Developed in Indiana University's Advanced Network Management Lab, the Porcupine is an experiment in next-generation wireless provisioning and management.
The Porcupine is comprised of sixteen modules, each containing a radio, a single-board computer, and a directional antenna, which together are used to identify the sources of network problems that plague large wireless networks. It is designed to capture wireless packets and determine their origins in real time. Each module can be individually assigned to investigate particular network faults, or configured to operate together to facilitate packet-by-packet bearing analysis. For example, one module might attempt to join a rogue wireless network to determine its source and participants, and then provide this data to network operations or security personnel for analysis.
Each of the Porcupine's sixteen separate modules synchronizes its activity with a master console. The console coordinates this activity with additional Porcupines. The Porcupine can operate passively, such as when determining the source and nature of the network participants, and can also operate as an active client or a working wireless access point operating on multiple channels and covering a large area with multiple high-gain antennas.
The Porcupine represents possible future directions in ubiquitous, wellmanaged wireless service. For more on the Porcupine, visit: porcupine.iu.edu.
