About me:
- Name: Mohit P. Tahiliani
- Bio: Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, India.
- Location: Mangalore, Karnataka, India
- Personal site/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohittahiliani
- Home community: COSH NITK, FOSS United Mangalore City Chapter, network simulator - 3 (ns-3) and Network Stack Tester (NeST)
- Years of association with FOSS: 18 years (2008 - till date)
About my work:
My FOSS journey:
I have been using and contributing to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) since 2008, with a particular focus on systems and networking. My initial contributions to ns-2, the predecessor of ns-3, date back to 2008, when I developed AWK and Perl scripts for post-simulation data processing (https://mohittahiliani.blogspot.com/2009/12/awk-script-for-ns2.html).
Subsequently, I began contributing to ns-3, which was released in 2008, by implementing several network protocols. Together with my students, I have implemented 12 RFCs and 4 Internet-Drafts in ns-3. I currently serve as a member of the ns-3 Steering Council (Steering Council | ns-3) and as a maintainer of its TCP and traffic control modules (Maintainers | ns-3).
I have represented ns-3 in Google Summer of Code (GSoC) for 10 consecutive years, initially as a mentor and subsequently as an organization administrator and mentor. I also served as an organization administrator for ns-3 in Google Code-In in 2019 and 2020.
I am a Founding Member and Lead Maintainer (NeST) of Network Stack Tester (NeST), an open-source network emulation tool developed at NITK Surathkal. My student teams have also contributed to the Linux and FreeBSD network stacks.
Having benefited significantly from open source in my own career, I wanted to create a strategic platform through which my students could leverage the reach and opportunities offered by open-source tools and technologies. This led to the establishment of the Centre of Open-source Software and Hardware (COSH) at NITK Surathkal (https://cosh.nitk.ac.in/).
COSH has since executed more than 10 funded projects involving open-source tools and technologies and has helped produce more than 100 GSoC students, 5 LFX Fellows, 10 GSoC mentors and organization administrators, and more than 30 Google Code-In mentors. Several students trained through COSH continue to contribute regularly to widely used open-source projects.
I also introduced a course on Open Source Networking Technologies (OSNT), which I am teaching for the fourth time this year. I served as the founding City Lead of the FOSS United Mangalore City Chapter for two years and, together with the chapter volunteers, organized the MangaloreFOSS City Conference (Mangalore-City Community).
I have delivered talks at more than 600 institutions in India and abroad, primarily on ns-3 and open-source networking tools. I have also executed more than 27 projects sponsored by industry and open foundations (e.g., ns-3 App Store - Quantum Network Simulation Module), with students playing a significant role in carrying out these projects using open-source tools and technologies.
Currently, I manage the Central Computer Centre at NITK Surathkal, which provides Internet connectivity to approximately 40,000 devices across the campus using open-source networking tools. A project funded by the APNIC Foundation enabled me to migrate the NITK campus network to IPv6, with the entire project executed using open-source networking tools (Migrating NITK Surathkal campus network to IPv6 - APNIC Foundation).
More recently, I executed a project to provide Internet connectivity to Agumbe village in Karnataka, also known as the Malgudi Days town of India. The project deployed more than 130 connections serving schools, hospitals, police stations, orphanages, bus stations, ration societies, Gram Panchayat offices, homestays, restaurants, anti-poaching camps, cobra research centres, and other establishments, all using open-source networking protocols and tools (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHdst6uE_5U).
How and when I came across the FOSS United community:
I came across the FOSS United Community in 2022 when I noticed that IndiaFOSS was being organized. Since then, I have been actively following and participating in FOSS United activities.
Why I am running for the Governing Board:
I have been witnessing the efforts of the FOSS United team to build a structure around the efforts and activities of FOSS enthusiasts and contributors across India, and I believe they have done a great job in creating and nurturing this ecosystem.
I would like to contribute in two areas where I have gained a bit of experience through my work with students, open-source projects, academic institutions, and industry.
First, I would like to help bridge the gap between being excited about FOSS and becoming a long-term contributor to FOSS. I have seen many students become enthusiastic about open source, but sustaining that enthusiasm and helping them progress towards meaningful, long-term contributions requires mentorship, exposure to real projects, and a supportive community. I would like to explore ways in which FOSS United can help more students make this transition and become sustained contributors to the ecosystem.
Second, I would like to contribute towards identifying and leveraging funding opportunities for FOSS projects and communities. There are funding opportunities available through foundations, industry, and other organizations, but many projects and contributors may not have the experience or institutional support needed to identify these opportunities, develop proposals, and execute funded projects effectively. Having executed projects supported by industry and open foundations, I would like to share this experience and help build greater capacity within the FOSS community to access and make effective use of such funding.
I believe these two areas can complement FOSS United’s existing efforts and help strengthen the FOSS ecosystem in India.
Why would I be a good fit:
Having worked in academia for 14 years and been actively engaged with FOSS for 18 years, I have had the opportunity to see first-hand how FOSS can shape individuals, communities, and institutions. Over these years, I have been involved in FOSS not only as a user and contributor, but also as a mentor, maintainer, community organizer, engineer, teacher, and project lead. Much of this work has been driven by volunteering and a long-term commitment to building communities and creating opportunities for others to participate in FOSS.
Things I would like to focus on as a GB member:
Two things as mentioned above: (i) help more students become sustained contributors to the FOSS ecosystem, and (ii) contribute towards identifying and leveraging funding opportunities for FOSS projects and communities. The broader question that I intend to address is: “How do we ensure that participation in FOSS creates meaningful outcomes for both the contributor and the ecosystem?”