Changes between Initial Version and Version 1 of sppReport-3Q09


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Timestamp:
10/11/09 17:39:42 (14 years ago)
Author:
Christopher Small
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  • sppReport-3Q09

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     1= Internet Scale Overlay Hosting Progress Report 6/1/2009-9/30/2009) =
     2
     3== 1. Project Activities this Quarter ==
     4
     5=== Installation and Checkout of First Three SPP Nodes ===
     6
     7We completed preparations for the deployment of our first three
     8Superchaged Planetlab Platforms, which were installed this
     9quarter in Washington DC, Kansas City and Salt Lake City.
     10There were several minor installation issues that were easily resolved.
     11There was also one larger issue that required the replacement of one of the
     12Radisys 7010 Network Processor blades in the Salt Lake City node,
     13with a spare.
     14It appears that the power supply module on the board has failed.
     15We plan to return it to Radisys for repair.
     16
     17All three nodes have been checked out and are now operating correctly.
     18There are some minor issues that should be addressed when there
     19are personnel visiting the sites for other reasons, but none
     20that require a separate visit.
     21
     22=== Initial Planning for Demo at GEC 6 ===
     23
     24We are planning to do a demo using the deployed SPP nodes at GEC6.
     25We will use standard PlanetLab nodes to generate traffic carried by
     26the experimental networks hosted by the SPPs. We plan two demonstrations.
     27The first will involve IPv4 routers with a fastpath that is mapped onto
     28the NPEs. The second will involve an early prototype of an overlay
     29network architecture called Forest, which is designed to support
     30a class of real-time distributed applications (more details below).
     31The preparation for the demo is now underway, and will consume a
     32a major portion of our effort in the fourth quarter.
     33
     34=== System Architecture Document ===
     35
     36This document provides a detailed description of the hardware and software
     37components used to implement the SPP. It is now available on the project wiki page.
     38
     39=== User Documentation ===
     40
     41Work continues on a wiki that will provide complete user documentation on how to use SPP nodes to setup and operate experimental networks. We plan to have a preliminary version of the wiki available by GEC 6. This will include a detailed description of the demo planned for GEC 6.
     42
     43=== Flow Monitoring ===
     44
     45The node installation work has dominated our activities this quarter, so we have made little progress on the the flow monitoring subsystem needed to keep track of outgoing Internet traffic. This subsystem will allow us to identify and disable experiments running on the SPPs that send unwanted traffic that triggers complaints. This involves data plane software in the egress side of the Line Card, data collection software in the Line Card's xScale management processor, and data aggregation and archiving software running in the CP. Once this is complete, it will be possible to access the outgoing flow statistics through standard PlanetLab management mechanisms. This will need to be completed before we can open up the SPPs for general use.
     46
     47=== Development of Second Version of Network Processor Datapath Software ===
     48
     49Work is continuing on the development of a more complete version of the datapath software for the Network Processor Engine (NPE) used to implement slice fastpaths. This new version is needed to support full 10 Gb/s operation and multicast packet delivery. We have not been able to devote a lot of resources to this effort so far, but expect to give it more attention after the initial deployment is complete.
     50
     51=== Preliminary Work New Fast Path Code Option ===
     52
     53We have decided to take a different approach to the development of the next fastpath
     54code option. We have designed a new network architecture called Forest, which is designed
     55to effectively support a particular class of distributed applications that includes distributed
     56interactive simulations, multiplayer games and virtual worlds. The common element of these
     57applications is that they involve many distributed components that issue periodic reports
     58that other components may subscribe to. Subscriptions are highly dynamic and reports must be
     59delivered to their subscribers in a non-stop fashion, regardless of the specific traffic
     60pattern. The central primitive in Forest is a tree-structured communications channel called a comtree. Each distributed application session is assigned its own comtree, which is routed and provisioned to meet the needs of that session. We will demonstrate an early version of
     61Forest that runs on the SPPs' conventional server blades at GEC6. We plan to develop a fast path based on this implementation, that can be mapped to a new NPE code option.
     62
     63=== Bug Fixes ===
     64
     65Tracking down and fixing bugs is a continuing process in a project like this. There have been no major new issues this quarter, but this continues to occupy a signficant amount of staff time.
     66
     67=== Transition of Staff Responsibilities ===
     68
     69== 2. Milestones achieved ==
     70
     71Installation of SPP nodes at Washington DC, Kansas City and Salt Lake City.
     72
     73Completion of System Architecture Document
     74
     75== 3. Deliverables made ==
     76
     77none yet
     78
     79== 4. Project participants ==
     80
     81Jon Turner - PI [[br]]
     82Patrick Crowley - PI [[br]]
     83John Dehart - technical staff [[br]]
     84Dave Zar - technical staff [[br]]
     85Ken Wong - technical staff [[br]]
     86Mike Wilson - graduate student [[br]]
     87Mart Haitjema - graduate student [[br]]
     88Ritun Patney - graduate student [[br]]
     89
     90== 5. Publications (individual and organizational) ==
     91None yet.
     92
     93== 6. Outreach activities ==
     94None yet.
     95
     96== 7. Collaborations ==
     97
     98Have had some discussions with Larry Peterson of Princeton, on rspecs for the SPP.