Testbed
CNST-Lab owns and operates an edge computing testbed that utilizes lightweight cloud technologies, SDN-based traffic management, and automated Kubernetes-centric testbed experimentation. The testbed architecture consists of three main layers: (i) the Management and Orchestration Operations, (ii) the Virtualization, and (iii) the Hardware Layer.
The Management and Orchestration Operations Layer supports, among others, efficient VM placement, traffic steering, and network analytics, enabling intelligent network configuration and control. The Virtualization Layer supports novel, lightweight edge cloud capabilities, including Docker and various unikernel technologies. The Hardware Layer encompasses the testbed’s hardware capabilities, including (i) 8 rack servers (2 Dell PowerEdge R750 servers, 4 Dell PowerEdge R440 servers, 2 Dell PowerEdge R630 servers), managed as a unified computing infrastructure using Xen Orchestra, (ii) 40 Mini PCs with SSD HDs, empowering the deployment of various workloads at larger scale, (iii) programmable network equipment, such as Netronome Agilio SmartNICs and programmable Wi-Fi cards based on the Atheros chipset, (iv) IoT nodes (i.e., Raspberry PIs and Zolertia Re-motes), (v) four Cisco Catalyst switches, two industrial switches for time-sensitive networking (TSN), one programmable SDN switch (HP Aruba), and one Cisco RV320 VPN router for secure management access to the testbed.
The Management and Orchestration Operations Layer supports, among others, efficient VM placement, traffic steering, and network analytics, enabling intelligent network configuration and control. The Virtualization Layer supports novel, lightweight edge cloud capabilities, including Docker and various unikernel technologies. The Hardware Layer encompasses the testbed’s hardware capabilities, including (i) 8 rack servers (2 Dell PowerEdge R750 servers, 4 Dell PowerEdge R440 servers, 2 Dell PowerEdge R630 servers), managed as a unified computing infrastructure using Xen Orchestra, (ii) 40 Mini PCs with SSD HDs, empowering the deployment of various workloads at larger scale, (iii) programmable network equipment, such as Netronome Agilio SmartNICs and programmable Wi-Fi cards based on the Atheros chipset, (iv) IoT nodes (i.e., Raspberry PIs and Zolertia Re-motes), (v) four Cisco Catalyst switches, two industrial switches for time-sensitive networking (TSN), one programmable SDN switch (HP Aruba), and one Cisco RV320 VPN router for secure management access to the testbed.
