RINGS: Deployable End-to-End Resilience for Critical Internet Applications via Modular Redundancy

Dependence on networked systems requires their predictability and reliability. While these systems are designed to cope with failures, there continue to be instances where anomalous conditions, whether brought about by an intentional attack or unfortunate natural circumstance, compromise the network's ability to perform. These network failures are often the result of individual components that all make implicit assumptions about the dependability of other components that, in fact, are themselves making the same or similar assumptions, leading to simultaneous failure. This research project takes an overarching multi-layered, systems-level approach to prepare applications for the inevitable component failures by providing a shadow network: pre-planned alternatives ready to deliver critical services should the primary services, networks, or paths fail. The shadow network continually seeks out and analyzes applications and services to identify resilience and combine end-to-end services using a mix of primary and specifically designed shadow components, such that should failures occur, the shadow components can take effective action. By increasing the reliability of the network-at-large, users of all Internet applications will benefit by reducing the frequency in which the 'network is down'. Preventing Internet failures naturally provides engagement with the general public, standards bodies, and policymakers, as well as any students, from secondary to Ph.D., interested in research with real-world impact.

The research takes a three-pronged approach toward shadow network development. First, the design considers shadow components for every aspect of the application, providing the basis for reliability. Second, the research investigates how to continually utilize measurement-driven testing to assess overall and component-specific reliability to be ready for a wide range of potential outage and failure scenarios. Last, the research investigates the programmability of existing and emerging components to scale up the shadow services when they are needed and to prioritize critical applications and overall availability. The methods used to perform the research includes resilient network design and deployment, protocol design, experimentation, monitoring and testing, and modeling and analysis. Evaluation consists of a combination of prototype, simulation, and mathematical analysis, and is scored in terms of efficiency, cost, resiliency, and reliability.

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.