Emulation Abstraction through Middleware - Emulation 102

In my last Emulation 101 post, I talked about why we use emulation instead of expensive real-world systems testing or abstracted software-only simulation. This time, we're talking about the design of our emulation testbed and the software under test.

Emulation Testbed

Our emulation testbed has three main components:

1. The emulation software / framework
2. The software (or system) under test, and
3. The middleware abstraction boundary that makes it possible

I talked about the emulation software and framework in the last post. The software or system under test is the software we're writing that needs to be tested - and emulation is the means we've chosen to do it. The "middleware" is the important part I'd like to discuss today.

Caught Somewhere in Worcester

Last night I took the family to see Iron Maiden - my favorite band of all time and quite possibly the best band in the world, ever.

I saw Iron Maiden in Providence, RI back in January, 1991 - my first concert. Fitting that this was my both of my kids' first concert. They grew up with me playing Maiden in the car, in the house - they knew some songs and even sang along with the chorus to Heaven Can Wait, Fear of the Dark, The Trooper and Wasted Years.

Maine to Massachusetts

Today, I ran across New Hampshire - from Maine to Massachusetts - all along the seacoast.

A nice drive - for my wife and kid who hop-scotched me along the way to trade refilled water bottles and play on the beaches while they waited for me to catch up. An even nicer run to be all along the seacoast most of the way - nice views, cool weather, overcast with just a bit of rain. All-in-all a great run!

Welcome Back Students

This weekend, I decided to run to all the schools in our combined district.

Starting at one end - Bristol Plymouth Technical High School, and ending at the other - Somerset Berkley Regional High School ... and all the stops in between.

Totality

We totally wanted to see a total solar eclipse so after 2017 wasn't close and I knew 2024 would be within driving distance, I started planning. And then April 1, 2024 rolled around so I resumed planning! I totally missed the ball.

Airborne Networking Research - Emulation 101

Modeling a fixed, wired network is a tricky endeavor. There are so many interactions at the network protocol level and the application data plane that make it far more stochastic than deterministic. Now, make the modeled network wireless and you've elevated the degree of difficulty. Modeling free space propagation loss, signal, noise and interference as well as antenna gain patterns and directions make modeling wireless networks a far more challenging task. Finally, make the modeled network airborne. Routers and switches are no longer bolted into fixed racks with neatly dressed cables; they are literally flying around in the air hoping to build some type of connectivity on which a network topology can be created. Welcome to my work.

The Meaning of Life

"The purpose of life is to discover your gift.
The work of life is to develop it.
The meaning of life is to give your gift away."

~ David Viscott