1. Overview

dslice is a prototype implementation of dynamic slice creation as described in PDN-02-005. (Please read the PDN-02-005 before continuing.) It consists of an agent daemon, a node manager daemon, and a service manager (a command-line program) which includes an integrated broker. In the current deployment, an agent running on a well-known machine (dslice.planet-lab.org) issues tickets for all nodes. Each node runs a node manager that implements the node's admission control policy and handles lease and sliver management requests. Slices are created using a service manager. Creating a slice entails: (1) obtaining a set of tickets for a set of nodes for a slice through a broker (which in turn contacts an agent), (2) redeeming the tickets for leases by contacting each node manager directly, and (3) using the leases to create virtual machines for each node in the slice. Once created, a slice is further managed by a service manager to perform operations such as adding/removing SSH keys, renewing leases for the slice, etc. Once the appropriate SSH keys have been added, a slice can then be accessed remotely by users using SSH. The slice itself also has a per-slice SSH key pair that allows users to SSH between any node in the slice without a password. This document describes how to install the dslice software and use it to create, manage, and delete dynamic slices on PlanetLab.