Internet Scale Overlay Hosting Progress Report 7/2010-11/2010)

1. Project Activities this Reporting Period

Lightweight Flow Setup Application

During this period, we extended the IPv4 application that runs on the SPPs to support a fast reservation option. This allows end hosts to reserve bandwidth on an end-to-end path, using an embedded IP option. Enabled routers select alternate routes, as appropriate, in order to satisfy the reservation, and make a partial reservation when they are unable to find a path that accommodates the full request. This work was done primarily to provide users with an example application that uses software running on one of the general purpose server blades to dynamically control a fastpath running on the embedded Network Processor. This application was demonstrated at GEC-9 and will be incorporated into future tutorials and documented in the SPP wiki.

Initial Work on New Fastpath Application

We have been working with Brighten Godfrey of the University of Illinois to develop a new fastpath code option that supports alternate routing in the presence of link failures, using a compact encoding of alternate paths carried in packet headers. We expect to complete work on this application and demonstrate it at GEC-10.

Operational Support

The SPPs have now transitioned out of development mode into a largely operational mode. We are working to provide effective and consistent support for users, while continuing to make improvements to the systems.

Improving System Stability

We have diagnosed and fixed a memory leak in the Linecard software for the SPP that led the system to crash periodically. The systems are now much more stable and have been operating reliably for months.

GEC-9 Tutorial

About 20 people attended the SPP tutorial at GEC-9. The session went very smoothly with users generally managing to complete the hands-on activities successfully.

2. Milestones achieved

Tutorials at GEC-8 and GEC-9

Demonstrations at GEC-8 and GEC-9

3. Deliverables made

Nothing new

4. Project participants

Jon Turner - PI (5% support level)
Patrick Crowley - PI (unsupported)
John Dehart - technical staff (45% support level)
Mike Wilson - graduate student (unsupported)

5. Publications (individual and organizational)

None yet.

6. Outreach activities

Tutorial at GEC-9

7. Collaborations

Have established connections between SPP nodes and the GPENI and MAX networks, but still need to fully test the connections and verify the performance matches expectations.

Have begun using Plush/Gush tools for configuring SPP nodes.

Have demonstrated experiments that use combination of SPP and PlanetLab nodes.

Have had initial discussions with Jim Griffoen of the University of Kentucky about using SPPs in support of his Post-Modern Internet Architecture.

Working with Brighton Godfrey of University of Illinois on pathlet routing experiments.