Title of Paper: Ohio Network Emulator (ONE) Enhancements for
Satellite Network Research
Principal Author: James McKim
Abstract: The ONE application is a network emulator that
can be run on an off the shelf computer workstation. ONE provides an
inexpensive way to perform the kinds of network emulation of interest in space
network research. Effects that would be otherwise difficult or impossible to
simulate (i.e. communication transit delays as seen by satellites and
spacecraft) can be studied in the lab as new protocols are developed.
ONE was initially developed at Ohio University (1) and has since undergone
major revision at NASA Glenn Research Center Satellite Network and
Architectures branch to enhance the capabilities of ONE pertinent to the space
based Internet protocol research.
Of most interest is the variable propagation delay capability. The software
currently supports propagation delays as defined by output from Satellite
Toolkit (STK) simulation runs. Interfaces to other sources of propagation delay
data can easily be added as needed. Tests of the effects of changing
propagation delays on the performance of networks can be done. This will
facilitate development of strategies to efficiently and reliably handle network
environments like those encountered by spacecraft or satellites.
Other capabilities include: Random Early Detection (RED), an active queue
management strategy that attempts to improve performance and reduce the average
queue length, and Bit Error Rate (BER) simulation (the injection of simulated
noise into the data stream). The design is amenable to inclusion of other
software controlled effects.
The ONE application is being made available to outside researchers in a
open source format. The product will be supported internally, and ideally,
benefit from having the wider external distribution.
(1) Mark Allman,
Adam Caldwell, Shawn Osterman, "ONE: The Ohio
Network Emulator", Ohio University, 1997.