Towards an unified experimentation framework for protocol engineering

The design and development process of complex systems require an adequate methodology and efficient instrumental support in order to early detect and correct anomalies in the functional and non-functional properties of the solution. In this article, an Unified Experimentation Framework (UEF) providing experimentation facilities at both design and development stages is introduced. This UEF provides a mean to achieve experiment in both simulation mode with UML2 models of the designed protocol and emulation mode using real protocol implementation. A practical use case of the experimentation framework is illustrated in the context of satellite environment

Facilitating the modelling and automated analysis of cryptographic protocols

Includes bibliographical references.Multi-dimensional security protocol engineering is effective for creating cryptographic protocols since it encompasses a variety of design, analysis and deployment techniques, thereby providing a higher level of confidence than individual approaches. SPEAR II, the Security Protocol Engineering and Analysis Resource n, is a protocol engineering tool built on the foundation of previous experience garnered during the SPEAR I project in 1997. The goal of the SPEAR II tool is to facilitate cryptographic protocol engineering and aid users in distilling the critical issues during an engineering session by presenting them with an appropriate level of detail and guiding them as much as possible. The SPEAR II tool currently consists of four components that have been created as part of this dissertation and integrated into one consistent and unified graphical interface: a protocol specification environment (GYPSIE), a GNY statement construction interface (Visual GNY), a Prolog-based GNY analysis engine (GYNGER) and a message rounds calculator

Micro protocol engineering for unstructured carriers: On the embedding of steganographic control protocols into audio transmissions

Network steganography conceals the transfer of sensitive information within unobtrusive data in computer networks. So-called micro protocols are communication protocols placed within the payload of a network steganographic transfer. They enrich this transfer with features such as reliability, dynamic overlay routing, or performance optimization --- just to mention a few. We present different design approaches for the embedding of hidden channels with micro protocols in digitized audio signals under consideration of different requirements. On the basis of experimental results, our design approaches are compared, and introduced into a protocol engineering approach for micro protocols.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, 4 table

Analysis and design of multiagent systems using MAS-CommonKADS

This article proposes an agent-oriented methodology called MAS-CommonKADS and develops a case study. This methodology extends the knowledge engineering methodology CommonKADSwith techniquesfrom objectoriented and protocol engineering methodologies. The methodology consists of the development of seven models: Agent Model, that describes the characteristics of each agent; Task Model, that describes the tasks that the agents carry out; Expertise Model, that describes the knowledge needed by the agents to achieve their goals; Organisation Model, that describes the structural relationships between agents (software agents and/or human agents); Coordination Model, that describes the dynamic relationships between software agents; Communication Model, that describes the dynamic relationships between human agents and their respective personal assistant software agents; and Design Model, that refines the previous models and determines the most suitable agent architecture for each agent, and the requirements of the agent network

Dynamic Channel Access Scheme for Interference Mitigation in Relay-assisted Intra-WBANs

This work addresses problems related to interference mitigation in a single wireless body area network (WBAN). In this paper, We propose a distributed \textit{C}ombined carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) with \textit{F}lexible time division multiple access (\textit{T}DMA) scheme for \textit{I}nterference \textit{M}itigation in relay-assisted intra-WBAN, namely, CFTIM. In CFTIM scheme, non interfering sources (transmitters) use CSMA/CA to communicate with relays. Whilst, high interfering sources and best relays use flexible TDMA to communicate with coordinator (C) through using stable channels. Simulation results of the proposed scheme are compared to other schemes and consequently CFTIM scheme outperforms in all cases. These results prove that the proposed scheme mitigates interference, extends WBAN energy lifetime and improves the throughput. To further reduce the interference level, we analytically show that the outage probability can be effectively reduced to the minimal.Comment: 2015 IEEE International Conference on Protocol Engineering (ICPE) and International Conference on New Technologies of Distributed Systems (NTDS), Paris, France. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1602.0865

Protocol engineering from Estelle specifications

Bibliography: leaves 129-132.The design of efficient, reliable communication protocols has long been an area of active research in computer science and engineering, and will remain so while the technology continues to evolve, and information becomes increasingly distributed. This thesis examines the problem of predicting . the performance of a multi-layered protocol system directly from formal specifications in the ISO specification language Estelle, a general-purpose Pascal-based language with support for concurrent processes in the form of communicating extended finite-state machines. The thesis begins with an overview of protocol engineering, and a discusses the areas of performance evaluation and protocol specification. Important parts of the mathematics of discrete-time semi-Markov processes are presented to assist in understanding the approaches to performance evaluation described later. Not much work has been done to date in the area of performance prediction from specifications. The idea was first mooted by Rudin, who illustrated it with a simple model based on the global state reachability graph of a set of synchronous communicating FSMs. About the same time Kritzinger proposed a closed multiclass queueing model. Both of these approaches are described, and their respective strengths and weaknesses pointed out. Two new methods are then presented. They have been implemented as part of an Estelle-based CASE tool, the Protocol Engineering Workbench (PE!V). In the first approach, we show how discrete-time semi-Markov chain models can be derived from meta-executions of Estelle specifications, and consider ways of using these models predictively. The second approach uses a structure similar to a global-state graph. Many of the limitations of Rudin's approach are overcome, and our technique produces highly accurate performance predictions. The PEW is also described in some detail, and its use in performance evaluation illustrated with some examples. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the new methods, and possible ways of improving them

SPEAR II - The Security Protocol Engineering and Analysis Resource

Multi-dimensional security protocol engineering is effective in creating cryptographic protocols since it encompasses a variety of analysis techniques, thereby providing a higher security confidence than individual approaches. SPEAR, the Security Protocol Engineering and Analysis Resource, was a protocol engineering tool which focused on cryptographic protocols, with the specific aims of enabling secure and efficient protocol designs and support for the production process of implementing security protocols. The SPEAR II tool is a continuation of the highly successful SPEAR project and aims to build on the foundation laid by SPEAR. SPEAR II provides more advanced multidimensional support than SPEAR, enabling protocol specification via a graphical user interface, automated security analysis that applies a number of well-known analysis methods, performance reporting and evaluation, meta-execution and automated code generation