[e2e] New Emulab Features and Machines

[Jay Lepreau]

I'm pleased to announce public availability of these features and
hardware on the Utah Emulab facility, for anyone with a valid
research, educational, or development use.  See http://www.emulab.net
for details or to sign up.

1. These five new types of nodes and networks can be mixed and matched,
are fully integrated into Emulab, and support (almost) all of its features.

  * Wireless 802.11a/b/g.  9 nodes now, 30 any day, more later.
  * 8 IXP1200 network processors.
  * VM-based nodes and networks; scales to 2000 high-degree nodes.
  * All PlanetLab nodes; many features: www.emulab.net/doc/plabexamples.pdf
  * ns-based simulated nodes and networks.
  And existing:
  + 180 PCs with 5 ethernet interfaces
  +  45 RON/netbed widearea nodes

We've had some of these node types for ~8 months (VMs, PlanetLab) but
they were not widely advertised; others are newly featureful (ns).

2. XML-RPC interface to Emulab.  Control Emulab from your desktop
command line or roll your own client in your favorite scripting language.

3. GUI client for creating and interacting with experiments, as an adjunct
or alternative to the Web interface.  Build/edit topologies graphically,
click on nodes to login, click on links to change properties, etc.  Alpha
software, but useful.  www.emulab.net/netlab/client.php3

  * Build and interact with the topology from a single interface.
  * Interact with existing topologies.
  * Support for Emulab-specific extensions to the NS syntax.
  * Uses the Emulab XML-RPC interface.
  * Integrated access to node consoles.

4. Many other features added long ago, including:
  * Flexible barrier synchronization
  * SFS support
  * Integrated event system
      -Schedule events statically as in 'ns', or dynamically
      -Control arbitrary programs, links, nodes

Jay Lepreau
University of Utah