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Add Results.tex for baseline profile

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2026-03-17 18:44:49 +01:00
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Chapters/Introduction.tex
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@@ -23,9 +23,9 @@ reproducible.
Peer-to-peer architectures promise censorship-resistant, fault-tolerant
infrastructure by eliminating single points of failure
\cite{shukla_towards_2021}.
These architectures underpin a growing range of systems---from IoT
edge computing
and content delivery networks to blockchain platforms like Ethereum.
These architectures underpin a growing range of systems, from IoT
edge computing and content delivery networks to blockchain platforms
like Ethereum.
Yet realizing these benefits requires distributing nodes across
genuinely diverse hosting entities.
@@ -69,16 +69,15 @@ mesh VPNs enable direct peer-to-peer connectivity without requiring
static IP addresses or manual firewall configuration.
Each node receives a stable virtual address within the overlay network,
regardless of its underlying network topology.
This capability is transformative:
it allows a device behind consumer-grade NAT to participate
as a first-class peer in a distributed system,
In practice, this means a device behind consumer-grade NAT can
participate as a first-class peer in a distributed system,
removing the primary technical advantage that cloud providers hold.
The Clan deployment framework builds on this foundation.
Clan leverages Nix and NixOS to eliminate entire classes of
configuration errors prevalent in contemporary infrastructure deployment,
reducing operational overhead to a degree where a single administrator
can reliably self-host complex distributed services.
Clan uses Nix and NixOS to eliminate configuration drift and
dependency conflicts, reducing operational overhead enough for a
single administrator to reliably self-host complex distributed
services.
Overlay VPNs are central to Clan's architecture,
providing the secure peer connectivity that enables nodes
to form cohesive networks regardless of their physical location or
@@ -92,10 +91,8 @@ During the development of Clan, a recurring challenge became apparent:
practitioners held divergent preferences for mesh VPN solutions,
each citing different edge cases where their chosen VPN
proved unreliable or lacked essential features.
These discussions were largely grounded in anecdotal evidence
rather than systematic evaluation.
This observation revealed a clear need for rigorous,
evidence-based comparison of peer-to-peer overlay VPN implementations.
These discussions were grounded in anecdotal evidence rather than
systematic evaluation, motivating the present work.
\subsection{Related Work}
@@ -122,9 +119,9 @@ Beyond filling this research gap, a further goal was to create a fully
automated benchmarking framework capable of generating a public
leaderboard, similar in spirit to the js-framework-benchmark
(see Figure~\ref{fig:js-framework-benchmark}). By providing an
accessible web interface with regularly updated results, we hope to
encourage P2P VPN developers to optimize their implementations in
pursuit of top rankings.
accessible web interface with regularly updated
results, the framework gives VPN developers a concrete, public
baseline to measure against.
\section{Research Contribution}
@@ -132,8 +129,8 @@ This thesis makes the following contributions:
\begin{enumerate}
\item A comprehensive benchmark of ten peer-to-peer VPN
implementations across seven workloads. Including real-world
video streaming and package downloads; and four network
implementations across seven workloads (including real-world
video streaming and package downloads) and four network
impairment profiles, producing over 300 unique measurements.
\item A source code analysis of all ten VPN implementations,
combining manual code review with LLM-assisted analysis,
@@ -146,9 +143,9 @@ This thesis makes the following contributions:
independent replication of all results.
\item A performance analysis demonstrating that Tailscale
outperforms the Linux kernel's default networking stack under
degraded conditions, and that kernel parameter tuning; Reno
congestion control in place of CUBIC, with RACK
disabled; yields measurable throughput improvements.
degraded conditions, and that kernel parameter tuning (Reno
congestion control in place of CUBIC, with RACK
disabled) yields measurable throughput improvements.
\item The discovery of several security vulnerabilities across
the evaluated VPN implementations.
\item An automated benchmarking framework designed for public
@@ -225,7 +222,7 @@ This thesis makes the following contributions:
\caption{Stage 8}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Visionary Webinterface to Setup a Clan Family Network}
\caption{Planned web interface for setting up a Clan family network}
\label{fig:vision-stages}
\end{figure}