LaasNetExp: A generic polymorphic platform for network emulation and experiments

Abstract

Network experiments are essential for assessing and validating new networking technologies, architectures and protocols. These assessments have long been performed using network simulators. But it clearly appeared that the results got in simulations cannot be reproduced in real environment. Emulators can hardly integrate accurate models of all networking components, end host operating systems and applications what leads to unrealistic simulations very often. Therefore, some work has been issued for developing real experiment platform and network emulators. This paper addresses the motivations that raised the design and development of such an experimental platform at LAAS - laasnetexp - and describes its constituting features and components. It is in particular detailed how experimental conditions can be fully controlled for reproducible and easy to analyze experiments. Last, this paper describes how realistic conditions can be set-up in experiments by using the results of actual Internet and Internet traffic characterization, analysis and modeling. Such information helps to realistically configure emulators as well as define realistic traffic generators. The realism of such experiments is illustrated as a demonstration of the interest of laasnetexp for networking research.