Efficient Correctness Testing of Linux Network Stack under Packet Dynamics

Network protocols are challenging to test for correctness due to the huge number of packet dynamics possibilities. Network simulators are popular in evaluating the performance of network protocols but unable to test the correctness under different packet dynamics efficiently. Random testing and symbolic execution are two effective automated correctness testing techniques that can explore different program execution possibilities. Random testing is simple and scalable in checking typical cases but often misses corner ones with low probabilities. Symbolic execution is more efficient in exploring these corner cases but suffers from the scalability problem. In this paper, we propose a testing platform built upon a network simulator by implementing a combination of symbolic execution and random testing to mitigate their limitations. Then we evaluate the efficiency of different techniques in testing Linux network stack under multiple possibilities of packet dynamics.