Network QoS assurance in a multi-layer adaptive resource management scheme for mission-critical applications using the CORBA middleware framework

We present adaptive network QoS (quality of service) technology that provides ongoing, end-to-end assurance that critical traffic belonging to admitted flows has bounded queuing loss, delay, and jitter. Our technology uses a bandwidth broker to provide admission control, and leverages differentiated services and class of service functionality of high-end routers and switches for enforcement. The technology employs an integrated QoS treatment across a hybrid layer-2/layer-3 network and adapts to changes in mission requirements, work load and configurations; it uses discovery algorithms in these layers to maintain a current view of resource availability. Under the DARPA ARMS (adaptive and reflective middleware systems) program, our technology is being developed, integrated and validated in a CORBA-based multilayer resource management framework.