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An integrated experimental environment for distributed systems and networks
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2002
Year
Unknown Venue
Emulation TechniqueEngineeringComputer ArchitectureNetwork AnalysisNetwork SimulatorsDistributed EnvironmentSystems EngineeringTestbedExperimental EnvironmentsNetwork VirtualizationComputer EngineeringDistributed SystemsComputer ScienceDistributed SimulationNetwork SimulationEdge ComputingCloud ComputingIntegrated Experimental EnvironmentResource AllocationSystem Software
Network and distributed systems research traditionally relies on three experimental environments—network emulators, simulators, and live networks—whose continued use underscores both their value and inadequacy. Netbed’s purpose is to deliver an easy‑to‑use, controllable, and realistic experimentation platform by consistently applying virtualization and abstraction to serve as a virtual machine for network experiments. Netbed, a descendant of Emulab, integrates emulation, simulation, and wide‑area networks, providing resource allocation, scheduling, and virtualization of heterogeneous resources to configure and access mixed‑mode networks. This integration enables new experimental methods, such as automated parameter‑space studies in emulation and straightforward comparisons across simulated, emulated, and wide‑area scenarios.
Three experimental environments traditionally support network and distributed systems research: network emulators, network simulators, and live networks. The continued use of multiple approaches highlights both the value and inadequacy of each. Netbed, a descendant of Emulab, provides an experimentation facility that integrates these approaches, allowing researchers to configure and access networks composed of emulated, simulated, and wide-area nodes and links. Netbed's primary goals are ease of use, control , and realism , achieved through consistent use of virtualization and abstraction.By providing operating system-like services, such as resource allocation and scheduling, and by virtualizing heterogeneous resources, Netbed acts as a virtual machine for network experimentation. This paper presents Netbed's overall design and implementation and demonstrates its ability to improve experimental automation and efficiency. These, in turn, lead to new methods of experimentation, including automated parameter-space studies within emulation and straightforward comparisons of simulated, emulated, and wide-area scenarios.