Collaborative: Aster*x: Load-Balancing Web Traffic over Wide-Area Networks

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This project proposes a comprehensive load-balancing solution to minimize client response time and reduce system costs for services hosted in wide-area networks. The system, called Aster*x, uses the global state of server load and network congestion, and dynamically routes the requests over appropriate (server and path) pairs, calculated using the load-balancing algorithms developed by project staff. The GENI network infrastructure will be used for extensive deployment, evaluation, and demonstration of Aster*x. Aster*x exploits OpenFlow?s logically centralized controller to obtain the global network state and route flows of various granularities. It will use the PlanetLab and ProtoGENI-based computation substrate to host the replicated web service and to generate client requests from multiple locations. The project will provide an opportunity for students across four universities to collaborate and build a relatively large experimental system on GENI.