Title: Accelerating the performance of data driven applications with in-network computing
Speaker: Boris Koldehofe (Technical University of Ilmenau)
Invited by: Hugo Miranda (LASIGE, DI/FCUL)
When: February 22, 2024, 15:00
Where: FCUL, C6.3.27
(Coffee break included)

Abstract: The performance of data-driven applications heavily relies on the ability to move data between data processing operators efficiently. The softwarization of computer networks offers a huge potential for distributed systems to accelerate the performance of data stream processing by minimizing data movements and accelerating the execution of data processing operators. Yet, using methods of in-network computing to accelerate middleware services like stream processing systems often conflict with the famous end-to-end principle. Therefore, in this talk, we will focus on abstractions that allow executing computations on heterogeneous resources of network elements and discuss how these abstractions can support stream processing systems. In particular, we highlight and introduce recent findings in distributed data stream processing, network function virtualization, and real-time packet streaming. We show how different paradigms and programming models support accelerating performance by better utilizing the capabilities of in-network computing elements. Moreover, we give an outlook on how future developments can change how distributed computing can be adaptively performed over networked infrastructures.

Bio: Boris Koldehofe is a Full Professor at the Technical University of Ilmenau, leading the Distributed and Operating Systems Group at the department of Computer Science and Automation. He received a Ph.D. degree from Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2005. Since then, he has worked in the field of distributed and network-centric computing systems at the EPFL (PostDoc), the University of Stuttgart, the Technical University of Darmstadt (Senior researcher and lecturer), and the University of Groningen (Full professor). He has a long-standing interest in event-based and stream processing systems covering issues related to scalability, performance, mobility, reliability and security. His current research focuses complementary on software-defined networks, adaptive communication middleware and distributed in-network computing. He has contributed to more than 100 scientific publications in major journals, e.g., the IEEE Transactions on Networking (ToN) and the IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, and conferences, e.g., the ACM/USENIX Middleware and the ACM DEBS conferences. He has also contributed to many academic services at major conferences and journals. In the context of the ACM DEBS conference, he has served in several roles in the organizing and steering committee, e.g., as TPC Co-Chair in 2017, and as the General Chair in 2019. He has also served as a Tutorial Speaker for the ACM/USENIX Middleware, ACM DEBS, GI, and NetSys conferences.