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Introduction

Vela provides an easy way for researchers to conduct on-demand topology measurements on Ark. Users can conduct ping and traceroute measurements in IPv4 and IPv6 using ICMP, UDP, or TCP from any Ark monitor.

There are two interfaces to Vela, a command-line interface and a web-based interface. The command-line interface is useful for conducting large-scale feedback-driven, dynamic measurements under the full control of the user's own program (written in any language of the user's choosing, such as Perl, Python, Ruby, or C). The web interface is useful for interactively performing ad-hoc exploratory measurements.

Web Interface

The Vela web interface is at https://vela.caida.org/. See the gallery of Vela screenshots for examples of Vela's capabilities.

We are currently limiting access to the Vela web interface to academic researchers. We hope to provide access to network operators in the future. Please request a Vela web account by completing the Vela Account Request form.

Command-Line Interface

We have an experimental command-line interface for conducting Vela traceroute/ping measurements, but for applications that require direct access for conducting bulk measurements not supported by the Vela web interface we now recommend researchers use the Vela web API.

About the Name Vela

Vela (pronounced VEE-luh) is Latin for the sails of a ship. It is also a constellation representing the sails of the ship Argo Navis, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology. We like the idea of the Vela service being the "sails" used by researchers to travel on the Ark infrastructure.

Questions about Vela?

Please send questions or comments regarding Vela to ark-info@caida.org.