Mininet: A Simple Virtual Testbed for OpenFlow
                    or

How to Squeeze a 1024-node OpenFlow Network onto your Laptop

Alpha release, March 2010

Welcome to the Mininet alpha release!

Mininet creates 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 may be invoked directly from the command line, and also provides a handy Python API for creating networks of varying sizes and topologies.

Mininet is currently in limited alpha release. We encourage you to experiment with it and hope that you will provide us with feedback on features, documentation, and how you're using it. We plan to make it available publicly via a GPL or BSD license (probably in April), but please don't distribute the code or URLs yet! The feedback you provide will help us improve Mininet for general release.

In order to run Mininet, you must have:

• A Linux 2.6.26 or greater kernel compiled with network namespace support enabled (see INSTALL for additional information.)

• An OpenFlow implementation (either the reference user or kernel space implementations, or Open vSwitch.) Appropriate kernel modules (e.g. tun and ofdatapath for the reference kernel implementation) must be loaded.

• Python, bash, ping, iperf, etc.

• Root privileges (required for network device access)

Currently Mininet includes:

• A simple node infrastructure (Host, Switch, Controller classes) for creating virtual OpenFlow networks

• A simple network infrastructure (Mininet class) supporting parametrized topologies (Topo subclasses.) For example, a tree network may be created with the command

  mn --topo tree,depth=2,fanout=3

• Basic tests, including connectivity (ping) and bandwidth (iperf)

• A command-line interface (CLI class) which 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' command to get rid of junk (interfaces, processes, files in /tmp, etc.) which might be left around by Mininet or Linux. Try this if things stop working!

  mn -c

• Examples (in the examples/ directory) to help you get started.

Batteries are not included (yet!)

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

Additionally, much useful information is available on the Mininet wiki:

http://www.openflowswitch.org/foswiki/bin/view/OpenFlow/Mininet

Enjoy, and good luck!

Bob Lantz [email protected]