NIST RESEARCHERS DEMONSTRATE SOFTWARE TO MODEL FAULT RECOVERY IN OPTICAL NETWORKS.

In January 2001, at a meeting of principal investigators held by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NIST researchers demonstrated MERLiN, a software tool for modeling fault recovery algorithms in optical networks. The researchers used the tool to model a fault restoration algorithm developed at George Washington University (GWU) as part of a collaborative project funded by DARPA to investigate various attack scenarios and recovery techniques for optical networks. The GWU algorithm pre-computes a set of alternative paths for each optical link in a given network topology, so that when a fault occurs, a backup lightpath can be selected quickly and automatically. The MERLiN model of the GWU algorithm allows a researcher to construct various network topologies, simulate faults in the network, and then observe restoration outcomes through a graphical user interface.

This joint NIST-GWU project was initiated in October 2000 as a part of the DARPA Fault-Tolerant Networks (FTN) program, which sponsors research and development of techniques that can enhance network survivability. Researchers within the program are investigating a wide range of relevant topics, including detection of intrusions and denial-of-service attacks, domain-name system security, server replication and camouflage, and fault-tolerant network protocols. DARPA expects that other researchers, beyond the NIST-GWU team, can use MERLiN as a tool to develop and evaluate additional algorithms for fault detection and restoration in optical networks.