Research Projects

Suku Nair directs the research in HACNET (High Assurance Computing and Networking) Lab.  The group collaborates with the groups under Prof. Jeff Kennington,  Prof. Hesham Rewini, Prof. Peter Seidal, Prof. Tom Chen, and with the Computer Engineering Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

The current research projects are in Network Security, Network Restoration, Reliable Data Encoding, and in Human Machine Interfaces.

Restoration of SONET/ATM Networks

In the project we develop dynamic restoration protocols for SONET/ATM mesh and hybrid (comprising both mesh and ring components) networks. Recently, we developed a pro-active distributed protocol for the restoration of lost facility caused by link (line) failures in SONET mesh networks. Ongoing research include the extension of the protocol for path and sub-path restoration architectures, hybrid networks, and interworking of rings. The performance of these protocols are evaluated through simulation-based studies using OPNET.

Linear Codes for Data Recovery

Recently, we have developed a set of Linear Codes for multiple erasure error recovery. Data to be protected (while transmission or storage) is arranged as multi-dimenstional blocks and elements are selectively grouped to generate the check elements. The encoding and decoding use simple exclusive OR operations so that they can be implemented in simple hardware or software. Currently, we are investigating the application of the code for high-quality video transmission, data recovery in high-speed networks, and RAID (Redunadant Array of Inexpensive Disks) systems.

Reliability Analysis

In this project we evaluate survivability of complex networks in terms of metrics such as reliability, availability, and restorability. Techniques have been developed for the evaluation of these metrics for SONET rings, mesh, and hybrid networks based on Markov Reward Models. A tool is being implemented with an easy-to-use GUI which will be made available to the industry partners.

Network Security

There are two on-going projects in this area: (1) formal verification of authentication protocols and (2) development of secure protocols for fault-tolerant network systems. In the first project we develop a finite-state machine based approach for the formal verification of various authentication protocols that has been proposed for wired and wireless networks. The technique will not only verify the protocol designs but also the implementaion of them. In the second project we take an information theoretic approach to study the security of fault-tolerant systems.