Linux XIA: an interoperable meta network architecture to crowdsource the future Internet

With the growing number of proposed clean-slate redesigns of the Internet, the need for a medium that enables all stakeholders to participate in the realization, evaluation, and selection of these designs is increasing. We believe that the missing catalyst is a meta network architecture that welcomes most, if not all, clean-state designs on a level playing field, lowers deployment barriers, and leaves the final evaluation to the broader community. This paper presents Linux XIA, a native implementation of XIA [12] in the Linux kernel, as a candidate. We first describe Linux XIA in terms of its architectural realizations and algorithmic contributions. We then demonstrate how to port several distinct and unrelated network architectures onto Linux XIA. Finally, we provide a hybrid evaluation of Linux XIA at three levels of abstraction in terms of its ability to: evolve and foster interoperation of new architectures, embed disparate architectures inside the implementation’s framework, and maintain a comparable forwarding performance to that of the legacy TCP/IP implementation. Given this evaluation, we substantiate a previously unsupported claim of XIA: that it readily supports and enables network evolution, collaboration, and interoperability—traits we view as central to the success of any future Internet architecture.This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under awards CNS-1040800, CNS-1345307 and CNS-1347525

CASPR: Judiciously Using the Cloud for Wide-Area Packet Recovery

We revisit a classic networking problem -- how to recover from lost packets in the best-effort Internet. We propose CASPR, a system that judiciously leverages the cloud to recover from lost or delayed packets. CASPR supplements and protects best-effort connections by sending a small number of coded packets along the highly reliable but expensive cloud paths. When receivers detect packet loss, they recover packets with the help of the nearby data center, not the sender, thus providing quick and reliable packet recovery for latency-sensitive applications. Using a prototype implementation and its deployment on the public cloud and the PlanetLab testbed, we quantify the benefits of CASPR in providing fast, cost effective packet recovery. Using controlled experiments, we also explore how these benefits translate into improvements up and down the network stack

An architectural approach for mitigating next-generation denial of service attacks

It is well known that distributed denial of service attacks are a major threat to the Internet today. Surveys of network operators repeatedly show that the Internet's stakeholders are concerned, and the reasons for this are clear: the frequency, magnitude, and complexity of attacks are growing, and show no signs of slowing down. With the emergence of the Internet of Things, fifth-generation mobile networks, and IPv6, the Internet may soon be exposed to a new generation of sophisticated and powerful DDoS attacks. But how did we get here? In one view, the potency of DDoS attacks is owed to a set of underlying architectural issues at the heart of the Internet. Guiding principles such as simplicity, openness, and autonomy have driven the Internet to be tremendously successful, but have the side effects of making it difficult to verify source addresses, classify unwanted packets, and forge cooperation between networks to stop traffic. These architectural issues make mitigating DDoS attacks a costly, uphill battle for victims, who have been left without an adequate defense. Such a circumstance requires a solution that is aware of, and addresses, the architectural issues at play. Fueled by over 20 years worth of lessons learned from the industry and academic literature, Gatekeeper is a mitigation system that neutralizes the issues that make DDoS attacks so powerful. It does so by enforcing a connection-oriented network layer and by leveraging a global distribution of upstream vantage points. Gatekeeper further distinguishes itself from previous solutions because it circumvents the necessity of mutual deployment between networks, allowing deployers to reap the full benefits alone and on day one. Gatekeeper is an open-source, production-quality DDoS mitigation system. It is modular, scalable, and built using the latest advances in packet processing techniques. It implements the operational features required by today's network administrators, including support for bonded network devices, VLAN tagging, and control plane tools, and has been chosen for deployment by multiple networks. However, an effective Gatekeeper deployment can only be achieved by writing and enforcing fine-grained and accurate network policies. While the basic function of such policies is to simply govern the sending ability of clients, Gatekeeper is capable of much more: multiple bandwidth limits, punishing flows for misbehavior, attack detection via machine learning, and the flexibility to support new protocols. Therefore, we provide a view into the richness and power of Gatekeeper policies in the form of a policy toolkit for network operators. Finally, we must look to the future, and prepare for a potential next generation of powerful and costly DDoS attacks to grace our infrastructure. In particular, link flooding attacks such as Crossfire use massive, distributed sets of bots with low-rate, legitimate-looking traffic to attack upstream links outside of the victim's control. A new generation of these attacks could soon be realized as IoT devices, 5G networks, and IPv6 simultaneously enter the network landscape. Gatekeeper is able to hinder the architectural advantages that fuel link flooding attacks, bounding their effectiveness

CASPR: judiciously using the cloud for wide-area packet recovery

We revisit a classic networking problem -- how to recover from lost packets in the best-effort Internet. We propose CASPR, a system that judiciously leverages the cloud to recover from lost or delayed packets. CASPR supplements and protects best-effort connections by sending a small number of coded packets along the highly reliable but expensive cloud paths. When receivers detect packet loss, they recover packets with the help of the nearby data center, not the sender, thus providing quick and reliable packet recovery for latency-sensitive applications. Using a prototype implementation and its deployment on the public cloud and the PlanetLab testbed, we quantify the benefits of CASPR in providing fast, cost effective packet recovery. Using controlled experiments, we also explore how these benefits translate into improvements up and down the network stack.First author draf

AIAA Design, Build, Fly Team - MULLET Competition Aircraft 2021-2022

MULLET, the Medical Unmanned Low-Level Electric Transport, is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach’s aircraft for the 2021–2022 AIAA Design, Build, Fly competition. This UAV was designed to perform four missions, including a ground mission and three flight missions. Mission 1 is a deployment flight that demonstrates the aircraft’s flight capability; Mission 2 is a staging flight for the transportation of vaccine syringes; Mission 3 is a delivery flight for the transportation and deployment of vaccine vial packages; and the Ground Mission is a demonstration of the ability to rapidly prepare the aircraft for flight. The aircraft was designed, manufactured, and flown by a team of 40 undergraduate aerospace engineering students. The design process comprised three phases: conceptual, preliminary, and detail design. Initially, the conceptual design focused on analyzing the requirements with a scoring analysis to select the optimal payload that maximized the mission scores. After the aircraft and subsystem configurations were selected, the weight, wing, tail, and propulsion system were sized during the preliminary design. A detail design then focused on the aircraft’s structural characteristics and systems integration. The manufacturing process followed with the goal of fabricating the aircraft to the designed specifications and weight. A detailed schedule was developed and was continuously refined to manufacture each aircraft iteration in a timely manner, enabling rapid prototyping throughout the design, build, and fly process. Finally, a testing plan was established to evaluate a series of test objectives essential to the aircraft’s mission performance