How to proceed for using applications

Our softwares are available with two kind of licenses:

• free of charge license for research and education
• specific license for other usages (eg. commercial use)

You can read the free of charge license for more information, or contact us.

Applications can be used in several modes:

• Airplug-term: on your computer, preferably on a Linux OS (you may install a virtual machine with Ubuntu for instance if you don't use Linux as native OS). This is the default mode, which relies on the POSIX terminal functionalities. See our paper at ACM WINITS 2007 here.
• Airplug-emu: on our network emulator, for reproducing a dynamic (or fixed) network with realistic performances. This is done thanks to our EMU application. See our paper at IEEE ICCCN 2010 here.
• Airplug-ns: with the well known network simulator (ns-2) thanks to some light adaptations of the code, providing that it has been written in Tcl. This is done by some add-ons for ns-2. See our paper at IEEE VTC 2010 here.
• Airplug-live: with the Airplug core program for live testbed (eg. for road experiments). This is done by the APG program. To the contrary of the others, this mode requires a specific license. Please, contact us. See our paper related to road experiments using Airplug-road at IEEE VTC 2009 here.
• Airplug-rmt: for a remote access to the computer. A node can then be split into several computers. For instance, an application can run a laptop while still beeing connected on the embedded computer taken part to the experiment.
• Airplug-notk: for running an application in a computer without any screen. While an application can offer a GUI for the prototyping phase, it will be able to run on an embedded computer without any screen (and then graphical libraries).

For testing an application, you first need to obtain the required rights by contacting us (step 1 under). Then you can install the skeleton distribution (step 2), that we call the nest. It is delivered along with some sample applications (WHA, WHO, WHE). You can play with them and learn more using the documentation and the tutorials. However you may want to add some chicken (applications) in the nest (step 3). This may require new access rights and you may have to ask us by email. When you have many applications, it is preferable to add a hen in the nest to manage all the chicken (step 4). The hen are specific software components for managing others, depending on the usage mode: prototyping in the terminal, network emulation, network simulation, real experiments, remote access, embedded computers without screens…

Here are the following steps for testing an application

1. Connection
   • Contact us in order to obtain a login/password on this wiki in case you still not have them.
   • Connect using the login link at the bottom right of the page
2. Preparing the nest
   • Download the distribution skeleton (the nest).
     See the Download/nest menu or follow this link.
   • Install it using mkdir + tar xvzf + make install or read the instructions on the nest page (see the nest page or follow this link).
   • Note that you know have access to the documentation, including a tutorial.
3. Adding a chicken in the nest
   • Download the wanted application (the chicken). In case you do not have enough right for downloading it, please contact us.
   • Install it using mkdir + tar xvzf + make install, or read the instructions on the application page.
   • Launch it using cd bin + source config.sh + ./app.tk, or read the instructions on the application page).
4. Adding a hen in the nest
   • You may want to install a specific application (a hen) depending on the usage mode (terminal, network emulation, network simulation, remotely, on an embedded computer, on a real experiment using several computers…). This will help managing all your chicken. See the hen page for more information.
   • Contact us if additionnal rights are required for accessing the willing hen.
   • For instance, for using the emulation hen:
     • Download the EMU application. See the EMU page.
     • Install it using mkdir + tar xvzf + make install or read the instructions (see the install page or follow this link).
     • Use a given XML file or write your own for describing an emulation scenario (nodes moves, applications running on each node…). The applications you will use on the emulation scenario have to be installed first in your computer.
     • Launch EMU with this XML file. See the usage page or follow this link.
   • For other hens, read the hen page.

Note that not all applications are available for download (for instance, some grants with companies restrict the use of the applications we developed for them). In case of problem, please contact us for more information.

The skeleton distribution contains template applications for quickly designing your own applications. The complete process for creating a new application is decribed in the tutorial. This is mainly automatized so that you can quickly create your new application. Moreover, many facilities are provided by our libraries and tools (such as saving, optional debug/warning/notification messages, message formating and so one).

About the development langage:

• Basically, our architecture relies on standard input/output channels and any langage can be used for developing a new application.
• Since the network simulator ns-2 uses the Tcl language, we generally develop our applications using Tcl/Tk but this is not required if you are not interested by this hen. Nevertheless, currently our libraries provide more facilities if you choose this language. This will change in the future.
• The notk mode allows to avoid using Tk in order to be able to run the applications on target computers without any screen. By the way, you may choose Tcl without Tk on the target computer (eg. embedded computer) while having a GUI for the development phase.
• Our launchtk template application is written in C language and can load Tcl/Tk scripts. This allows to develop in C while still take benefit of our Tcl/Tk libraries.
• Reciprocally, compiled codes available as a share library can be called from a Tcl/Tk script.
• The term hen can be run on any POSIX computer. Moreover, Tcl/Tk is available on any OS.
• The live hen (Airplug core program) is written in C and should work on any POSIX computer.