Slide 1: Otter:

Otter:

A general-purpose network 
visualization tool




Bradley Huffaker, Evi Nemeth, kc claffy
UCSD/SDSC/CAIDA
bhuffake@caida.org, evi@caida.org, kc@caida.org 
www.caida.org

Slide 2: Overview

Overview


Motivation

Architecture 

Feature Overview

Real World Applications

Future Work

Conclusion

Slide 3: Motivation

Motivation


My boss kept asking for topological maps of different Internet data sets

IP backbones
Mbone
IRCACHE's web caching hierarchy


.... needed to stop reinventing wheel

Slide 4: What do we want to visualize?

What do we want to visualize?


General graph topologies (nodes and edges)

computer networks
physical topologies
logical topologies

routing tables

airline routes

Nodes/edges may have an arbitrary number of attributes

Slide 5: Example of Networks

Example of Networks


airline flight nodes and routes

stops  
airports
schedule

routes 
distance

computer networks

computers
machine names/addresses

links
bandwidth
latency		
cost

Slide 6: Architecture

Architecture

Slide 7: Feature Overview

Feature Overview


Cross-platform Java interface

Standalone and Applet capability

Alternative Placement Algorithms 
(geographical, topological)

Interactive (demo)

Slide 8: Real World Applications

Real World Applications


Multicast Network Topology (`Mbone')

Announced Network Routing information (`BGP')

Slide 9: Multicast Network Topology

Multicast Network Topology

    commercial IP backbone's multicast topology:

Slide 10: Announced Network Routing information

Announced Network Routing information

Slide 11: Conclusion & Futures

Conclusion & Futures


General-purpose graph visualization tool

Versatile
Time saving
Proven utility

Still working on

Better layout algorithms
Support for live data feeds
Animation of aggregated data files

Slide 12: Availability

Availability



http://www.caida.org/Tools/Otter

Java-based
interested in feedback/contributions






                Bradley Huffaker
                bradley@caida.org