DATUNR: Development of an Always-Available Testbed for Underwater Networking Research

Summary People Publications Software Related Links

Project Summary

DATUNR is an NSF-funded project (CNS-0821750, ``MRI: Development of an Always-Available Testbed for Underwater Networking Research'') to develop a proof-of-concept always available and remotely accessible underwater networking testbed at the Marina del Rey harbor.

Description of the DATUNR Project

Complementing the ORTUN project, the DATUNR project is developing an always-available and remotely-accessible underwater networking testbed in the Marina del Rey harbor. The DATUNR testbed emphasizes frequent iteration on algorithms and experiments by developing the first public underwater testbed that offers 24x7 access to researchers. Such capability will enable a new set of research, especially at higher layers of the networking stack.

The testbed will support multiple acoustic modems, including the micro-modem from WHOI, ISI's SNUSE modem, and a software-based "laptop" modem and communications stack.

As proposed the testbed was to be open to the research community, but due to a large budget cut by NSF (more than 50%), we will develop the testbed as a proof-of-concept to be used by selected researchers. We hope that a future proposal will support a fully open testbed.

Summer 2009 Deployment

Over summer 2009 a two node testbed has been deployed in the Pier 44 marina, directly across the street from ISI. The testbed consists of two eeePC-900 Linux 'netbook' computers, each with a serially connected WHOI modem. The eeePC's and WHOI modems are enclosed in NMEA-4 fiberglass enclosures and secured inside a dock-box (dock-boxes are available at each slip in a marina and are used by boat owners to store supplies and equipment not needed on their boat). The eeePC's use 802.11g to communicate with a relay node, which in turn connects to ISI's computer network. The eeePCs are available over TCP/IP (using ssh, for example) from hosts within ISI's IP block. Initial experiments are underway.

Testebed Photos



WiFi-based network relay (to ISI, bottom; to marina, top)	Control host computer (top) with WHOI modem (underneath)	WHOI modem in the water (tie-off, top; hydrophone, bottom)

Testbed Map

Map of Marina del Rey with Testbed Locations Pinned

People

John Heidemann (PI)
Urbashi Mitra, co-PI
Young H. Cho (co-PI)
Affan A Syed (postdoctoral scholar)

Publications and Presentations

For related publications, please see the I-LENSE publications web page.

Software

See the I-LENSE software distribution web page.