On Self-healing Based on Collaborating End-Systems, Access, Edge and Core Network Components

Abstract

Autonomic Networking, realized through control loops, is an enabler for advanced self-manageability of network nodes and respectively the network as a whole. Self-healing is one of the desired autonomic features of a system/network that can be facilitated through autonomic behaviors realized by control loop structures. Autonomicity, implemented over existing protocol stacks as managed resources, requires an architectural framework that integrates the diverse aspects and levels of self-healing capabilities of individual protocols, systems and the network as a whole, such that they all should co-operate as required towards achieving reliable network services. This integration should include the traditional resilience capabilities intrinsically embedded within some protocols e.g. some telecommunication protocols, as well as diverse proactive and reactive schemes for incident prevention and resolution, which must be realized by autonomic entities implementing a control loops at a higher-level outside of protocols. In this paper, we present our considerations on how such an architectural framework, integrating the diverse resilience aspects inside an autonomic node, can facilitate collaborative self-healing across end systems, access networks, edge and core network components.