DIMES (Distributed Internet MEasurements & Simulations) is a distributed computing project that maps the internet at the topological level. Packets are sent from individual computers to pre-defined destinations with a setting to record the router path taken. The packets are then collected/compared to establish a map of the network. The internet physical layer has grown in a haphazard fashion since its inception. The lack of an underlying framework has made mapping of internet connections (i.e. ethernet cables connecting routers) difficult because it can not be done systematically from a single location. DIMES uses a distributed model that overcomes this problem; the data can then be analyzed to strengthen vulnerable sections and to branch into new ones. DIMES discovers how the internet is connected to itself, primarily through volunteer efforts.
See also
External links
- The DIMES home page
- Science Magazine: Data-Bots Chart the Internet (Subscription)
- Visualizing Internet Topology at a Macroscopic Scale - CAIDA
