Future Internet, Virtualization

2.1 PRACTICAL: OpenFlow

Setup a software OpenFlow switch and controller on linux virtual machines. Run two types of flows between a pair of virtual hosts, e.g., file transfers and HTTP traffic. Artificially delay packets at the OpenFlow controller if they are not HTTP. Describe your results, your implemenation, your experiences, and present a live demo in class! Finally, explain the implementation steps that are needed to use different routing protocols for different applications based on OpenFlow

• OpenFlow website: Overview
• NOX: An open-source OpenFlow Controller
• Simple and Scalable Platform for Virtual Networking
• OpenFlow software reference switch

2.2 THEORETICAL: Data-centric networking

Read at least the three provided paper. Imagine you are a professor and you have to present this topic to students: how would you summarize these three papers? how are they related to each other? What is your opinion on this topic? Write a survey report on this topic and present the results in class.

• A Data-Oriented (and Beyond) Network Architecture
• Networking Named Content
• VoCCN: Voice Over Content-Centric Networks
• Routing on Flat Labels (ROFL)

2.3 THEORETICAL: Data center network design

Read at least the two provided papers. Imagine you are a professor and you have to present this topic to students: how would you summarize these three papers? how are they related to each other? What is your opinion on this topic? Write a survey report on this topic and present the results in class.

• PortLand: A Scalable Fault-Tolerant Layer 2 Data Center Network Fabric
• VL2: A Scalable and Flexible Data Center Network
• A Scalable, Commodity Data Center Network Architecture
• RBridges

2.4 PRACTICAL: Implement your own IP protocol!

The goal is to write a simple chat application that allows to exchange text messages between two hosts A and B. The two hosts A and B are connected over an intermediate router. Topology-wise you can implement all three compoments (A, B, and router) within a virtual machine and connect them via a software bridge. Of course, you can also use three dedicated machines. To exchange data packets, you are allowed to use Ethernet on the data link layer. However, you are not allowed to use IP as network protocol. Rather, you have to design a very simple network protocol (e.g., your own network addresses that are different from IP addresses). You can send the chat text in the packet payload. All this may sound very complicated to you. Fortunately, there exist tools that will help you:

• Scapy: forge and decode your own protocols
• Click: build your own software router