CCRI: Medium: FLOTO: A Discovery Testbed for Measurement of Internet Access Networks

FLOTO项目将建立一个发现试验台：一个大型的分布式观测仪器，旨在推进接入网络的研究，即连接个人、家庭和企业与其服务提供商的“最后一英里”网络。实际上，该仪器将由大约1000个边缘设备组成，部署在主要城市地区（芝加哥）和几个大学校园。这些设备将配备宽带诊断测试仪器，以获得观测数据，使网络科学家能够深入了解接入网络的性能。为了使该系统成为可能，FLOTO将为边缘设备开发一个车队管理框架，扩展和部署一套由社区努力开发的现有主动网络测量，并进一步管理社区贡献，以塑造仪器的观测能力。该项目的成果将为观察和理解互联网的动态和演变提供前所未有的能力，并最终为研究和决策提供宝贵的工具。特别是，它将允许研究人员调查导致社会“数字鸿沟”的部署、可用性、可靠性和性能方面存在的差异，并最终催化可能适用于社会每个成员的新解决方案。在更普遍的层面上，该项目还将为大规模的发现试验台创建蓝图，并开创新的分配和共享方法，可以适应不同类型的发现。最后，通过与芝加哥城市学院的一项新的合作协议，该项目将为学生提供实际的、动手的培训机会，作为两年制计算机网络学位课程的一部分。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The FLOTO project will build a discovery testbed: a large, distributed observational instrument built for the purpose of advancing research on access networks, i.e., the “last mile” networks that connect individuals, homes, and businesses to their service provider. In practical terms, the instrument will consist of roughly one-thousand edge devices deployed across a major urban area (Chicago) and several university campuses. These devices will be instrumented with broadband diagnostic tests to obtain observation data that will allow network scientists to gain insight into access network performance. To make this system possible, FLOTO will develop a fleet management framework for edge devices, extend and deploy a set of existing active network measurements developed as a result of community effort, and manage further community contributions to shape the observational capacity of the instrument. The outcomes of this project will provide an unprecedented capability for observing and understanding the dynamics and evolution of the Internet, and ultimately provide an invaluable tool for research and policymaking. In particular, it will allow researchers to investigate where disparities exist in terms of deployment, availability, reliability, and performance that lead to the “digital divide” in society -- and ultimately catalyze new solutions that are likely to work for every member of society. On a more general level, this project will also create a blueprint for a discovery testbed at a large scale and pioneer new allocation and sharing methods that can be adapted to different types of discovery. Finally, through a new collaborative agreement with the City Colleges of Chicago, this project will provide opportunities for practical, hands-on training for students as part of two-year degree programs in computer networking.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.