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OpenSN: An Open Source Library for Emulating LEO Satellite Networks

  • Beihang University

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellations (e.g., Starlink) are becoming the necessary component of future Internet. There have been increasing studies on LEO satellite networking. It is a crucial problem how to evaluate these studies in a systematic and reproducible manner. In this paper, we present OpenSN, i.e., an open-source library for emulating large-scale satellite network (SN). Different from Mininet-based SN emulators (e.g., LeoEM), OpenSN adopts container-based virtualization, thus allows for running distributed routing software on each node, and can achieve horizontal scalability via flexible multi-machine extension. Compared to other container-based SN emulators (e.g., StarryNet), OpenSN streamlines the interaction with Docker command line interface and significantly reduces unnecessary operation of creating virtual links. These modifications improve emulation efficiency and vertical scalability on a single machine. Furthermore, OpenSN separates user-defined configuration from container network management via a key-value database that records the necessary information of SN emulation. Such a separation architecture enhances the function extensibility. To sum up, OpenSN exhibits advantages in efficiency, scalability, and extensibility, thus is a valuable open-source library that empowers research on satellite networking. Experimental results show that OpenSN can construct mage-constellations 5X-10X faster than StarryNet, and update link state 2X-4X faster than Mininet.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAPNET 2024 - Proceedings of the 8th Asia-Pacific Workshop on Networking
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages149-155
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9798400717581
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Aug 2024
Event8th Asia-Pacific Workshop on Networking, APNET 2024 - Sydney, Australia
Duration: 3 Aug 20244 Aug 2024

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference8th Asia-Pacific Workshop on Networking, APNET 2024
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CitySydney
Period3/08/244/08/24

Keywords

  • LEO constellation
  • Open-source library
  • Satellite network emulator

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