Disnes: a distributed network emulation systeva for gigabit networks

Abstract

This paper describes the DIStributed Network Emulation Sys tem (DISNES) modeling architecture for a gigabit per second Lo cal Area Network (LAN). The emulation of networks is an im portant capability for rapidly bringing new network technology to market because it allows for the simultaneous research and devel opment of network hardware and software. A modular, object oriented strategy is employed to model network components fea turing different functionalities. The distributed emulation system has demonstrated its usefulness by allowing the rapid development of a network management interface and a model for network man agement information. In particular, DISNES incorporates an ex perimental portion of the Internet Management Information Base (IMIB), operated through the Simple Network Management Pro tocol (SNMP), which defines objects for managing Permanent Vir tual Circuit (PVC) parameters on Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switches. The flexibility of DISNES makes it especially suitable for the development of distributed networked protocols and applications.