Multi-homing denotes the simultaneous connection of endpoints (e.g. cloud servers, smartphones, etc.) to multiple Internet Service Providers (ISP). That is, the endpoints remain reachable even when some of the ISPs have problems (e.g. malfunction of hardware or break of cables). Besides the redundancy aspect, multi-homing can also make load sharing by multi-path transport possible, i.e. increasing the application throughput by utilising multiple paths simultaneously. Multi-path transport can e.g. be realised by Concurrent Multi-Path Transfer for SCTP (CMT-SCTP) and Multi-Path TCP (MPTCP), two protocols that are currently under standardisation in the IETF.
The growing need for and deployment of multi-homed applications makes large-scale testing and evaluation in realistic Internet setups necessary. For instance, different paths can have very different characteristics with regard to bandwidth, packet loss rate, congestion, delay and jitter. Therefore, the NorNet project of the Simula Research Laboratory is building up an open platform for such experiments: the NorNet testbed. It provides programmable nodes with multiple ISP connections -- wired as well as wireless -- that are distributed all over Norway as well as some international locations. This talk will give an overview over NorNet. Particularly, it will also show how the NorNet testbed can be utilised for research at Hainan University.