LiteLab: Efficient Large-scale Network Experiments

Abstract: Large-scale network experiments is a challenging problem. Simulations, emulations, and real-world testbeds all have their advantages and disadvantages. In this paper we present LiteLab, a light-weight platform specialized for large-scale networking experiments. We cover in detail its design, key features, and architecture. We also perform an extensive evaluation of LiteLab's performance and accuracy and show that it is able to both simulate network parameters with high accuracy, and also able to scale up to very large networks. LiteLab is flexible, easy to deploy, and allows researchers to perform large-scale network experiments with a short development cycle. We have used LiteLab for many different kinds of network experiments and are planning to make it available for others to use as well.