EmuStack: An OpenStack-Based DTN Network Emulation Platform

With the advancement of computing and network virtualization technology, the networking research community shows great interest in network emulation. Compared with network simulation, network emulation can provide more relevant and comprehensive details. In this paper, EmuStack, a large-scale real-time emulation platform for Delay Tolerant Network (DTN), is proposed. EmuStack aims at empowering network emulation to become as simple as network simulation. Based on OpenStack, distributed synchronous emulation modules are developed to enable EmuStack to implement synchronous and dynamic, precise, and real-time network emulation. Meanwhile, the lightweight approach of using Docker container technology and network namespaces allows EmuStack to support a (up to hundreds of nodes) large-scale topology with only several physical nodes. In addition, EmuStack integrates the Linux Traffic Control (TC) tools with OpenStack for managing and emulating the virtual link characteristics which include variable bandwidth, delay, loss, jitter, reordering, and duplication. Finally, experiences with our initial implementation suggest the ability to run and debug experimental network protocol in real time. EmuStack environment would bring qualitative change in network research works.

[1]  Sotirios Diamantopoulos,et al.  A DTN testbed architecture , 2009, 2009 International Conference on Ultra Modern Telecommunications & Workshops.

[2]  Scott Burleigh.  Interplanetary Overlay Network: An Implementation of the DTN Bundle Protocol , 2007, 2007 4th IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference.

[3]  Ruhai Wang,et al.  Licklider Transmission Protocol (LTP)-Based DTN for Cislunar Communications , 2011, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking.

[4]  Hongke Zhang,et al.  An Optimization-Based Scheme for Efficient Virtual Machine Placement , 2013, International Journal of Parallel Programming.

[5]  Yan Yang,et al.  A Survey of Routing Protocols and Simulations in Delay-Tolerant Networks , 2011, WASA.

[6]  Nick McKeown,et al.  A network in a laptop: rapid prototyping for software-defined networks , 2010, Hotnets-IX.

[7]  Mike Hibler,et al.  Large-scale Virtualization in the Emulab Network Testbed , 2008, USENIX ATC.

[8]  Wei Hong,et al.  Custody Transfer for Reliable Delivery in Delay Tolerant Networks , 2003 .

[9]  Scott C. Burleigh.  CFDP for Interplanetary Overlay Network , 2011 .

[10]  Nick McKeown,et al.  Reproducible network experiments using container-based emulation , 2012, CoNEXT '12.

[11]  Chadi Assi,et al.  Disruption-Tolerant Networking: A Comprehensive Survey on Recent Developments and Persisting Challenges , 2012, IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials.

[12]  César A. F. De Rose,et al.  Performance Evaluation of Container-Based Virtualization for High Performance Computing Environments , 2013, 2013 21st Euromicro International Conference on Parallel, Distributed, and Network-Based Processing.

[13]  Dave Stewart,et al.  Delay/Disruption-Tolerant Network Testing Using a LEO Satellite , 2008 .

[14]  Amin Vahdat,et al.  Epidemic Routing for Partially-Connected Ad Hoc Networks , 2009 .

[15]  Kevin R. Fall,et al.  A delay-tolerant network architecture for challenged internets , 2003, SIGCOMM '03.

[16]  Lars C. Wolf,et al.  IBR-DTN: A lightweight, modular and highly portable Bundle Protocol implementation , 2011, Electron. Commun. Eur. Assoc. Softw. Sci. Technol..

[17]  Yoichi Shinoda,et al.  Network emulation testbed for DTN applications and protocols , 2013, 2013 IEEE Conference on Computer Communications Workshops (INFOCOM WKSHPS).

[18]  Juan A. Fraire,et al.  Design challenges in contact plans for disruption-tolerant satellite networks , 2015, IEEE Communications Magazine.

[19]  Hongke Zhang,et al.  Promoting efficient communications for high-speed railway using smart collaborative networking , 2015, IEEE Wireless Communications.

[20]  Hongke Zhang,et al.  Social cooperation for information-centric multimedia streaming in highway VANETs , 2014, Proceeding of IEEE International Symposium on a World of Wireless, Mobile and Multimedia Networks 2014.

[21]  Sotirios Diamantopoulos,et al.  SPICE Testbed: A DTN Testbed for Satellite and Space Communications , 2014, TRIDENTCOM.

[22]  Katia Obraczka,et al.  A survey on congestion control for delay and disruption tolerant networks , 2015, Ad Hoc Networks.

[23]  Anders Lindgren,et al.  Probabilistic Routing in Intermittently Connected Networks , 2004, SAPIR.

[24]  Carlo Caini,et al.  Application of Contact Graph Routing to LEO satellite DTN communications , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC).

[25]  Hongke Zhang,et al.  EmuStack: An OpenStack-Based DTN Network Emulation Platform , 2016, 2016 International Conference on Networking and Network Applications (NaNA).