1st International Workshop on High-Precision Networks Operations and Control (HiPNet 2018)

New waves of networked applications continue to push the limits of what is possible with networks today. Augmented Reality and Tactile Internet require ultra-low latency measured in single-digit milliseconds. Requirements of Industrial Internet applications that involve real-time industrial control are even more stringent and tolerate no jitter at all. Compounding this situation is the fact that many of those applications are mission-critical and cannot afford any loss in connectivity or even single packets. Collectively, these applications require High-Precision Networks that are characterized by very stringent service level boundaries and associated guarantees that border on determinism. This requires a rethinking of many of the principles underlying existing "Best Effort" internetworking technology. 

Various approaches are emerging that try to tackle those challenges. Data centers with fixed topologies and a constant number of hops rapidly replace conventional routing and more general Internet topologies. Networks are becoming more programmable to allow to custom-tailor and optimize treatment of packets and flows. Related technologies range from Service Function Chaining to Network Slicing to SDN. One overarching question concerns how these technologies can be harnessed and what additional approaches are needed to be able to actually deliver on High-Precision Networking. This will involve advances over a wide range of areas, such as programming and processing of packets in the data plane, high-precision measurements and telemetry with nanosecond accuracy at scale, control interfaces and ultra-low latency control loops to optimize service levels, as well as advances in the related platforms and algorithms that allow for their management and control. 

The workshop aims to provide a forum for researchers, students and professionals from industry and academia to discuss challenges and present work-in-progress and solution approaches to deliver on High-Precision Networks and their management and control.