Decentralized In-Network Management for the Future Internet

In-network management (INM) is a new paradigm for the management of the future Internet that is based on the principles of decentralization and self-organization. Its goal is to overcome the limitations of traditional network management and to achieve scalable and robust management systems with low complexity for large-scale, dynamic network environments. In this paper, we describe a framework for INM that provides a systematic approach to the embedding of management algorithms within the elements of a communication networks. In addition, we demonstrate the benefits of decentralized management in the context of two key management functions, namely real-time monitoring and event handling.