Rapid Development of Software Components for the Secure Communication of Highly Reliable Optical Cross-Connect Systems

Abstract:
Optical transmission networks make broad use of both proprietary and standard protocols to exchange management and control data. High-capacity network nodes are composed of functional units that depend on reliable and secure data exchange to provide their services. These application protocols are usually specifically designed for the intended purpose. However, this bears the risk that these protocols are incomplete in their specifications, lack appropriate security measures, or introduce vulnerabilities in their – usually manual and thus potentially error-prone – implementation. While the accurate specification and implementation of such protocols is essential for security and reliability, their rapid development is key for commercial success. In our paper, we present a framework for rapid protocol specification, generated implementation, and automated validation that addresses the increasing need for enhanced security as part of the protocol design. We showcase its use for the development process of an optical cross-connect system, particularly addressing the modeling of secure interactions between its functional units. We further illustrate how exchanged protocol sequences can be traced and failures be analyzed efficiently. Finally, we demonstrate how the toolkit supports the creation of automated regression tests.