An Experiment Description Language for Wireless Network Research

Abstract

This article introduces a network experiment description language that is designed as a general approach for testbed networks and simulation environments. The approach is based on a domain specific language simplifying the execution of experiments by using an easily comprehensible and straight-forward design scheme. By laying out a clear logical structure, experiment descriptions provide the user with the possibility to only focus on the crucial matter of experiments. An experiment description file serves as the input for a software tool that executes the experiment automatically, thus being able to use a reliable timing for all specified actions. We developed this approach as DES-Cript for the DES-Testbed at the Freie Universität Berlin, but it is not limited to this particular testbed.