5.8 Conclusion

The component approach to network architecture defines the building blocks of architecture as network functions instead of physical entities. In this way, the underlying requirements, flows, and goals for the network, instead of technologies, drive the network architecture.

This approach focuses on relationships within each component and between components, providing an understanding of not only how each function operates within a network but also how it interoperates with other functions. By weighting the interactions between components (through assigning a priority to each component), you can tailor the network architecture to meet the specific needs of a network.

Component architectures and the resulting reference architecture can be further refined and validated through network modeling and simulation. This allows internal and external relationships to be studied at length and supports a logical progression through the architectural process.

Implementation of the process has identified numerous interactions between component architectures. Interactions that are particularly subtle and complex, such as in grid networking, are an evolving area of research in component architectures. Refining these interactions is an area of ongoing work.

The next four chapters focus on component architectures. The addressing and routing architecture is covered in Chapter 6, as it helps to lay the foundation for how IP is handled in the network, upon which all other component architectures depend. In Chapter 7, we cover the network management architecture and in Chapter 8, the performance architecture. We wrap up our development of component architectures with Chapter 9, the security architecture.