The softwarization of networks is increasingly spreading, and one of the main paradigms is SDN (Software-Defined Networking), which allows overcoming the limitations mainly arising from the integration of the control plane and the forwarding plane within the network devices. It extracts the control plane to place it within a new logically centralized component: the SDN controller. Since this is a monolithic architecture that limits reliability and scalability, distributed solutions based on microservices have been proposed in the literature. In parallel, Agents are fully intelligent, atomic, and autonomous decision-making units that can be flexibly recomposed to create a completely autonomous network system. They also have the ability to replicate single or multiple decision-making processes that collaborate with each other. The development of future networks such as 5G, including 6G, is pushing towards the concept of network management automation and integration of intelligence, making agents an excellent means to meet this trend. This paper first introduces intelligence in the form of agents to a distributed SDN controller based on microservices, by implementing two new functionalities: topology _learning and shortest path, Then, it leverages a microservices-based SDN solution based on Ryu SDN framework, named MSN, to run agents in a Docker Container environment. Multiple measurements were performed locally in a single machine. Results show the topology learning performances compared with several network topologies. Moreover, the shortest patti agent experimental evaluations show the knowledge size depends on the network topology and the performances of different algorithms.

A mobile wireless delay-tolerant network (DTN) model is proposed and analyzed, in which infinitely many nodes are initially placed on R2according to a uniform Poisson point process (PPP) and subsequently travel, independently of each other, along trajectories comprised of line segments, changing travel direction at time instances that form a Poisson process, each time selecting a new travel direction from an arbitrary distribution; all nodes maintain constant speed. A single information packet is traveling towards a given direction using both wireless transmissions and sojourns on node buffers, according to a member of a class of utility-based routing rules. For this model, we compute the long-term averages of the speed with which the packet travels towards its destination and the rate with which the wireless transmission cost accumulates. Because of the complexity of the problem, we employ two intuitive, simplifying approximations; simulations show that the approximation error is typically small. Our results provide intuition on the fundamental trade-off that exists in mobile wireless DTNs between the packet speed and the packet delivery cost. The framework developed here is both general and versatile, and can be used as a starting point for further investigation.

We study a mobile wireless network in which nodes travel on an infinite plane along trajectories comprised of linear segments; a single packet is traveling towards a destination located at an infinite distance, employing both wireless transmissions and sojourns on node buffers. In this setting, we calculate analytically the long-term averages of (i) the speed with which the packet travels towards its destination and (ii) the rate with which the wireless transmission cost accumulates with distance traveled. Due to the problem's complexity, we use two approximations; simulations show that the resulting errors are modest.

An infinite number of nodes move in ℝ2according to a random waypoint model; a single packet is traveling towards a destination (located at an infinite distance away) using combinations of wireless transmissions and physical transport on the buffers of nodes. In earlier work [1] we defined two performance metrics, namely, the long-term average speed with which the packet travels towards its destination, and the rate with which transmission cost accumulates with distance covered. Explicit expressions were derived for these metrics, under specific ergodicity assumptions. In this paper we give a precise description of the induced Markov process, we show that it is indeed (uniformly) geometrically ergodic, and that the law of large numbers holds for the random variables of interest. In particular, we show that the two performance metrics are well-defined and asymptotically constant with probability one.

We study a wireless network comprising an infinite number of nodes moving in ℝ2according to a Random Waypoint (RWP) mobility model. Each node is equipped with a radio transceiver with transmission range R; a transmission across a distance d incurs a quadratic cost d2. We assume that a packet is generated at one node and must be delivered to a destination located at an infinite distance in the direction of the positive x-axis through a combination of wireless transmissions and physical transports on the buffers of nodes. A routing rule specifies when a wireless transmission should take place. Given this setting, we develop an analytic framework, using tools from stochastic geometry and Markov chains theory, to evaluate, with certain approximations, the tradeoff between the speed with which the packet travels toward the destination and the transmission cost incurred per unit of distance. Simulation results show a good match with the analytical results.

This paper presents an implementation of a Low Power Listening-based (LPL) Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol on a platform for Body Area Network (BAN) applications. LPL exploits the transmission of a burst of short packets, called preambles, to synchronize the transmitter and the receiver. In this way, devices are able to spend most of the time in sleeping mode, providing longer lifetime and energy saving. Experiments on the field have been conducted by considering different scenarios and results, in terms of average energy consumed per packet, packet loss rate and average delay, have been investigated. Conclusions regarding the proper parameters setting depending on the application requirements were derived. This work has been performed in the framework of the FP7 Integrated Project, WiserBAN.