Packetdrill - Scriptable Network Stack Testing, from Sockets to Packets

Explore the innovative packetdrill tool for comprehensive network stack testing in this 17-minute conference talk from USENIX ATC '13. Discover how this open-source scripting tool revolutionizes the testing process for TCP/UDP/IP implementations, covering both IPv4 and IPv6. Learn about its design, implementation, and real-world applications through 657 test cases. Gain insights into how packetdrill facilitated the development of three new Linux TCP features and helped identify and resolve 10 bugs. Understand its crucial role in the development process for one of the world's largest Linux installations. Delve into topics such as the challenges of network stack testing, the packetdrill scripting language design, and practical examples like TCP Fast Retransmit. Examine the tool's implementation, experiences from its use, and the extensive test suite developed for Google's Linux TCP.

Intro
The Problem: Testing Network Stacks is Difficult
The packetdrill Scripting Language: Design
packeldrill Example: TCP Fast Retransmit
packetdrill: Implementation
Experiences with packetdrill
Our Test Suite for Google's Linux TCP
Conclusions