The importance of experimentally driven long-term research for the future internet

Current networking technology is built around the Internet Protocol (IP), a communications standard that is thirty years old. Networks were meant for relatively simple data transfers then, and so IP was not designed for the applications that exist today: the world wide web, voice over IP, streaming video, peer-to-peer communications, and so forth. While IP has been very successful, due in large part to its minimalist design, its dominance has made it difficult to experiment with new approaches. Yet the new applications and the new underlying technologies, including notably the emergence of lightweight, ubiquitous, mobile wireless devices, mean that it might be time for radically new network architectures.

Experimentally driven research is key to success in exploring the possible futures for the internet. An open, general-purpose, and sustainable large-scale shared experimental facility will allow European industry and academia to innovate today and to assess the assumptions and performance of their solutions. The OneLab project uses the PlanetLab Europe (PLE) test bed and its own international visibility to make this facility a reality.

OneLab partners operate PlanetLab Europe, extending PlanetLab service across Europe, and federating with other PlanetLab infrastructures worldwide. The project integrates new features and technologies into the system. In particular, OneLab enhances the testbed-native network monitoring service that supports experiments. The project directly involves pilot projects that are potential customers of the test bed, trying out novel ideas in both real-world and synthetic environments. OneLab is building PLE gateways to unusual, cutting-edge networking environments. It is also pushing forward a federation model that enables PLE to serve as a basis for a future highly heterogeneous communications environment.

First phase of the OneLab project (OneLab1) was launched in September 2006 and ran for 24 months. OneLab2 took over on 1 September 2008 and will run for 27 months, building on the achievements of its predecessor.