Thesis Network Emulators

This repository collects network emulation scenarios used for a thesis-level comparison of:

• Mininet
• Containernet
• Kathara

The scenarios cover recurring networking topics such as static/dynamic routing, DNS hierarchies, BGP, load balancing, and performance logging.

Repository Layout

• Containernet/
  • DNS Simple/: single DNS server plus clients
  • DNS Kathara/: multi-level DNS hierarchy (root, TLD, authoritative, web servers, clients)
  • start.sh: helper script to run a Containernet topology
• Kathara/
  • ThesisLabs/: scenario-based labs (BGP, DNS, OSPF, RIP, LoadBalancer, etc.)
  • Performance Test/: usage logging and graph generation
• Mininet/
  • Thesis Scenarios/: scenario-based Mininet equivalents
  • Performance Test/: usage logging and graph generation

Requirements

Install and configure the following on Linux:

• Python 3.8+
• Docker
• Open vSwitch
• Mininet
• Containernet
• Kathara

Python packages used by graph scripts:

• matplotlib

Example installation for plotting:

python3 -m pip install matplotlib

Quick Start

1) Containernet DNS Simple

cd "Containernet/DNS Simple"
chmod +x build-images.sh
./build-images.sh
sudo python3 containernet_dns_topo.py

2) Containernet DNS Hierarchy (Kathara-like)

cd "Containernet/DNS Kathara"
chmod +x build-images.sh
./build-images.sh
sudo python3 containernet_dns_topo.py

3) Kathara Labs

Each scenario in Kathara/ThesisLabs/ has a lab.conf and startup files.

Typical flow:

cd Kathara/ThesisLabs/DNS
kathara lstart
kathara linfo
kathara connect pc1
# run tests
kathara lclean

4) Mininet Scenarios

Run the Mininet scenario scripts from the corresponding scenario folder under Mininet/Thesis Scenarios/.

Use sudo when needed by Mininet/OVS commands.

Performance Logging and Plotting

Both Mininet and Kathara sections include tools to log resource usage over time and generate SVG graphs.

Mininet

1. Start logging:

cd "Mininet/Performance Test"
chmod +x logger.sh
./logger.sh

2. Run your scenario.
3. Stop the logger (Ctrl+C).
4. Generate graphs:

python3 GraphCreator.py .

Kathara

1. Start logging:

cd "Kathara/Performance Test"
chmod +x log_docker.sh
./log_docker.sh

2. Run your scenario.
3. Stop the logger (Ctrl+C).
4. Generate graphs:

python3 GraphCreator.py .

Generated graphs are saved as SVG files in output folders created by each graph script.

Notes

• Many scenarios require root privileges due to virtual networking and namespace operations.
• Docker images for Containernet DNS scenarios must be built before launching topologies.
• If DNS tests fail, verify container IP addresses and /etc/resolv.conf inside emulated nodes.

Suggested Validation Commands

Inside client nodes (Containernet/Kathara):

ping -c 3 192.168.0.5
nslookup www.example.com
dig @192.168.0.5 www.example.com

Adjust hostnames and DNS server IPs based on the active scenario.