Intent-Based Networking for Non-programmable Networks

Abstract

Intent-based Networking (IBN) is one of the hot topics of research in the modern field of networking. Abstracting the complexity of network management away from the network operator through automation is the cornerstone of the IBN concept. However, a lot of current research on intent-based networking is concentrated towards programmable software defined networks (SDN), rather than traditional non-programmable network devices which still hold a large market share in modern networks. Moreover, when it comes to traditional network devices, network validation becomes very crucial as it needs a endoragnostic environment to evaluate the network. This thesis studies the important aspects necessary for IBN adaptation for legacy devices and provides a solution for adaptation into modern networks, while being vendor-agnostic. Based on the design, the results obtained from the proofs-of-concept are then analyzed and concluded upon, ending by elucidating avenues of future work.