Re: Accounting Architecture
kc@upeksa.sdsc.edu Mon, 14 March 1994 22:17 UTC
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Subject: Re: Accounting Architecture
do you think you might get this on a channel of the mbone for those that would like to attend remotely? tnx, k Hi Everyone, The Internet Accounting BOF that Nevil Brownlee and Cyndi Mills are chairing on March 30th in the IETF meeting in Seattle will focus, among other things, on the following charter for a workgroup (the fifth agenda item): 5. Proposed Charter (i.e. Goals) for this WG * Informational RFC on Internet Accounting Architecture * Informational RFC for Meter Services MIB * Internet Draft on Accounting Collector Requirements + Format of flow data files + Protocols for managing collection; starting, restarting, names for data files, ... * Internet Draft on Accounting Manager Requirements + Format for Accounting Rule files + Language(s) for specifying flows * "Economics" issues + Survey of cost sharing/recovery schemes currently in use The purpose of this posting is to briefly introduce the AMADNS work effort that has been going on over the last two years at Bellcore. This effort is closely related to the proposed WG charter, and might be of interest to the BOF participants. AMADNS is designed to provide network and service usage data transfer, processing, and management capabilities. The concepts embedded in AMADNS as well as many of the specific features are compatible with the concepts and architecture defined for the Internet Accounting Architecture and implemented in NeTraMet, and the two systems complement each other very nicely. Specifically, the file based interface and associated procedures have been defined in detail for AMADNS and the approach may be applicable to the definition of the Collector and the Collector Application interface. The following describes the AMADNS architecture and some of its key characteristics. System Architecture: AMADNS is composed of Data Servers, one or more Data Processing and Management Systems (DPMSs), one or more System Managers and the various interfaces to these components. The logical architecture of AMADNS is shown in the diagram below: __________ ______ _________________ ___________ |Generating|_______|Data |_______|Data Processing &|_____|Applications| |System | |Server| |Management System| | | __________ ______ _________________ __________ \ / \ ________/ | System | | Manager| ________ AMADNS connects the source of the usage data (Generating Systems) with its destination (the Applications) in a flexible and scalable way. - Generating Systems generate the usage data. They may include switches, routers, other network systems, information servers, and any third party services. These systems serve an equivalent role to that of the Meters in the Internet Accounting Architecture. - Data Servers receive formatted data records from the Generating Systems soon after they are generated. A Data Server stores the records in files (after possible filtering and reformatting) and sends them to a DPMS. The Data Servers serve an equivalent role to that of the Collectors in the Internet Accounting Architecture. - DPMSs perform specialized processing (e.g., aggregation, correlation, reformatting) on the data as required by the applications, place the processed data in files, and transfer the files to applications. They serve an equivalent role to that of the Applications in the Internet Accounting Architecture. - Applications are the destination of usage data. The primary Application is billing. Other Applications include fraud detection, marketing and customer network management. - System Managers manage the Data Servers and DPMS components of AMADNS. The System Manager would serve the role of the Manager in the Internet Accounting Architecture. AMADNS System Characteristics: 1. Sender-initiated and receiver-initiated data transfer through an end-to-end logical data path. This maximizes data transfer flexibility. The Data Server - DPMS Interface is used to transfer files between the Data Server (sender) and the DPMS (receiver) and the DPMS - Application Interface is used to transfer files between the DPMS (sender) and the Application (receiver). In both cases, both senders and receivers are capable of initiating a file transfer based on user settable time schedules, time periods, volume of data available, and manual requests. 2. Near real-time data availability which enables AMADNS Applications to gain access to usage data within 15 minutes after it was generated. Some time-sensitive Applications (e.g., fraud detection, near real time billing) require data access of this type. In AMADNS, time schedules and other trigger events enable files to be sent as frequently as desired. 3. Standard protocols for file transfer, network management, and remote login are employed across the component interfaces. At the upper layer, FTP and Telnet are used across the Data Server - DPMS interface, FTP is used across the DPMS - Application interface, and SNMP, FTP, and Telnet are used for the interface to a System Manager. TCP, UDP, and IP are used to support these protocols. Usage data to be transferred over the Generating System - Data Server interface is passed directly through TCP. This approach for the Generating System - Data Server interface is different from that defined for the Meter-Collector interface in the Internet Accounting Architecture which uses SNMP for usage data transfer. 4. Specialized data processing is supported to satisfy Applications' needs (e.g., data correlation and aggregation). Data Servers and DPMSs provide the mechanisms that enable specialized processing modules to be integrated into their operations. A standard software execution environment is supported by these system components to facilitate the development, integration, and porting of specialized processing modules. 5. Standard system management to ensure the efficient operation of a system composed of heterogeneous machines and to facilitate the reconfiguration and maintenance of such a system. System Managers manage Data Servers and DPMSs, providing administrators with an overall view of the system and enabling them to control each managed component. The Generic Requirements that define the AMADNS components and interfaces are completed and available to the community. Generic Requirements are equivalent to industry standards. We will be happy to provide any technical information regarding AMADNS either prior to or during the BOF meeting. Also, we will be happy to assist in adapting any aspect of the AMADNS work to help the WG reach its goals. See you in Seattle, Shoshi Loeb and Mike Kogut (201) 829-4528 (908) 748-5222 Bellcore