Mininet: A Simple Virtual Testbed for OpenFlow
                        aka
How to Squeeze a 1024-node OpenFlow Network onto your Laptop

(Extremely Experimental Development Version 0.1, December 2009)

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Mininet creates simple OpenFlow test networks by using process-based
virtualization and network namespaces.

Simulated hosts (as well as switches and controllers with the user
datapath) are created as processes in separate network namespaces. This
allows a complete OpenFlow network to be simulated on top of a single
Linux kernel.

Mininet provides a set of Python classes and functions which enable
creation of OpenFlow networks of varying sizes and topologies.

In order to run Mininet, you must have:

* A Linux 2.6.26 or greater kernel compiled with network namespace support
  enabled. (debian-testing seems to have such a kernel, but it doesn't
  work for compiling nox, unfortunately.)

* The OpenFlow reference implementation (either the user or kernel
  datapath may be used, and the tun or ofdatapath kernel modules must be
  loaded, respectively)

* Python, bash, ping, iperf, etc.

* Root privileges (required for network device access)

* The netns program (included as netns.c), or an equivalent program
  of the same name, installed in an appropriate path location
  
* mininet.py installed in an appropriate Python path location

Currently mininet includes:

- A simple node infrastructure (Host, Switch, Controller classes) for
  creating virtual OpenFlow networks
	
- A simple network infrastructure (class Network and its descendants
  TreeNet, GridNet and LinearNet) for creating scalable topologies and
  running experiments (e.g. TreeNet(2,3).run(pingTest) )
  
- Some simple tests which can be run using someNetwork.run( test )
	
- A simple command-line interface which may be invoked on a network using
  .run( Cli ). It provides useful diagnostic commands, as well as the
  ability to send a command to a node. For example,
  
  mininet> h11 ifconfig -a
  
  tells host h11 to run the command 'ifconfig -a'

- A 'cleanup' script to get rid of junk (interfaces, processes, files in
  /tmp, etc.) which might be left around by mininet. Try this if things
  stop working!
  
- Examples (in examples/ directory) to help you get started.

Batteries are not included (yet!) 

However, some preliminary installation notes are included in the INSTALL
file. Good luck!

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Bob Lantz
[email protected]