer intresserade av sådana teknologier men söker försäkran att deras kravbild går att möta. Syftet med denna avhandling var att utreda hur separation mellan applikationer kan nås vid användning av Docker och Kubernetes så att Polismyndighetens krav kan uppfyllas. Undersökningen omfattade en litterär studie av vetenskapliga publikationer och officiell dokumentation samt en teknisk studie med iterativt skapande av Kubernetes kluster med diverse variationer. En modell definierades för att representera kravbilden för ideal separation. Vidare så introducerades även ett system för klassificering av separationskrav hos applikationer. Resultatet omfattar tre förslag på arkitekturer för att uppnå segmentering av klusternätverk i Kubernetes, två föreslagna systemkomponenter för att uppfylla segmenteringen, och en strategi för att erbjuda värd-baserad separation mellan containers. Varje förslag evaluerades med hänsyn till lämplighet och risker för myndigheten och parter med liknande kravbild. Avhandlingens slutsats är att en mångsidig applikationsisolering kan uppnås i Docker och Kubernetes. Därmed kan teknologierna uppnå en lämplig grad av separation för att kunna användas för säkerhetskrävande miljöer.

Denna avhandling utforskar den komplexa interaktionen mellan virtualiseringstekniker och prestanda för molnapplikationer. Genom att utvärdera hypervisor- och containerbaserade metoder skapar vi en teoretisk grund för att förstå rollen för virtualisering i modern molnbaserad miljö. Genom en metodisk förstudie och implementeringen av virtuella instanser samlar vi omfattande data om CPU-användning, nätverkstrafik, lagring och genomströmning, vilket avslöjar viktiga insikter. Resursanvändningen påverkas framför allt av hur databelastning ser ut, där resursintensiva uppgifter påverkar både hypervisor och containerinstanser. Studien visar att valet mellan hypervisor och containerteknik kan bero vissa användningsfall, vilket kräver ytterligare optimering. Att isolera tekniker på separata EC2- instanser ger bra kontroll men kräver löpande justeringar för varierande prestandamätningar. Slutsatserna hjälper till att förstå virtualiserings inverkan på molnapplikationer och betonar de avgörande rollerna för lagringshantering, nätverksdynamik och databelastning. Den här avhandlingen tar inte bara upp viktiga frågor, utan den lägger också grunden för framtida forskning som förutser förbättrad effektivitet och prestanda i virtualiserade molnmiljö. / This thesis explores the complex interaction between virtualization technologies and cloud application performance. By evaluating hypervisor and container-based approaches, we establish a theoretical foundation for understanding virtualization's role in modern cloud computing. Through a methodical pre-study and the implementation of virtual instances, we gather extensive data on CPU utilisation, network traffic, storage, and throughput to reveal key insights. Workloads notably impact resource usage, with resource-intensive tasks affecting both hypervisor and container instances. The study suggests that the choice between hypervisor and container technologies may depend on certain use cases, prompting further optimization. Isolating technologies on separate EC2 instances provides control but demands ongoing refinement for varied performance metrics. Conclusions contribute to understanding virtualization's impact on cloud applications, emphasising the critical roles of workload, network dynamics, and storage management. This thesis not only addresses key questions but also sets the stage for future explorations, promising enhanced performance and efficiency in virtualized cloud environments.

Amidst intense port competition in Northeast Asia, competitiveness in port operations is a critical issue in adopting and implementing sustainability practice that incorporate economic, environmental, social and operational perspectives. Notwithstanding the importance of sustainability practice for sustainable port operations, very few studies have investigated its links with operational sustainability and competitiveness. For this reason, in order to encourage the proactive adoption and implementation of sustainability practice in port operations, this study aims to analyse the role of sustainability practice in managing competitiveness and continuous improvements in operational performance, based on mega container ports operations. To address this issue, this study adopted a two-phase research design which incorporates a preliminary field study and empirical research. At first, to understand the specific and general features of sustainability practice in commercial port operations, preliminary field work through semi-structured face-to-face interviews were undertaken. Interviews validated the attributes of sustainability practice in the container port operational context, investigating the relevant issues. Thereafter, based on data collected from 203 organisations engaged in container port operations in Northeast Asia, the feasible relationships among sustainability practice, competitiveness and performance were analysed using hierarchical moderator regression analysis in SPSS 21. Finally, the results revealed that sustainability practice has a significant contribution as a moderator to the relationship between competitiveness, particularly in operational efficiency and service quality, and operational performance. The two-phase research design made it possible to define and validate the role of sustainability practice in managing the relationship between competitiveness and performance. With regard to theory, this study has placed the case of Northeast Asia in a global context. Secondly, the direct relationships between determinants of megaport competitiveness and performance in the context of container port operations were verified. Thirdly, the specific routes, what is achievable and how sustainability practice contributes to enhancing the relationships between determinants of megaport competitiveness and operational performance, were revealed in a container port operational context. For the ports industries, this study has provided useful insights to establish strategies for sustainable port operations and a strategic agenda to assist ports to incorporate sustainability practice, providing evidence that this will contribute to enhancing their overall competitiveness. The findings are expected to be utilised further in future studies on sustainable port development and operations, as well as to provide guidance for port operators in its future improvement strategy.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Geography / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy