Service and network providers must be able to satisfy the demands for new services; improve the quality of service; reduce the cost of network service operations and maintenance; control performance; and adapt to user demands. It is essential to investigate different approaches for performing such tasks. One of these approaches is based on policies and the capability of the network to adapt itself to current conditions. With a focus on policy-based networking, this volume addresses the problem of network control and the introduction of policies such as the control of the quality of service, security, mobility, performance, mobile and intelligent agents, and traffic engineering. The area of control in networks through policies promises to provide stimulating challenges for years to come. This book is an attempt to answer questions and provide some direction about the best approaches to be followed.
This volume contains the proceedings of the first International Conference on NETwork CONtrol and Engineering (NETCON) for Quality of Service, Security and Mobility, which was sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), and organized by IFIP TC6 Working Group 6.7 (Smart Networks). The conference convened in Paris, France in October 2002.