Collaborative Research: NBD: An Abstraction Driven Approach to Characterizing and Designing Networks with Analyzable Properties

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This project investigates a new class of abstractions to simplify network design and configuration which is (i) task-driven, i.e., captures the intended performance, security, manageability, or resilience of a network design; and (ii) network-wide, i.e., captures the requirements of the network as a whole rather than of individual devices. It is a radical departure from prior efforts that merely model the underlying protocols and mechanisms.The focus is on enterprise networks, an area largely unexplored by researchers. Through bottom-up studies of actual enterprise network designs, the project obtains insights into the goals operators have for their networks. The studies employ unique ?white-box? methodologies involving extensive and iterative interactions with operators.The project develops abstractions, along with the rationale and criteria for measuring their effectiveness in three areas: (i) implementation of security and resilience policies; (ii) use of VLANs to simplify management; and (iii) network evolution through planned maintenance. It demonstrates the power of these abstractions in simplifying both top-down network design, and validation of network properties. More specifically, it develops the theory for ?configurators?, or systems that can generate box level configuration from high-level design requirements, and a pre-selected set of protocols and mechanisms, and it investigates ?semantic auditing? techniques for formally verifying that a network's existing box-level configuration produces the intended network behavior. Broader Impact: The research aims to produce fundamental knowledge and principles for turning network design and configuration into a science. It will also help enhance the coverage of network management in undergraduate and graduate curriculum. A new graduate class on Network Management will be created at Purdue and the usability of abstractions will be validated using controlled studies involving students training to become IT professionals.