CCRI: Grand: Colosseum: Opening and Expanding the World's Largest Wireless Network Emulator to the Wireless Networking Community

尽管有大量的联邦和私人投资，但美国无线研究界仍然缺乏实验设施来支持对无线网络系统进行严格和可重复的实验评估的科学，而不是模拟工具和小规模的临时测试台。研究界还缺乏共享的无线网络仿真设施，无法在完全受控、可编程和可观察的环境中进行大规模试验和测试，并在环路中使用硬件。该项目将试图通过支持国防高级研究计划局(DARPA)的竞技场--世界上最大的无线网络仿真器--向东北大学科斯塔斯研究所的研究界开放和使用的共享可编程仪器过渡，以弥合这一差距。Colosseum是一个大规模的256 x 256通道射频(RF)仿真器，由256个可编程软件定义的无线电支持，能够模拟具有丰富计算能力的全栈通信，能够在环路中实施人工智能和机器学习算法和硬件。研究人员将首次能够在单个仪器中体验数据包级模拟器的规模和抽象、软件无线电的灵活性以及专业信道模拟的保真度。该项目将扩展和加速无线联网系统的研究，并有助于将不同的社区(例如，学术界、政府研究人员、行业)聚集在一起。一些计划中的活动将培养具有独特网络系统分析和开发技能的新一代专业人员。该项目将做出以下核心贡献：(I)它将开放Colosseum，并通过修改原本旨在支持DARPA频谱协作挑战的本地软件框架，使其可供美国无线研究社区使用。(Ii)它将通过开发新的情景创建和通道重新配置能力和数据可视化工具，以及新的边缘计算、机器学习、和数据分析功能。(Iii)它将开发一套外展活动，以收集研究社区的需求，并计划竞技场未来的发展，以最好地满足这些需求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In spite of significant federal and private investments, the US wireless research community is still lacking experimental facilities to support a science of rigorous and repeatable experimental evaluation of wireless networked systems, beyond simulation tools and small-scale, ad hoc, test-beds. The research community is also lacking a shared wireless network emulation facility to experiment and test at scale, in a fully controlled, programmable, and observable environment, and with hardware in the loop. This project will attempt to bridge this gap by supporting the transition of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA's) Colosseum -- the world's largest wireless network emulator -- to a shared programmable instrument open to and usable by the research community housed at the Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University. Colosseum is a massive 256-by-256-channel radio frequency (RF) emulator supported with 256 programmable software defined radios, capable of emulating full-stack communications with abundant computational capabilities, ability to implement Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms and hardware in the loop. For the first time, researchers will be able to experience in a single instrument the scale and abstractions of packet-level simulators, the flexibility of software radios, and the fidelity of professional channel emulation. This project will extend and accelerate research in wireless networked systems, and contribute to bringing different communities together (e.g., academia, government researchers, industry). A number of planned activities will train a new generation of professionals with unique networking system analysis and development skills.This project will make the following core contributions:(i) It will open Colosseum and make it available to the US wireless research community at large by modifying the native software framework, originally designed to support the DARPA Spectrum Collaboration Challenge.(ii) It will extend the functionalities of Colosseum by developing new scenario creation and channel reconfiguration capabilities and data visualization tools, as well as new edge computing, machine learning, and data analytics functionalities.(iii) It will develop a set of outreach activities to collect needs of the research community and plan future evolution of Colosseum to best serve these needs.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.