Cakebox and Pioneer Overview
The goal of this project is to provide a cheap
and easy method to do some basic network measurements between end points
where Cakeboxes with the Envoy module are installed. This is done by
creating a framework within which existing network performance measurement
tools
may be incorporated. Such a framework allows users to observe current network
characteristics such as loss, latency, jitter and bandwidth estimation.
The intended users of this system are people interested in network performance,
who are not necessarily network savvy. There are a number of reasons
to look
at the network using these tools. Some examples would be:
- Checking on general
network health before running a demo or distributed meeting (i.e.
making sure the
network can handle new stresses before running an
application that may generate bursty traffic or
require high bandwidth).
- Troubleshooting.
Please read the copyrights
and acknowledgments associated with tools used within this framework
before downloading any software!
Basic definitions
Before we provide details, here
are some basic definitions
for terms used throughout these documents:
Pioneer Server: This
is the central server that is the entry point for the user. The user
makes the
request to run a tool through a web pag interface, which forwards
the
request to this Pioneer server.
Cakebox: This
is a minimal piece of hardware - a computer with a network interface,
and lots of disk, but
no keyboard or monitor is necessary. Currently this is primarily
used for the Envoy software, but in the
future it may be used for various
different tests.
Envoy Server: This
is the piece that runs on the cakeboxes, and spawns the appropriate
network
performance tool as a process, when it gets a request from
the Pioneer
Server.
Abilene Server: This
is the entry point for requests to Abilene nodes. All requests from
Pioneer Server
for measurements between Abilene nodes, are routed through
this
server.
Details
- Pioneer Architecture
- Details on the tools currently incorporated
(i.e. in the deployed version).
- Work in progress
- Basic Cakebox and Envoy installation
procedures.
- Procedure for adding
your application to the suite of tools.
- General status, project
members, known problems etc.
Please send
in comments and feedback after you have tried this tool to help us make
it more useful.
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