Standalone Mininet Docker Container

A ready-to-use Docker container with Mininet and Ryu controller for SDN development and testing.

✅ Apple Silicon Compatible - This container is fully tested and optimized for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) Macs.

Created by Amirreza Alibeigi

Features

• Mininet: Full mininet installation for network emulation
• Ryu Controller: SDN controller framework pre-installed
• Network Tools: iperf, ping, curl, and other network utilities
• Development Environment: Python 3, pip, git, vim, nano
• Privileged Mode: Full network capabilities for creating virtual networks
• Host Networking: Direct access to host network interfaces
• Persistent Storage: Projects directory mounted for code persistence
• Apple Silicon Support: Optimized for M1/M2/M3 Macs with full compatibility
• Ready Examples: Pre-built controller and topology examples included

Quick Start

1. Build the Container

./docker-run.sh build

2. Run the Container

./docker-run.sh run

3. Test Mininet

Inside the container:

# Test basic mininet functionality
sudo mn --test pingall

# Create simple topology
sudo mn --topo single,3 --controller remote,ip=127.0.0.1,port=6653

# In mininet prompt:
mininet> pingall
mininet> h1 ping h2
mininet> exit

4. Test with Included Examples

# Terminal 1: Start example Ryu controller
ryu-manager examples/simple_controller.py

# Terminal 2: In new shell (./docker-run.sh shell)
python3 examples/simple_topology.py

# Test connectivity in mininet prompt:
mininet> pingall
mininet> exit

Available Commands

./docker-run.sh build     # Build Docker image
./docker-run.sh run       # Start container interactively
./docker-run.sh shell     # Enter running container
./docker-run.sh stop      # Stop container
./docker-run.sh status    # Show container status
./docker-run.sh logs      # View container logs
./docker-run.sh clean     # Remove container and image
./docker-run.sh help      # Show help

Container Features

Pre-installed Software

• Ubuntu 20.04 base (ARM64/AMD64 compatible)
• Mininet 2.3+ (built from source for Apple Silicon)
• Python 3.8+
• Ryu SDN Controller 4.34
• Open vSwitch (auto-started)
• Network utilities (iperf, ping, curl, wget)
• Development tools (git, vim, nano)
• Example SDN controller and topology files

Network Configuration

• Privileged mode: Required for creating network namespaces
• Host networking: Direct access to host network interfaces
• Port exposure: 6653 (OpenFlow), 8080 (REST API), 8000 (Web server)

File Persistence

• /app/projects/ - Mounted from host ./projects/ directory
• Store your SDN projects here for persistence across container restarts

Usage Examples

Basic Mininet Testing

# Simple topology test
sudo mn --test pingall

# Custom topology
sudo mn --topo tree,depth=2,fanout=3

# With bandwidth limits
sudo mn --link tc,bw=10

# Linear topology with 4 switches
sudo mn --topo linear,4

SDN Controller Development

# 1. Create a simple controller (in projects/ directory)
# 2. Start controller in one terminal
cd /app/projects
ryu-manager my_controller.py

# 3. Start mininet in another terminal
sudo mn --controller remote,ip=127.0.0.1,port=6653

Load Testing

# Start iperf server on host h2
mininet> h2 iperf -s &

# Generate traffic from h1 to h2
mininet> h1 iperf -c 10.0.0.2 -t 30

# UDP traffic with specific bandwidth
mininet> h1 iperf -c 10.0.0.2 -u -b 100M -t 30

Project Integration

To use this container with your existing SDN projects:

1. Copy project files to the projects/ directory:

   cp -r /path/to/your/sdn/project ./projects/

2. Start container:

   ./docker-run.sh run

3. Navigate to your project:

   cd /app/projects/your-project

4. Run your SDN application:

   # Start controller
   ryu-manager your_controller.py
   
   # In another terminal
   ./docker-run.sh shell
   sudo python3 your_topology.py

Troubleshooting

Container Won't Start

# Check Docker is running
docker info

# Rebuild image
./docker-run.sh clean
./docker-run.sh build

Network Issues

# Clean mininet state
sudo mn -c

# Restart Open vSwitch if needed
service openvswitch-switch restart

# Check if ports are available
netstat -tlnp | grep 6653

Apple Silicon Specific

# If you see architecture warnings, rebuild:
./docker-run.sh clean
./docker-run.sh build

# The container uses multi-arch Ubuntu base for compatibility

Permission Issues

# The container runs as root for network privileges
# Files created in projects/ will be owned by root
# To fix ownership on host:
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ./projects/

Advanced Usage

Custom Controller Ports

# Start controller on custom port
ryu-manager --ofp-tcp-listen-port 6654 controller.py

# Connect mininet to custom port
sudo mn --controller remote,ip=127.0.0.1,port=6654

Multiple Controllers

# Primary controller
ryu-manager --ofp-tcp-listen-port 6653 primary.py &

# Secondary controller
ryu-manager --ofp-tcp-listen-port 6654 secondary.py &

# Mininet with failover
sudo mn --controller remote,ip=127.0.0.1,port=6653 \
        --controller remote,ip=127.0.0.1,port=6654

Web Interface Access

# If your controller has a web interface on port 8080
# Access from host browser: http://localhost:8080

Container Management

Persistent Container

# Run container in background
docker run -d --privileged --name mininet-dev \
  --network host \
  -v "$(pwd)/projects:/app/projects" \
  mininet-standalone sleep infinity

# Enter when needed
docker exec -it mininet-dev bash

Resource Monitoring

# Monitor container resources
docker stats mininet-dev

# View container processes
docker exec mininet-dev ps aux

This standalone container provides a complete SDN development environment that can be used independently or integrated with existing projects.

---

Author

Amirreza Alibeigi

• GitHub: @amirreza225
• Politecnico di Milano

This container was developed as part of advanced SDN research and provides a reliable, cross-platform environment for Software Defined Networking development and education.