Transparent Network Protocol Testing and Evaluation

Abstract

Network protocol developers typically go through a tedious and error-prone process of testing and debugging their protocol implementation for various settings. They perform a number of tasks manually such as configuration of numerous network settings, controlled reproduction of unexpected protocol behavior, and traffic capture and analysis. We present a Protocol Testing and Evaluation System (PTES) to assist developers in transparently testing their protocol implementations. PTES enables a protocol developer to construct and execute various controlled and repeatable testing scenarios. The developer can use simple iptables- like rules to specify various local and distributed network events and actions. During protocol execution, PTES triggers these events and actions in a coordinated manner and records the protocol responses to these events which can later be examined by the developer. We present the design and implementation of three variants of PTES for native, simulated, and emulated platforms for both wired and wireless networks. We demonstrate the utility of PTES by automating the testing of TCP/IP and Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) protocols.