NeTS: Small: BugWatch: Towards Detecting and Reacting to Network-Data-Plane-Disrupting Bugs

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

Network-data-plane-disrupting bugs can cause the disruption of critical network applications. Unfortunately, today, there exists no comprehensive solution for detecting data-plane-disrupting bugs. Consequently, the network operator has few useful leads for investigating bug-triggered problems. To bridge this gap, this project develops novel measurement-based solutions for automatic bug detection that are accurate and scalable. The results from this project will significantly improve the reliability of current and future generation networks. The expected results include network measurement techniques, data analysis methods, network-wide monitoring strategies, data structures and algorithms for high performance bug detection, and bug localization techniques. These solutions will (1) save IT personnel resources because network operators no longer need to troubleshoot an entire complex network but instead can focus on finding the best solution for a detected bug; (2) reduce negative impact of bugs because the operator can immediately take proper defensive actions; (3) improve assurance after software or hardware updates since incorrect data plane behaviors resulting from updates could be automatically caught; (4) improve feedback to vendors since vendors can receive valuable information correlating detected bugs to configurations, updates, configuration changes, etc., which helps vendors diagnose the problem's root cause and develop solutions. The results from this project will be broadly disseminated through scientific workshops, conferences and journals, as well as through a project web site hosted at Rice University. Software and tools that are produced by this project will be released to the public under open source licenses.