Mininet Docker Demo

A comprehensive Docker container for running Mininet network emulation with sample topologies and demonstrations.

Features

• Updated Base: Ubuntu 24.04 with latest Mininet
• Pre-built Demos: Multiple topology examples and use cases
• Performance Testing: Built-in iperf3 for network performance analysis
• Web Server Demo: HTTP server examples
• Easy Setup: Docker Compose support for quick deployment

Quick Start

Method 1: Using Docker Compose (Recommended)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/prashplus/mininet-docker.git
cd mininet-docker

# Start the container
docker-compose up -d

# Access the container (alternative methods)
docker-compose exec mininet bash
# OR if the above doesn't work:
docker exec -it mininet-demo bash

Method 2: Manual Docker Build

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/prashplus/mininet-docker.git
cd mininet-docker

# Build the image
docker build -t mininet-demo .

# Run the container with required privileges
docker run --name mininet-demo --privileged -it \
  -p 8000:8000 -p 8080:8080 -p 6633:6633 \
  mininet-demo

Method 3: Pull from Docker Hub

docker pull prashplus/mininet-docker
docker run --name mininet-demo --privileged -it \
  -p 8000:8000 -p 8080:8080 -p 6633:6633 \
  prashplus/mininet-docker

Available Demos

Once inside the container, you can run various pre-built demonstrations:

1. Simple Topology (4 hosts, 1 switch)

python3 /root/demos/simple_topology.py

2. Linear Topology

python3 /root/demos/linear_topology.py

3. Tree Topology

python3 /root/demos/tree_topology.py

4. Web Server Demo

python3 /root/demos/webserver_demo.py

5. Performance Testing

python3 /root/demos/performance_test.py

6. SDN Controller Demo

python3 /root/demos/sdn_demo.py

Manual Mininet Usage

Basic Commands

# Start basic mininet with default topology
mn

# Create a specific topology
mn --topo single,3    # Single switch with 3 hosts
mn --topo linear,4    # Linear topology with 4 switches
mn --topo tree,3      # Tree topology with depth 3

# Test connectivity
mininet> pingall

# Run iperf test
mininet> iperf h1 h2

# Open terminal on specific host
mininet> xterm h1

# Exit mininet
mininet> exit

Advanced Usage

# Start with remote controller
mn --controller=remote,ip=127.0.0.1,port=6633

# Custom link parameters
mn --link tc,bw=10,delay=10ms

# Enable CLI with custom topology
mn --custom /root/demos/simple_topology.py --topo mytopo

Network Testing Examples

Connectivity Testing

# Inside mininet CLI
pingall                    # Test all-to-all connectivity
h1 ping h2                # Ping between specific hosts

Performance Testing

# Inside mininet CLI
iperf h1 h2               # TCP bandwidth test
iperf h1 h2 -u            # UDP bandwidth test

Web Server Testing

# On host h1 (inside mininet)
h1 python3 -m http.server 8000 &

# On host h2
h2 curl http://10.0.0.1:8000

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Permission Denied: Make sure to run with --privileged flag
2. Port Conflicts: Check if ports 6633, 8000, 8080 are available
3. OVS Issues: The container automatically starts Open vSwitch
4. Service not running: If docker-compose exec fails, try docker exec -it mininet-demo bash

Docker Compose Issues

# If docker-compose exec doesn't work, try:
docker exec -it mininet-demo bash

# Check if container is running:
docker ps

# Restart the container:
docker-compose down && docker-compose up -d

# Build and start fresh:
docker-compose down && docker-compose build && docker-compose up -d

Debugging

# Check OVS status
ovs-vsctl show

# View network interfaces
ip link show

# Check running processes
ps aux | grep mininet

Development

Adding Custom Topologies

1. Create a new Python file in the demos/ directory
2. Follow the existing examples for structure
3. Rebuild the container or mount the volume

Modifying the Container

# Edit Dockerfile for permanent changes
# Or mount volumes for development:
docker run --privileged -it \
  -v $(pwd)/demos:/root/demos \
  -v $(pwd)/script:/root/script \
  mininet-demo

Technical Details

• Base Image: Ubuntu 24.04
• Mininet Version: Latest stable
• Python Version: 3.12+
• Open vSwitch: Latest stable
• Additional Tools: iperf3, tcpdump, curl, vim

Port Mappings

• 8000: HTTP server demos
• 8080: Alternative HTTP port
• 6633: OpenFlow controller port
• 6653: Secure OpenFlow port

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add your improvements
4. Submit a pull request

Authors

• Prashant Piprotar - Prash+

Visit my blog for more tech content: http://www.prashplus.com

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.