Community-Lab introduction

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     2      2   
     3      3   * Introduction
     4      4   Hello, I'm (Speaker) from (organization), I work at the CONFINE project and
     5      5   I'm going to talk you about Community-Lab, a community networking testbed for
     6      6   the future Internet. *##*
     7      7   
     8      8   ** Community networks
     9         -- Infrastructure deployed by organized groups of people for self-provision of
    10         -  broadband networking that works and grows according to their own interests.
    11         -- Like some Free software projects: based on open participation, open and
    12         -  transparent management, distributed ownership (a big step beyond private and
    13         -  state-owned infrastructures).
    14         -- These also translate into open, free (as in freedom) and neutral networks,
    15         -  values akin to the Free software movement.  Some have mutual agreement texts
    16         -  similar to Free software liceses.
    17         -- The EU in its Digital Agenda regards CNs as fundamental for the
    18         -  universalization of broadband networking. *##*
            9  +- For those of you who are new to the term, CNs are infrastructure deployed by
           10  +  organized groups of people for the self-provision of broadband networking
           11  +  that works and grows according to their own interests.
           12  +- Like some Free software projects, they are based on open participation, open
           13  +  and transparent management, and distributed ownership.  This is a big step
           14  +  beyond private and state-owned infrastructures.
           15  +- The previous characteristics translate into open, free (as in freedom) and
           16  +  neutral networks, values in consonance with the Free software movement.
           17  +  Some CNs even have mutual agreement texts similar to Free software liceses.
           18  +- Atypical as it may seem, the EU in its Digital Agenda regards CNs as
           19  +  fundamental for the universalization of broadband networking. *##*
    19     20   
    20     21   ** The CONFINE project
    21         -- EU-financed project with several partners: CNs, research institutions and
    22         -  supporting NGOs.
    23         -- Mission: support the sustainable growth of CNs by providing the means to
    24         -  conduct experimentally driven research.
    25         -- Supports other projects advancing or extending CNs via financed Open Calls
    26         -  (now closed).
    27         -- Provides a testbed and associated tools and knowledge for researchers to
    28         -  experiment on real CNs. *##*
           22  +- Under the umbrella of the Digital Agenda, CONFINE is a EU-financed project
           23  +  with several partners: CNs, research institutions and supporting NGOs.
           24  +- Its mission is to support the sustainable growth of CNs by providing the
           25  +  means to conduct experimentally driven research.
           26  +- It also supports other projects advancing or extending CNs via financed Open
           27  +  Calls (which are now closed).
           28  +- Last but not least, CONFINE provides a testbed and the associated tools and
           29  +  knowledge for researchers to experiment on real CNs. *##*
    29     30   
    30     31   ** Community-Lab
    31         -- CONFINE's testbed: an environment built with real hardware taking part in
    32         -  real community networks to allow realistic experimental research on network
    33         -  technologies and services.
    34         -- Mostly like PlanetLab: global scale, with experiments sharing resources on a
    35         -  best effort basis, and as few hardwired management mechanisms as possible.
    36         -- Supporting the peculiarities of CNs: distributed ownership, fairness between
    37         -  users, diversity but also instability.
    38         -- All Community-Lab's software and documentation is “free as in freedom” so
    39         -  you can use it to setup your own CONFINE testbed. *##*
           32  +- Community-Lab is that testbed: an environment built with real hardware
           33  +  taking part in actual community networks to allow realistic experimental
           34  +  research on network technologies and services.
           35  +- Mostly like PlanetLab, it is global scale, with experiments sharing
           36  +  resources on a best effort basis, and having as few hardwired management
           37  +  mechanisms as possible.
           38  +- However, it supports the peculiarities of CNs: their distributed ownership,
           39  +  the fairness between their users, and their diversity but also
           40  +  their instability.
           41  +- It's important to note that all Community-Lab's software and documentation
           42  +  is “free as in freedom” so you can use them to setup your own CONFINE
           43  +  testbed. *##*
    40     44   
    41     45   ** Community-Lab as community infrastructure
    42     46   
    43         -- CONFINE can help physically extend CNs with new Community-Lab nodes.
    44         -- Nodes can also host services like web servers, video broadcast
    45         -  stations, etc.
    46         -- Nodes can also be used as infrastructure for cloud infrastructure provided
    47         -  and managed by the community for the community: Clommunity project. *##*
           47  +- Besids supporting experimentation, CONFINE helps physically extend CNs with
           48  +  new Community-Lab nodes.
           49  +- These nodes can also host services like web servers, video broadcast
           50  +  stations, etc. for the community.
           51  +- In a more sophisticated approach, nodes can also be used to implement cloud
           52  +  infrastructure provided and managed by the community for the community.
           53  +  This is the mission of the Clommunity project. *##*
    48     54   
    49     55   * Architecture and technologies
    50     56   ** Testbed architecture
    51     57   - Community-Lab consists of a set of nodes (managed by CN members) that follow
    52     58     the configuration in a set of servers (managed by testbed operators).
    53     59   - All components in the testbed become reachable via a dedicated management
    54     60     network implemented as an IPv6 overlay.
................................................................................
    56     62   - Nodes use a REST API to get those definitions from servers and run several
    57     63     of them simultaneously as VMs (so called slivers).
    58     64   - Slivers can access the CN via NAT, natively at the network layer, or in an
    59     65     isolated VLAN for routing experiments. *##*
    60     66   
    61     67   ** Technologies
    62     68   - Nodes are connected via Ethernet to normal community devices.
    63         -- Nodes are moderately powerful computers running OpenWrt with a daemon
    64         -  written in Lua.  Slivers are implemented as Linux containers.  We are
           69  +- Nodes are moderately powerful computers running OpenWrt with a control
           70  +  daemon written in Lua.  Slivers are implemented as Linux containers.  We are
    65     71     working on safe node upgrade using kexec.
    66     72   - The GUI and REST API in servers are implemented as Django applications.
    67     73   - The IPv6 overlay used for the management network is a tinc mesh VPN.
    68     74   - We use Git, Redmine, Jenkins and our Virtual CONFINE Tesbed (VCT) package
    69     75     for development and testing. *##*
    70     76   
    71     77   * Collaborations
................................................................................
    74     80     protocols, the DLEP protocol for collecting link characteristics, the NodeDB
    75     81     for describing CN nodes, the lower-level Wibed testbed, and the quick mesh
    76     82     project distro.
    77     83   - CONFINE also collaborates in events like the Wireless Battle Mesh and the
    78     84     International Summit for Community Wireless Netwroks. *##*
    79     85   
    80     86   * Future
    81         -- In the near future we plan to work on the testing, stabilization and
           87  +- In the near future we plan to work further on the testing, stabilization and
    82     88     documentation of the testbed to make it more maintainable and usable for the
    83     89     long term.
    84     90   - We will also start work on federating CONFINE testbeds between themselves
    85     91     and with PlanetLab-like testbeds using the Slice-based
    86     92     Federation Architecture.
    87         -- We will be gradually opening the Community-Lab testbed to all kind of
           93  +- We will be gradually opening the Community-Lab testbed to all kinds of
    88     94     external users in the networking and academic communities. *##*
    89     95   
    90     96   * Participate!
    91     97   - So this was a very schematic summary about community networks, the CONFINE
    92     98     project and its Community-Lab testbed.
    93     99   - For more information you can visit these links or meet us in person in the
    94    100     CONFINE stand in the K building.
    95    101   
    96    102   (Questions? Thanks!)
    97    103   
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