A framework for the autonomic management of multi-layer P2P overlays

The advent of pervasive environments and the future Internet has brought on heterogeneity, large scale and dynamicity in current networking infrastructures, which nonetheless also promote flexibility, availability, adaptability and support for mobility. With the increasing diversity in the users´ networking requirements, solutions based on network virtualization techniques such as P2P overlays emerge as promising approaches to create network infrastructures with desirable characteristics. Successful deployment of such P2P overlays necessitates however efficient management mechanisms. Taking into account that static solutions are not geared towards handling the dynamics of the considered environments, as well as the diversity of users´ and applications´ requirements, adaptive solutions become prominent. We present here the design of an autonomic framework to concurrently manage multiple P2P overlays built on top of pervasive environments, by utilising context information and high-level policies to guide their reconfiguration. Relevant organizational requirements and design issues are also highlighted.