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Ixia-c traffic engine back-to-back setup with Docker Compose

Overview

This is a basic lab where Ixia-c has two traffic ports connected back-2-back using a veth pair. The lab is defined via Docker Compose YAML file. Once the lab is up, a CLI tool otgen is used to request Ixia-c to generate traffic and report statistics.

Diagram

Prerequisites

  • Linux host or VM with sudo permissions and Docker support
  • Docker

Install components

  1. Install docker-compose

    sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/1.29.2/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

  2. Install otgen

    bash -c "$(curl -sL https://get.otgcdn.net/otgen)" -- -v 0.4.0

  3. Make sure /usr/local/bin is in your $PATH variable (by default this is not the case on CentOS 7)

    cmd=docker-compose
dir=/usr/local/bin
if ! command -v ${cmd} &> /dev/null && [ -x ${dir}/${cmd} ]; then
  echo "${cmd} exists in ${dir} but not in the PATH, updating PATH to:"
  PATH="/usr/local/bin:${PATH}"
  echo $PATH
fi

  4. Clone this repository (optional, only needed to use make all to run all the steps automatically)

    git clone --recursive https://github.com/open-traffic-generator/otg-examples.git
cd otg-examples/docker-compose/b2b

Deploy Ixia-c lab

  1. Create veth pair veth0 - veth1

    sudo ip link add name veth0 type veth peer name veth1
sudo ip link set dev veth0 up
sudo ip link set dev veth1 up
sudo sysctl net.ipv6.conf.veth0.disable_ipv6=1
sudo sysctl net.ipv6.conf.veth1.disable_ipv6=1

  2. Create YAML file for Docker Compose with veth interfaces assigned to ixia-c-traffic-engine containers

    cat > compose.yml << EOF
services:
  controller:
    image: ghcr.io/open-traffic-generator/ixia-c-controller:0.0.1-3724
    command: --accept-eula --http-port 8443
    network_mode: "host"
    restart: always
  traffic_engine_1:
    image: ghcr.io/open-traffic-generator/ixia-c-traffic-engine:1.6.0.24
    network_mode: "host"
    restart: always
    privileged: true
    environment:
    - OPT_LISTEN_PORT=5555
    - ARG_IFACE_LIST=virtual@af_packet,veth0
    - OPT_NO_HUGEPAGES=Yes
  traffic_engine_2:
    image: ghcr.io/open-traffic-generator/ixia-c-traffic-engine:1.6.0.24
    network_mode: "host"
    restart: always
    privileged: true
    environment:
    - OPT_LISTEN_PORT=5556
    - ARG_IFACE_LIST=virtual@af_packet,veth1
    - OPT_NO_HUGEPAGES=Yes
EOF

  3. Launch the deployment and adjust MTUs on the veth pair

    sudo docker-compose up -d 
sudo ip link set veth0 mtu 9500
sudo ip link set veth1 mtu 9500

  4. Make sure you have all three containers running:

    sudo docker ps

Run OTG traffic flows

  1. Download an example of OTG traffic flow configuration file:

    wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-traffic-generator/otg-examples/main/docker-compose/b2b/otg.yml

  2. Start with using otgen to request Ixia-c to run traffic flows defined in otg.yml. If successful, the result will come as OTG port metrics in JSON format

    cat otg.yml | otgen run -k -a https://localhost:8443

  3. You can now repeat this exercise, but transform output to a table

    cat otg.yml | otgen run -k -a https://localhost:8443 | otgen transform -m port | otgen display -m table

  4. The same, but with flow metrics

    cat otg.yml | otgen run -k -a https://localhost:8443 -m flow | otgen transform -m flow | otgen display -m table

  5. The same, but with byte instead of frame count (only receive stats are reported)

    cat otg.yml | otgen run -k -a https://localhost:8443 -m flow | otgen transform -m flow -c bytes | otgen display -m table

  6. Now report packet per second rate, as a line chart (end with Crtl-c)

    cat otg.yml | otgen run -k -a https://localhost:8443 -m flow | otgen transform -m flow -c pps | otgen display -m chart

Destroy the lab

To destroy the lab, including veth pair, use:

docker-compose down
sudo ip link del name veth0 type veth peer name veth1

Credits