Network and Protocol Research
Main Thrust:
Design software/algorithms/tools
for efficient, reliable, and secure networks/protocols
Current Area of Interests:
Content Switch and Active Web
- Advanced Content Switch/System Design—Design
switches for intelligent routing by examing the headers (layers 2-7) and content
(incluidng application layer HTTP/XML content) of the packet and based on
a set of easy-to-program content switching rules. Applications include web
switch for web cluster or server farm, front switches for email load balancing,
spam mail/virus detection and removal, intelligent switch for storage networks.
- Parallel/Hardware Acceleration—Design
high available cluster using network processors and SSL accelerators. Explore
the efficient interface and integration techniques for advanced Internet systems.
- Active Web/Collaboration System—Explore
the use of active retrieval concept on web and collaboration systems.
- Specific Projects:
- ACSD: Advanced Content Switch
Design
- sponsored by Computer Communications
Lab, ITRI, Taiwan.
- developed versions of Linux
kernel-based and application-level content switches and Intel IXP
(network processor)-based content switch for web clusters.
- PHAS:
Parllel/Hardware Acceleration System Project.
- with SSL accelerator and
XML director equpiment donated by Intel
- developing techniques for
utilizing the hardware accelerators, identified the critical tasks
and interface issues in advanced networksystems, especially those
related to intergrating the hardware acceleration devices.
- AWCS: Active Web/Collaborative
System
- Explore the use of active
retrieval on web clients and cache servers, adaptive network architectures
for supporting large scale collaborative systems.
- Design new web languages
with XML tags for assisting activeretrieval.
Network Security
- Intrusion Tolerance System Design—Explore
techniques that tolerate network intrusion including mulitpath routing. Design
intrusion detection and handing systems that react quicker and with more adaptive
integration.
- Wireless Security: Investiage
802.1x and proposed wireless security standards, PEAP/TTLS, develop software
support on Linux/Windows Clients and Servers.
- Java Security
- Firewall design
- Specific projects:
- SCOLD (Secure Collective Internet
Defense)
- Extend DNS system that supports
the update and retrieval of enhanced DNS entries which including a set
of proxy servers for indirect routes.
- Developed indirect routing
protocol on Linux for setting up proxy server -based indirect routes
when the main route gets DDoS attacks.
- Porting the above software
to Windows.
- obtaining Windows
source code. Will form the study group.
- study related windows protocol
software such as MSRIPV6.
- study the related network
driver and API.
- A2D2 (Autonomous Anti-DDoS
Network)
- Developed a network
security testbed for experimenting new intrusion detection/handling
techniques.
- Designing SNORT
plugin which interacts faster with firewall and utilizes adaptive flood
detection method.
- Exploring the
efficient use of rate-limiting and CBQ in intrusion handling.
- 'Dynamic
Packet Filter (DPF) for Firewall Design.
- Developed a DPF; Modify
Linux OS/IP software.
- Investigated performance
impact on Internet protocols.
- Java Authentication Server
Design
- Explored server architectures
for efficient Java applet authentication
- Implemented a java-based
JAS prototype.
- iCTF International Capture the Flag Exercises.
Network Planning/Management
-
Wireless network planning—for
antenna placement, user traffic modeling and simulation, wireless network
processing power and bandwith allocation, hand-over procedure design, and
wireless QoS studies.
-
Resource allocation—for connections
with special resources such as video mixing and protocol converter, codec,
and bandwidth constraints
-
High Speed Networking—ATM, HIPPI,
and gigabit networks, routing/path finding algorithms (including multicasting).
-
Specific projects:
-
ATMROS: A Network Design System
for Network Optimization and Traffic Management of ATM Networks
-
CASI FY96 research grant, sponsored
by US West, 7/95-8/96.
-
Developed tools for visualizing
and characterizing LAN traffic and suggesting ATM cell rates.
-
RACEWIN:
Resource and Admission Control Evaluator for Wireless Information Networks
-
CASI FY97 research grant, sponsored
by US West, 7/96-8/97.
-
Developed Java-based User Traffic
Modeling/Simulation tool and discrete event simulation based tool for efficient
PCS power and cell site assignments.
-
WINPLAN:
Wireless Information Network Planning System
-
CASI research grant, sponsored
by Omnipoint, 7/98-9/99.
-
Developing network planning
tool for wireless information network design and planning with GIS data
and various path loss models
-
VRML 3D Terrain models with
Java interface to tools for simulating user traffic and base station
antenna coverage.
Highlight:
WINPLAN AntennaPlacer and Virtual Reality User Traffic Modeling and Simulation
Tool
-
WINMAP:
A Java-based tool was built for reading in GIS dem terrain data and Tiger
Highway data, creating the corresponding VRML models, placing antenna in
user-specified location, and generating timed 3D user traffic data along
the highway with certain speed and travelling direction.
-
AntennaPlacer:
A C-based tool was built with heuristic and optimal algorithms for
placing the antenna on the VRML models generated by the WINMAP tool.
We consider the desired coverage area in the map and rule out antenna
placement in certain zone using bitmaps.
-
VUTMOST:
A Java-based Virtual Reality User Traffic Modeling and Simulation Tool
was built for displaying the antenna placement results generated by the
AntennaPlacer using VRML. It is very effective in verifying the results
the the following Figure and VRML files demonstrated. It also animtates
the mobile user traffic across the terrain with a light beam simulating
the antenna assignments. It is very effective in illustrating the
handover.
-
This set
of tools can be used for research, education and training purposes.
VUTMOST
and AntennaPlacer Results:
Figure 4-15. VRML for Verifying
Antenna Placement Results
In order to test our AntennaPlacer,
we have created three cone shap mountains with its based shaved into a
square, i.e., the four sides near the foot hill are cliff and can not receive
the signal from the mountain top. With three antennae on the mountain tops,
we found the color patterns correctly match the signal reception condition
in the terrain. We have found VRML very useful in help verifying
the results generated by the AntennaPlacer. To facilitate the
view and understand the orientation, we draw the axis with their label.Click
on the map in Figure 4.15 for the test33.wrl file with animation of mobil
traffic.
Figure
4-16a shows the antenna placement result of pueblo-east area with reduced
200x200 grid points generated by the VUTMOST. The bright gold light small
sticks represent the antenna towers. Figure 4-16b shows the top angle
view of the whole area with a clear picture of the antenna coverage patterns.
There are 231 antennae. Figure 4-16c shows the close up view on the upper
left corner of the map. Click the map of Figure4-16a
for viewing the actual VRML file, Be aware
it is 2.54MB!
Figure 4-16a. Front View
of Antenna Placement Results
Figure 4-16b. Top view of
Antenna Placement Results.
Figure 4-16c. Close UP View
of Antenna Placement Results
Figure 4-17. Mobile Traffic
Animation.
Figure 4-17 shows the mobile
traffic animation in a simple 16x16 area. Click
the map of Figure 4-17 to see the VRML file, 22kB. The ball represents
the mobile user should be gold color and there is a beam connecting the
mobile user to the assigned attenna. There are 4 antennae powers in the
picture. The left side has a tall mountain. The right edge has small
hill. The mobile user traverses diagonally across the 16x16 area. The file
is in out16bmsH3.wrl.
Highlight:
Racewin Wireless Network Simulation Tool
developed tools for user
traffic modeling simulation and power/cell site assignment
capable of
-
generating simulated user traffic
data
-
interfacing with other wireless
network optimization package
-
visualizing power and cell site
assignment (easy to capture erroneous assignment)
-
allowing playback of simulation
runs back and forth.
Network Restoration and Survivability
-
Design and develop efficient
distributed network restoration algorithms.
-
Develop simulation package for
evaluation different network survival architectures.
-
Specific Projects:
-
Inter-Exchange Carrier Network
Restoration Project
-
$83,745 MCI research grant,
6/92-12/93.
-
Awarded a US patent #5,495,471
on two prong based fast distributed network restoration approach.
-
Digital Cross Connect Restoration
Architecture (DRA) Study Project
-
$44,444 MCI research grant,
6/95-8/96.
-
Awarded a US patent #3/98 on
distributed network restoration method based on conservative bandwidth
request and selective forward.
-
Network Survivability Project
-
$29,214 CASI FY95 transfer grant
sponsored by US West, 7/94-8/95.
-
Developed NETSIM simulation
system for comparing link-based and path based network restoration algorithms.
Highlight: A Network
Restoration Simulation Tool capable of
-
specifying network topology/status
-
launching several network restoration
algorithm simulation runs simultaneous
-
displaying simulation results
graphically.
Internet Web Load Balancing
-
Developed a Java-based software
simulation tool, called NetLobars,for network planning, including a network
layout tool for specifying network topology, configuration, web traffic
simulation parameters. It is also integrated with a discrete event simulator
for collect web system performance. It allows the detection of system bottleneck
or enable further research on suggesting configurations for web system
improvement. The simulator considers the routing simulation, propagation
delay, transmission delay, switching delay, queueing delay and file retrieve
time analysis.
-
Developed Java-based Network
Layout Tool for specifying network topology and configuration. Integrate
with discrete event simulation
-
Developing Internet traffic
measurement tools
-
Designing and simulating WAN
web load balancing protocols for efficient partitioning of client-server
requests.
-
Developing load balancing agents
for LAN and WAN.
-
Modifying web server for efficient
load status reporting
-
Developing Internet traffic
monitoring/control software.
-
Developing efficient Internet
network bandwidth measurement software.
Highlight: NetLobars
System for network planning and load balancing.
It is a java-based simualtion
system. It shows the network layout tool, dialog window for specifying
client data and simulation parameters, one window showing the simulation
result of average end-to-end response time.
Here it shows the bottleneck
detection results in a table form (sortable in each column).
Protocol Engineering
-
Developed methods and algorithms
for improving the correctness, reliability, and performance of communication
protocols.
-
Protocol Specification, Validation,
Synthesis, and Testing, Internetworking, Protocol Conversion.
-
Specific projects:
-
PDE—Protocol Development Environment
based on PROSPEC including
-
GUI for specifying protocols
-
Protocol validation through
reachability analysis with GUI for displaying reachability graphs
-
Protocol abstraction through
protocol projection
-
Protocol synthesis through
code generation (generate C code with Socket calls)
Highlight: Protocol
Validation Using State Exploration Tool
Research/Development Strength:
- Network software design and
implementation.
- Network simulation
- Network restoration
- Protocol design/validation/implementation
- Web-based system design
- Network Resource Allocation
- Internet middleware design and
development
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