Combining SPIN with ns-2 for Protocol Optimization

This paper presents an approach to integrate the analysis capabilities of the Spin model checker and the ns-2 network simulator into a single framework. The traffic-oriented model of the protocols is managed by ns-2, while Spin automatically generates the most suitable configurations of each ns-2 run in order to meet some designer requirements. These requirements are specified with assertions and with an annotated temporal logic that can be translated into Spin's Buchi automata. Spin verification algorithms help us to automatically discard those ns-2 configurations that do not satisfy the expected requirements. With this approach we can automatically obtain the suitable values of parameters like buffer size, timeout to retransmit and window size, to optimize the performance of a protocol implementation in a given scenario. The paper presents the architecture for this integration, the modified temporal logic and its successful application to obtain optimized versions of protocols for videostreaming in wireless networks.

[1]  Wang Yi,et al.  Uppaal in a nutshell , 1997, International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer.

[2]  A. Wonfor,et al.  Receiver Playout Buffer Requirement for TCP Video Streaming in the presence of Burst Packet Drops , 2009 .

[3]  Marta Z. Kwiatkowska,et al.  PRISM: probabilistic model checking for performance and reliability analysis , 2009, PERV.

[4]  Guillermo Rodríguez-Ortiz,et al.  Integration of Reliability and Performance Analyses for Active Network Services , 2005, FMICS.

[5]  Alfonso Gerevini,et al.  Preferences and soft constraints in PDDL3 , 2006 .

[6]  Gerard J. Holzmann,et al.  The SPIN Model Checker - primer and reference manual , 2003 .

[7]  Claudio Cicconetti,et al.  An integrated framework for enabling effective data collection and statistical analysis with ns-2 , 2006 .

[8]  Vipul Gupta,et al.  Freeze-TCP: a true end-to-end TCP enhancement mechanism for mobile environments , 2000, Proceedings IEEE INFOCOM 2000. Conference on Computer Communications. Nineteenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies (Cat. No.00CH37064).

[9]  Sergio Yovine,et al.  KRONOS: a verification tool for real-time systems , 1997, International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer.

[10]  George F. Riley,et al.  The ns-3 Network Simulator , 2010, Modeling and Tools for Network Simulation.

[11]  Fahiem Bacchus,et al.  Using temporal logics to express search control knowledge for planning , 2000, Artif. Intell..

[12]  Giovanni Stea,et al.  A framework for large-scale simulations and output result analysis with ns-2 , 2009, SimuTools.