[Planetlab-users] Announcement: X-Bone Release 3.2 (GX-Bone Release)

Wed May 25 21:07:54 EDT 2005

Apologies if you receive multiple copies.

X-Bone Group
USC/ISI
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The X-Bone system for automated deployment of VPN / overlay networks
is now publicly available. This is a software release, v3.2, with
support for Global X-Bone Network Testbed that integrates X-Bone
deployments that were only stand alone until now.

X-Bone dynamically deploys and manages Internet overlays, optionally
including IPsec, to reduce configuration effort and increase network
component sharing. X-Bone discovers, configures, and monitors network
resources to create overlays over existing IP networks.

3.2 release includes:

    Support for Global X-Bone Testbed deployment
      This includes support for (1) multiple CAs (2) host registry and
      (3) shared ACLs. Automatic distribution of these through LDAP
      replication integrates the stand alone sites

    GUI-based configuration
      Simple control panels to specify configuration variables.

    Automation
      The Node Daemon automatically detects and gracefully degrades
      with (lack of) host operating system support for IPsec,
      dummynet, etc. LDAP database and input files automatically
      generated.

    Multiple resource discovery methods
      The support includes unicast host lists, multicast and LDAP.

    LDAP support
      X-Bone can use LDAP to store Node Daemon configurations
      and discovery; this supports the Global X-Bone configurations

Standard features of 3.xx releases include:

    Support for FreeBSD and Linux hosts, and Cisco routers via buddy host
    Support for IPv4 and IPv6 (FreeBSD/Cisco only) overlays:
    using IPsec if desired (FreeBSD/Cisco only)
    using dynamic routing via quagga if desired (experimental)
    using dynamic DNS/DNSSEC if desired (experimental)
    using inserted delays/losses via dummynet (FreeBSD only)
    Increased API capabilities
    support for custom netlist (adjacency list)
	    XML-based API and UI
    Fault tolerance and recovery
    recover from disk state after any transaction
    nested transaction rollback/recovery
    heartbeats with automatic cleanup
    Security
    S/MIME protection on invitation messages
    SSL protection on configuration channels
    access control lists for individual resource management
    Text-based client

The X-Bone is implemented in Perl, and open source is provided.

The X-Bone can be used for:

       - deploying VPNs

       - sharing lab or wide-area networks
          for multiple, concurrent projects
          for testing protocols and apps on new topologies

X-Bone uses two-layer IP in IP tunneled overlays and supports existing
applications and unmodified routing, multicast, and DNS services.
X-Bone also support IPSec within overlays. Applications can use the
X-Bone without modification or recompilation.

The X-Bone is available for the following operating systems:

       - FreeBSD
               4.7+

       - Linux
           2.6.0+ (Redhat Fedora Core 2+)

Further information and details and the port and RPM files are currently
available at:

     http://www.isi.edu/xbone/software/release_3_2.html

- - Joe Touch
   Project Leader, X-Bone/DynaBone/X-Tend, USC/ISI
   touch at isi.edu
   http://www.isi.edu/touch
   +1 (310) 448-9151

- -------------------------------------------------------------------
  Effort partly sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research
  Projects Agency (DARPA)and Air Force Research Laboratory,
  Air Force Materiel Command, USAF, under agreements F30602-98-1-0200
  entitled 'X-Bone' and F30602-01-2-0529 entitled 'DynaBone'.

  Effort partly sponsored by National Science Foundation under
  Grant Nos. <NETFS: ANI-0129689and <STI-XTEND: ANI-0230789>.