Distributed Real-time 3D Visualization of network analysis data

Cichlid is a visualization tool for rapidly visualizing arbitrary data sets in high-quality 3D, while allowing the viewer to explore and interact with the data sets in real time.  It was designed with remote data generation and machine independence in mind; data is transmitted via TCP from any number of sources (data servers) to the visualization code (the client), which displays them concurrently.


 

This environment for data collection/abstraction and visualization is very flexible since the client software has no built-in knowledge about the specifics of the data it displays. The distributed server/client environment requires only low bandwidth between the analysis machine and the user interface.

Sample analysis servers are implemented in the OCXmon environment, that collect traffic traces and process the measurement data to generate, e.g., data matrices. This matrix is displayed real-time in 3D on a remote visualization client. Such a passive monitor collects and analyzes without impact to the network by the measurement itself.

This tool is also being used as part of the active measurement activities, where for several months NLANR has been collecting network delays, packet loss and topology information across vBNS connected sites. The data are presented as daily, weekly, and long-term plots as well as network topology graphs. In addition a 3D visualisation allows animation of a network terrain.
 

Demos for SC'98

  • Active measurement activities

  •  
  • OCxmon environment

  • Sample servers in OCxmon environment for SC'98 are described below: