Increasing number of software vendors are offering or planning to offer their applications as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to leverage the benefits of cloud computing and Internet-based delivery. Therefore, potential clients will face increasing number of providers that satisfy their requirements to choose from. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for automating such a time-consuming and error-prone task. In this work, we develop an architecture for automated service discovery and selection in cloud computing environment. The system is based on an algorithm that recommends service choices to users based on both functional and non-functional characteristics of available services. The system also derives automated ratings from monitoring results of past service invocations to objectively detect badly-behaving providers. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach using an early prototype that was developed following object-oriented methodology and implemented using various open-source Java technologies and frameworks. The prototype uses a Chord DHT as its distributed backing store to achieve scalability.

Service providers’ goals include providing reliable connections with the minimum allocated resources over a shared-mesh path restoration scheme in WDM networks. However, in some cases, the requested parameters in an SLA are beyond the capacity of the network, and the connection is typically blocked. To give the customer a chance to choose another provider, or in the case of having only one provider, to comply with the provider’s network capacity, new SLA-based architectures and mechanisms are required to be introduced to provide better service to prioity-aware shared mesh WDM networks. To achieve this goal, the dissertation’s contributions focus on three main characteristics of the network design: i) A dynamic SLA negotiation infrastructure to negotiate and propagate crucial SLA parameters, ii) Path attributes which can provide a better picture of network resources and status and are suitable to be propagated by the negotiating system, and iii) Algorithms benefiting from the path attributes to improve the blocking probability and resource utilization of the network. To fulfill the first goal of the contributions, a dynamic SLA negotiation mechanism for both intra and inter-domain communications using OSPF and BGP protocols is proposed. Link attributes via intra-domain, and new proposed TE path attributes through inter-domain mechanisms are advertised. Several novel path constraints and attributes are proposed which are dynamically updated and propagated through the network over the connections provisioning process period to satisfy the second objective of the contributions in this dissertation. The path availability, holding time, SLA violation risk, and path risk factor are the important characteristics of the proposed path attributes. As the third goal considered for the contributions, novel priority-aware algorithms and SLA-based mechanisms are proposed to improve the network performance for different traffic types of various priority classes. The algorithms and mechanisms proposed in this thesis take advantage of the new path attributes and SLA negotiation infrastructure to better serve high-priority connection requests at the lowest cost. The mechanisms and network architectures proposed in this work are a solution for the high-priority requests that normally cannot be accommodated as they violate the best availability offered by service providers.

In this thesis, we propose architecture for a SaaS model in Cloud that would provide service to the financial investors who are not familiar with various mathematical models. Such finance models are used to evaluate financial instruments, for example, to price a derivative that is currently being traded before entering into a contact. An investor may approach CSP to price a particular derivative and specify the time, budget and accuracy constraints. Based on these constraints specified by investors, the service provider will compute the option value using our proposed FSM. To evaluate our proposed model, we compared pricing results with the classical model that provides a closed-form solution for option pricing to meet the accuracy constraints. After establishing the accuracy of our pricing results, we further ensured that the SLA between the FSP and the investors is honoured by meeting the constraints put forth by the investor who uses the Cloud service.

In this thesis, we propose architecture for a SaaS model in Cloud that would provide service to the financial investors who are not familiar with various mathematical models. Such finance models are used to evaluate financial instruments, for example, to price a derivative that is currently being traded before entering into a contact. An investor may approach CSP to price a particular derivative and specify the time, budget and accuracy constraints. Based on these constraints specified by investors, the service provider will compute the option value using our proposed FSM. To evaluate our proposed model, we compared pricing results with the classical model that provides a closed-form solution for option pricing to meet the accuracy constraints. After establishing the accuracy of our pricing results, we further ensured that the SLA between the FSP and the investors is honoured by meeting the constraints put forth by the investor who uses the Cloud service.

It is Important in today's world to have organizations doing business effectively in a collaborative manner , though in the past there has been major development in the process of identifying the best ways to network organizations in a effective manner , there has not been much potential efforts on net centric working of the organizations. , Network-centric model is a hybrid of the individual determination and participation typical of direct and grassroots models with the efficiencies and strengths of the organizational model. This thesis primarily deals with the ways to effectively change the traditional way of organizational working into the net centric approach, there have been identified a few key parameters that when adapted by the traditional organization, it can be progressed towards the net centric way of working .

Redes definidas por software (Software-Defined Networking – SDN) tem como objetivo fornecer uma arquitetura mais sofisticada e precisa para gerenciar e monitorar o tráfego da rede. SDN permite centralizar parte da lógica de tomada de decisão sobre o processamento de fluxo e roteamento de pacotes em dispositivos chamados controladores. Apesar disso, o comportamento dos dispositivos de rede e suas configurações são muitas vezes escritos para situações específicas diretamente no controlador. Isto torna-se um problema quando há um aumento no número de elementos, ligações e serviços de rede, resultando numa grande quantidade de regras e uma elevada sobrecarga relacionada à configuração da rede. Como alternativa , técnicas, tais como gerenciamento baseado em políticas (Policy-Based Management – PBM) e refinamento de políticas podem ser utilizadas por operadores de alto nível para escrever Acordos de Nível de Serviço (Service Level Agreements – SLAs) em uma interface amigável, sem a necessidade de alterar o código implementado nos controladores. No entanto, o refinamento de políticas na nova área de pesquisa SDN tem sido um tema negligenciado, em parte, porque o refinamento não é um processo trivial. Ao utilizar SLAs, a sua tradução para políticas de baixo nível, por exemplo, regras para a configuração de elementos de comutação, não é simples. Se essa tradução não for realizada corretamente, os elementos do sistema podem não ser capaz de cumprir os requisitos implícitos especificados no SLA. Neste contexto, este trabalho apresenta ARKHAM: um avançado conjunto de ferramentas de refinamento para manipulação de acordos de nível de serviço em redes definidas por software. Este conjunto de ferramentas é composto por (i) um framework para criação de políticas que usa raciocínio lógico para a especificação de objetivos de nível de negócio e automatização de seu refinamento; (ii) um controlador OpenFlow que realiza a coleta de informações e implantação de configurações na rede; e (iii) uma representação formal de políticas de alto nível utilizando Event Calculus e aplicando raciocínio lógico para modelar tanto o comportamento do sistema quanto o processo de refinamento de políticas para o gerenciamento de SDN. Como resultado, a abordagem é capaz de identificar as necessidades e os recursos que precisam ser configurados de acordo com o refinamento do SLA, podendo assim configurar e executar com sucesso ações dinâmicas de suporte à reconfiguração de infraestrutura. / Software-Defined Networking (SDN) aims to provide a more sophisticated and accurate architecture for managing and monitoring network traffic. SDN permits centralizing part of the decision-making logic regarding flow processing and packet routing in controller devices. Despite this, the behavior of network devices and their configurations are often written for specific situations directly in the controller. This becomes an issue when there is an increase in the number of network elements, links, and services, resulting in a large amount of rules and a high overhead related to network configuration. As an alternative, techniques such as Policy- Based Management (PBM) and policy refinement can be used by high-level operators to write Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in a user-friendly interface without the need to change the code implemented in the controllers. However, policy refinement in the new research area of SDN has been a neglected topic, in part, because refinement is a nontrivial process. When using SLAs, their translation to low-level policies, e.g., rules for configuring switching elements, is not straightforward. If this translation is not performed properly, the system elements may not be able to meet the implicit requirements specified in the SLA. In this context, we introduce ARKHAM: an Advanced Refinement Toolkit for Handling Service Level Agreements in Software-Defined Networking. This work presents (i) a Policy Authoring Framework that uses logical reasoning for the specification of business-level goals and to automate their refinement; (ii) an OpenFlow controller which performs information gathering and configuration deployment; and (iii) a formal representation using event calculus that describes our solution. As a result, our approach is capable of identifying the requirements and resources that need to be configured in accordance with SLA refinement, and can successfully configure and execute dynamic actions for supporting infrastructure reconfiguration.

Redes definidas por software (Software-Defined Networking – SDN) tem como objetivo fornecer uma arquitetura mais sofisticada e precisa para gerenciar e monitorar o tráfego da rede. SDN permite centralizar parte da lógica de tomada de decisão sobre o processamento de fluxo e roteamento de pacotes em dispositivos chamados controladores. Apesar disso, o comportamento dos dispositivos de rede e suas configurações são muitas vezes escritos para situações específicas diretamente no controlador. Isto torna-se um problema quando há um aumento no número de elementos, ligações e serviços de rede, resultando numa grande quantidade de regras e uma elevada sobrecarga relacionada à configuração da rede. Como alternativa , técnicas, tais como gerenciamento baseado em políticas (Policy-Based Management – PBM) e refinamento de políticas podem ser utilizadas por operadores de alto nível para escrever Acordos de Nível de Serviço (Service Level Agreements – SLAs) em uma interface amigável, sem a necessidade de alterar o código implementado nos controladores. No entanto, o refinamento de políticas na nova área de pesquisa SDN tem sido um tema negligenciado, em parte, porque o refinamento não é um processo trivial. Ao utilizar SLAs, a sua tradução para políticas de baixo nível, por exemplo, regras para a configuração de elementos de comutação, não é simples. Se essa tradução não for realizada corretamente, os elementos do sistema podem não ser capaz de cumprir os requisitos implícitos especificados no SLA. Neste contexto, este trabalho apresenta ARKHAM: um avançado conjunto de ferramentas de refinamento para manipulação de acordos de nível de serviço em redes definidas por software. Este conjunto de ferramentas é composto por (i) um framework para criação de políticas que usa raciocínio lógico para a especificação de objetivos de nível de negócio e automatização de seu refinamento; (ii) um controlador OpenFlow que realiza a coleta de informações e implantação de configurações na rede; e (iii) uma representação formal de políticas de alto nível utilizando Event Calculus e aplicando raciocínio lógico para modelar tanto o comportamento do sistema quanto o processo de refinamento de políticas para o gerenciamento de SDN. Como resultado, a abordagem é capaz de identificar as necessidades e os recursos que precisam ser configurados de acordo com o refinamento do SLA, podendo assim configurar e executar com sucesso ações dinâmicas de suporte à reconfiguração de infraestrutura. / Software-Defined Networking (SDN) aims to provide a more sophisticated and accurate architecture for managing and monitoring network traffic. SDN permits centralizing part of the decision-making logic regarding flow processing and packet routing in controller devices. Despite this, the behavior of network devices and their configurations are often written for specific situations directly in the controller. This becomes an issue when there is an increase in the number of network elements, links, and services, resulting in a large amount of rules and a high overhead related to network configuration. As an alternative, techniques such as Policy- Based Management (PBM) and policy refinement can be used by high-level operators to write Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in a user-friendly interface without the need to change the code implemented in the controllers. However, policy refinement in the new research area of SDN has been a neglected topic, in part, because refinement is a nontrivial process. When using SLAs, their translation to low-level policies, e.g., rules for configuring switching elements, is not straightforward. If this translation is not performed properly, the system elements may not be able to meet the implicit requirements specified in the SLA. In this context, we introduce ARKHAM: an Advanced Refinement Toolkit for Handling Service Level Agreements in Software-Defined Networking. This work presents (i) a Policy Authoring Framework that uses logical reasoning for the specification of business-level goals and to automate their refinement; (ii) an OpenFlow controller which performs information gathering and configuration deployment; and (iii) a formal representation using event calculus that describes our solution. As a result, our approach is capable of identifying the requirements and resources that need to be configured in accordance with SLA refinement, and can successfully configure and execute dynamic actions for supporting infrastructure reconfiguration.

Redes definidas por software (Software-Defined Networking – SDN) tem como objetivo fornecer uma arquitetura mais sofisticada e precisa para gerenciar e monitorar o tráfego da rede. SDN permite centralizar parte da lógica de tomada de decisão sobre o processamento de fluxo e roteamento de pacotes em dispositivos chamados controladores. Apesar disso, o comportamento dos dispositivos de rede e suas configurações são muitas vezes escritos para situações específicas diretamente no controlador. Isto torna-se um problema quando há um aumento no número de elementos, ligações e serviços de rede, resultando numa grande quantidade de regras e uma elevada sobrecarga relacionada à configuração da rede. Como alternativa , técnicas, tais como gerenciamento baseado em políticas (Policy-Based Management – PBM) e refinamento de políticas podem ser utilizadas por operadores de alto nível para escrever Acordos de Nível de Serviço (Service Level Agreements – SLAs) em uma interface amigável, sem a necessidade de alterar o código implementado nos controladores. No entanto, o refinamento de políticas na nova área de pesquisa SDN tem sido um tema negligenciado, em parte, porque o refinamento não é um processo trivial. Ao utilizar SLAs, a sua tradução para políticas de baixo nível, por exemplo, regras para a configuração de elementos de comutação, não é simples. Se essa tradução não for realizada corretamente, os elementos do sistema podem não ser capaz de cumprir os requisitos implícitos especificados no SLA. Neste contexto, este trabalho apresenta ARKHAM: um avançado conjunto de ferramentas de refinamento para manipulação de acordos de nível de serviço em redes definidas por software. Este conjunto de ferramentas é composto por (i) um framework para criação de políticas que usa raciocínio lógico para a especificação de objetivos de nível de negócio e automatização de seu refinamento; (ii) um controlador OpenFlow que realiza a coleta de informações e implantação de configurações na rede; e (iii) uma representação formal de políticas de alto nível utilizando Event Calculus e aplicando raciocínio lógico para modelar tanto o comportamento do sistema quanto o processo de refinamento de políticas para o gerenciamento de SDN. Como resultado, a abordagem é capaz de identificar as necessidades e os recursos que precisam ser configurados de acordo com o refinamento do SLA, podendo assim configurar e executar com sucesso ações dinâmicas de suporte à reconfiguração de infraestrutura. / Software-Defined Networking (SDN) aims to provide a more sophisticated and accurate architecture for managing and monitoring network traffic. SDN permits centralizing part of the decision-making logic regarding flow processing and packet routing in controller devices. Despite this, the behavior of network devices and their configurations are often written for specific situations directly in the controller. This becomes an issue when there is an increase in the number of network elements, links, and services, resulting in a large amount of rules and a high overhead related to network configuration. As an alternative, techniques such as Policy- Based Management (PBM) and policy refinement can be used by high-level operators to write Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in a user-friendly interface without the need to change the code implemented in the controllers. However, policy refinement in the new research area of SDN has been a neglected topic, in part, because refinement is a nontrivial process. When using SLAs, their translation to low-level policies, e.g., rules for configuring switching elements, is not straightforward. If this translation is not performed properly, the system elements may not be able to meet the implicit requirements specified in the SLA. In this context, we introduce ARKHAM: an Advanced Refinement Toolkit for Handling Service Level Agreements in Software-Defined Networking. This work presents (i) a Policy Authoring Framework that uses logical reasoning for the specification of business-level goals and to automate their refinement; (ii) an OpenFlow controller which performs information gathering and configuration deployment; and (iii) a formal representation using event calculus that describes our solution. As a result, our approach is capable of identifying the requirements and resources that need to be configured in accordance with SLA refinement, and can successfully configure and execute dynamic actions for supporting infrastructure reconfiguration.

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Small companies and organizations have expressed doubts about using cloud services due to unclear Service Level Agreement (SLA) contracts. These contracts are usually based on security frameworks and measures adapted for data security in general, but not for complex cloud data specifically. The purpose of this study was therefore to compare end users’ opinions of the security measures and security frameworks that were being used for their SLA contracts for cloud services. The study was carried out through semi-structured interviews, thematization, and comparison with earlier research on SLA and cloud security. The result showed that security frameworks on which SLA contracts were based were being used in a too general way by cloud service providers. This made the contracts unclear and not entirely relevant to their own operations. Therefore, the users wanted implementations of security measures that were easier to interpret, well-established and recognized, and relevant to their own operations. The users wanted the security measures to be more detailed by having the cloud service providers divide them into more categories relevant to their particular activities. The users also wanted SLA contracts adapted to their individual needs for cloud security specifically. One conclusion was that frameworks such as ISO, NIST, and COBIT were being used in a too general way for generating cloud service SLAs. Another conclusion was that cloud service security measures should be more specific to users’ own operations and easier to interpret in relation to established frameworks. Cloud service providers could use NIST, ISO, and COBIT to generate more specific measures. One solution would be to automatically generate more specific SLA contracts by auto-selecting established frameworks and well-defined security measures.