Although QoS provision has been researched extensively for B-ISDN (ATM based) networks and it is also under research for IP networks (Internet), until recently there was no real service environment to provide such QoS to end users. Demonstrators and laboratory experiments aimed mainly at proving specific technologies and architectures. Recent advances in the commercialisation of technology and respective standardisation effort have changed the scenery. End to end networks, capable of QoS support, are in a maturity status that will enable commercial deployment within the next few years. Still, there are no applications to take advantage of such services. It would be most desirable to enhance the way users use current applications (such as the established WEB browser), than to try to introduce new application S/W. This paper proposes a method based on the Open Service Gateway initiative (OSGi) specification [1] that enables the Quality of Service (QoS) for bandwidth demanding applications such as multimedia applications, by introducing S/W modules as enhancements into the existing applications. This method targets to the end-user, when using the network topology that is being standarised by the Full Service Access Network (FSAN) [2].

In this paper we present the experience gained from the design and verification of a complex network processor. The PRO 3 processor 1 can operate in either ATM or IP based multiprotocol networking environments, supporting link rates up to 2.4 Gbps. We describe the methodology followed during the verification process, from specifications to silicon prototype test and highlight the problems encountered during the post-layout procedure. To accommodate the application verification a proprietary Debug Tool is integrated in the system. The paper emphasizes the importance of the verification, addressing it as a parallel process to system design, and highlights the need for easy to verify designs.

Abstract-With the advent of dynamic and elusive distributed applications such as peer-to-peer file sharing systems, network administrators find it increasingly difficult to understand the types of applications running in their networks and the amount of traffic each application produces.In this paper, we present measurement results from the deployment of an accurate traffic characterization application in three National Research and Education Networks for a period of two months. Our observations go beyond traffic distribution; we explore the application usage in terms of active IP addresses, the existence of IP addresses generating massive amounts of traffic, the asymmetry of incoming and outgoing traffic, and the existence of SPAM-sending mail servers.

E-infrastructures are becoming in Europe and in other regions of the world standard platforms to support e-Science and foster virtual research communities. This chapter provides the reader with a comprehensive view of the developments of e-Infrastructures in China, India, Asia-Pacific, Mediterranean, Middle-East, Sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Europe and Latin America and with an outlook on the very important issue of their long term sustainability.

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