Secure Network Performance

Testing using SeRIF

Dr. Charles J. AntonelliCenter for Information Technology Integration

University of Michigan

Winter 2006 CSG

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/nintendogs.php

U-M Contributors• CITI

– Andy Adamson– Charles Antonelli– Nathan Gallaher– Olga Kornievskaia– David Richter

• ITCom• MGRID

Work supported by OVPR and ITCom

SeRIF• SeRIF : Secure Remote Invocation

Framework• Purpose : provide a secure and

extensible remote process invocation service, with strong authentication and flexible authorization

• Based on Globus 2.4, GARA 1.2.2• Leverages existing user credentials

– Kerberos (via kx509)

• Adds fine-grained authorization– Walden

SeRIF• Central portal host

– Authentication– Control (invocation, parameters, results)– Databases (LDAP)

• Dedicated remote nodes– Gatekeeper– Local scheduler for execution and cleanup– Provides status and output redirection– Fine grained authorization at resource

SeRIF Architecture

mod ssl

mod kx509

mod kct

Apache

Tomcat

KCT

GateKeeper

Resource

Grid Resource

KCA

kx509

kinit

User Workstation

KDC

Kerberos V5

SSL – Client Certificate required

GSI

Kerberos

Kerberos

SASL

Portal

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Authorization

Resource Mgr

SASL

8WALDEN

AuthorizationWALDEN

libpkcs11

Browser

mod php

mod jk

CHEF

LDAP

NW Topology

Output

NTAP• NTAP : Network Testing and

Performance

• Purpose : provide a secure and extensible network testing and performance tool invocation service at U-M

• Uses SeRIF framework• Runs on portal host and Performance

Measurement Platforms (PMPs) attached to routers in a VLAN environment

NTAP Architecture

Portal

Router 1

Host A

Router 2 Router 3

Host B

PMP 1 PMP 2 PMP 3

GSI GSI GSI

Attribute Callout

AFS PTS

Flat File

Walden (XACML)

Mapping and Reporting• Segment mapping

– Use traceroute to obtain packet routing path

– Use network topology database to map each router to its associated PMP

– Execute pairwise performance tests along path

• Reporting tool– Output hop-by-hop matrix display– Color-coded test history– Click through cells for detailed views

• Links to most recent tests

Host Endpoint Testing• Solution to first mile problem

– Leverages Network Diagnostic Tester

• Authenticated user clicks first-mile link– Portal runs traceroute back to client

– Portal determines client’s first-hop router and attached PMP (running NDT server) from path and network topology database

– Portal displays link to first-hop PMP

– Client downloads NDT app from PMP as usual

– Client runs NDT test and displays results as usual

– NDT server sends results to NTAP database

Router 1

Host A

Automated Testing

• Need repetitive, automated testing– … but with secure authentication and

authorization

• Solution: renewable credentials– User obtains long-term credentials

– Portal schedules repetitive testing

– Prior to a test cycle, portal validates long-term credential and derives from it a short-term credential

– Rest of SeRIF architecture unchanged

Future Work• Post-processed statistics, graphs• Measurement database reorganization

– Scalability improvements

• Alternatives to topology database– Active infrastructure probing

• Automated tools a la NDT– Tune TCP stack– Detect conditions, e.g. duplex mismatches

• Cross-domain testing

Cross-Domain Testing

Portal

Router 1

Host A

Router 2 Router 3

Host B

PMP 1 PMP 2 PMP 3

GSI GSI

Portal

GSIDomain 1

Domain 2

Cross-Domain Testing• Goals

– Extend test path across administrative domains

– Address larger end-to-end performance issues

– Leverage SeRIF’s strong security and fine-grained authorization model

– Promote SeRIF at other institutions– Share performance data among institutions

Cross-Domain Testing

• Approach– Retain portal within each domain

– Originating portal runs traceroute• Determines sequence of domains

• Verfies permissions for test

• Or “chunked” by domain

– Each portal tests and stores local results• Independently, or synchronized

– Test data available via local SeRIF controls

– Boundary-crossing segments• Need cross-domain trust

– Transit segments

Merit Measurement Infrastructure

Cross-Domain Testing• Seeking

– Large network testbed– Independent administrative domains

– Partners– Funding

– Proposal

SeRIF Resources

• SeRIF & NTAP home page– http://www.citi.umich.edu/projects/ntap

– FAQ & documentation

– Download NTAP code & installation instructions

• Tools– iperf http://dast.nlanr.net/Projects/Iperf/– ndt http://e2epi.internet2.edu/ndt/

– owamp http://e2epi.internet2.edu/owamp/

Any Questions?http://www.citi.umich.edu