User Manual
- Home
- Understanding ToMaTo
- Your User Account
- Sites and Hosts
- Topologies
- Topology Editor
- Permissions
- Elements
- Actions
- Network Interfaces
- Devices
- Container-Based Virtualization
- Full Virtualization
- Repy
- Disk Images
- Templates
- Device Profiles
- Executable Archives
- Switches
- External Networks
- Connections
- Link Emulation
- Packet Capturing
- API
- Command-Line Interface
Devices
Devices are elements that represent end-hosts. They can also emulate network infrastructure.
Types
There are three kinds of devices: Container-based virtualization, full virtualization, and Repy. You can distinguish them by their screen color.
Type selection
If you want to create an element, but are unsure which type to use, answering these questions will help you select the device type:
On the first look, full virtualization seems to be the better choice as it allows more operating systems and does not limit operating system functionality. Container-based virtualization though, is a very light-weight solution that gives quick access to Linux machines and is much easier to handle than full virtualization. E.g. Container-based virtualization allows users to configure theroot password or the IP addresses of the interfaces. Additionally, full virtualization consumes a lot of resources on the testbed, so it should be avoided if it is not necessary.
This list of criteria can help with the choice:
| Criteria | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Do you need realtime functionality or extremely precise timing? | Use a Physical system (not supported by ToMaTo) |
| Do you need to run hardware virtualization inside the device? | Use a physical system |
| Do you want to test your own low-level protocol? | Use Programmable Devices |
| Do you want to apply simple modifications to packets? | Use Programmable Device |
| Do you need an operating system other than Linux? | Use full virtualization |
| Do you need to access the hardware? | Use full virtualization |
| Do you need to modify the kernel or load modules? | Use full virtualization |
| Do you need to setup routing tables, iptables or mount filesystems? | Use full virtualization |
| Otherwise | Use container-based virtualization |
Configuration
Configuration options highly depend on the device type. Please refer to the individual manual pages (Container, Full, Repy) for information about configuration options.
Templates and Disk Images
Each device uses its own private disk image. This can be used to store any data, except for Repy devices, where the image is a read-only script.
When preparing a device, the configured template will be used as the initial disk image. Templates are the main distinction of devices in the editor’s menu and can be configured in the respective configuration menu.
Data on your device is safe unless you destroy them or change their template. Note that automatic destruction can occur due to topology timeout.