Package: kathara
Official WebsiteWhat is it?How does it work?InstallationQuick ExamplePublicationsExternal ToolsSuccess StoriesJoin UsDocker Images and DockerfilesExamples and TutorialsPython APIsMan PagesWhat is it?Kathará(from the Greek Καθαρά,purely) is a lightweight network emulation system based on Docker containers.
It can be really helpful in showing interactive demos/lessons, testing production networks in a sandbox environment, or developing new network protocols.Kathará is the spiritual successor of the notoriousNetkit, hence it is cross-compatible, and inherits its language and features.How does it work?Each network device is emulated by a container.
Virtual network devices are interconnected by virtual L2 LANs.Each container can potentially run a different Docker image. Built-in images includeQuagga,FRRouting,Bind,P4,OpenVSwitch, and more, but you can also use your own container images.
For more information about Kathará images please visit the dedicatedrepository.Kathará extremely simplifies the creation of complex networks using the concept ofnetwork scenario: a directory containing a file with the network topology, and, foreach device, files and folders containing the configuration of that device.Kathará emulates network scenarios using either Docker or Kubernetes as backend virtualization system.InstallationInstall Docker and then run the installer specific for your Operating System. For a step-by-step guide check theWiki.For further information on how to use Kathará on Kubernetes (Megalos) please refer to theWiki Page.Kathará also provides a set of Python APIs.
See thePython APIs Tutorialand thedocs.Quick ExampleInstall Kathará by following the Installation section.Download and unpack the network scenario of a "Small Internet" fromhere(network topology can be foundhere).cdinsidesmall-internet-with-dns-webserverand runkathara lstart.Kathará will read the configuration of the scenario fromlab.confand the various*.startupfiles and start the devices, opening terminal windows to interact with them.After you're done experimenting, simply runkathara lcleanand wait until the network scenario closes.Publications and PresentationsKathará is developed byRoma Tre Computer Networks and Security Research Group.Several publications are related to the tool:Kathará: A container-based framework for implementing network function virtualization and software defined networks(at NOMS 2018)PresentationMegalos: A Scalable Architecture for the Virtualization of Network Scenarios(at NOMS 2020)PresentationKathará: A Lightweight Network Emulation System(at NOMS 2020)PresentationBest Demo Paper AwardMegalos: A Scalable Architecture for the Virtualization of Large Network Scenarios(in MDPI Future Internet Journal 2021)Sibyl: a Framework for Evaluating the Implementation of Routing Protocols in Fat-Trees(at NOMS 2022)NOMS2022 PresentationRTGWG Session at IETF114Kathará has been also presented in meetings and workshops:RIFT Working Group Meeting(IETF 107 - March 2020)Kathará: A Lightweight Network Emulation System (Italian Audio)(GraphRM - June 2022)Kathará: A Lightweight and Scalable Network Emulation System(RIPE 85 - October 2022)External ToolsNetkit Lab Generator, a GUI that allows the easy creation of a network scenario configuration and the visualization of its network topology.VFTGen, a tool that allows to create three levels Fat Tree topologies (single-plane or multi-planes) and automatically configure them to run on Kathará.Tacatá, a lightweight Python script which creates Netkit and Kathará labs using an enriched version of the lab.conf file with a simple syntax.net-vis, a tool that parses (and generates) thelab.conffile and all the.startupfiles to visualize the network.Being based on Netkit, all the previous tools still work.Success StoriesAs far as we know, Kathará is currently being used in manycourses and projects.We encourage you to tell us your story!We are also collecting network scenarios from the community. If you want to be added to thelist, please contact us!Join UsKathará is an open source project.
Feel free to download the code, play with it, and submit feature requests, notify bugs, or open pull requests!Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the development of Kathará!