A SURVEY OF ACTIVE NETWORK RESEARCH

Active networks are a novel approach to network architecture in which the switches of the network perform customized computations on the mes sages flowing through them. This approach is motivated by both lead us er applications, which perform user-driven computation at nodes within the network today, and the emergence of mobile code technologies that make dynamic network service innovation attainable. In this article, the authors discuss two approaches to the realization of active networ ks and provide a snapshot of the current research issues and activitie s.