On the Performance of Linux Container with Netmap/VALE for Networks Virtualization

In this paper we study the problem of how to simulate complex networks on general-purpose hardware in an efficient, feasible and scalable way. State of the art solutions for network simulation are based on the virtualization of network simulators (so as to emulate network’s nodes) or on the usage of specialized software that models the network itself (so as to emulate network’s links). The former solution suffers in terms of computational overhead and global network’s throughput, while the latter can’t be employed in actual real-world scenarios. We focus on the interconnection technologies between network nodes, implemented as Linux Containers, by evaluating a recent framework for packet exchange, Netmap, coupled with a Virtual Local Ethernet used as a generic high speed bus, VALE. We then compared our work with existing and standard Linux solutions, namely Virtual Ethernet interfaces and Virtual Bridges, finding out that our approach allows efficient simulation of complex networks by means of virtualization techniques, nevertheless achieving both high throughput and low overhead when exchanging packets among nodes.