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Docker Setup Guide for NetworkControlPlane

Quick Start

Option 1: Using Docker Compose (Recommended)

# Build and start the container
docker-compose up -d

# Enter the container
docker-compose exec network-control-plane bash

# Now you can run commands inside the container
python3 -m network_control_plane.cli deploy examples/topology.yaml
python3 -m network_control_plane.cli ping h1 h2
python3 examples/example_workflow.py

# Stop the container
docker-compose down

Option 2: Using Docker Directly

# Build the image
docker build -t network-control-plane:latest .

# Run interactively
docker run -it --rm --privileged \
  -v $(pwd):/workspace \
  -w /workspace \
  network-control-plane:latest \
  /bin/bash

# Inside the container, run:
python3 -m network_control_plane.cli deploy examples/topology.yaml

Option 3: Using the Helper Script

# Make script executable (if needed)
chmod +x scripts/docker-run.sh

# Run the script
./scripts/docker-run.sh

Prerequisites

  1. Docker Desktop installed and running

  2. Verify Docker is working:

    docker --version
docker ps

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Build the Docker Image

cd /path/to/NetworkControlPlane
docker build -t network-control-plane:latest .

This will:

  • Use Mininet's official image as base
  • Install Python dependencies
  • Copy your project files
  • Set up the working environment

2. Run the Container

Interactive mode (recommended for first-time use):

docker run -it --rm --privileged \
  -v $(pwd):/workspace \
  -w /workspace \
  network-control-plane:latest \
  /bin/bash

Using docker-compose:

docker-compose up -d
docker-compose exec network-control-plane bash

3. Test the Installation

Inside the container:

# Check Python and dependencies
python3 --version
python3 -c "import mininet; print('Mininet OK')"

# Test YAML parsing
python3 -c "
from network_control_plane.desired_state import DesiredStateParser
p = DesiredStateParser()
state = p.load('examples/topology.yaml')
print('✓ YAML parsing works')
"

# Deploy a topology (requires root inside container)
sudo python3 -m network_control_plane.cli deploy examples/topology.yaml

Running Commands

Deploy Network Topology

sudo python3 -m network_control_plane.cli deploy examples/topology.yaml

Note: Commands that create network namespaces require sudo inside the container.

Collect Telemetry

# Latency and packet loss
python3 -m network_control_plane.cli ping h1 h2

# Path visibility
python3 -m network_control_plane.cli trace h1 h2

# Validate network behavior
python3 -m network_control_plane.cli validate h1 h2

Run Example Workflow

sudo python3 examples/example_workflow.py

Start Web UI

# In one terminal (container)
python3 -m network_control_plane.ui

# In another terminal, access from host
# The UI will be available at http://localhost:5000

Troubleshooting

Docker Permission Errors

If you get permission errors:

# Make sure Docker Desktop is running
# Check Docker daemon status
docker info

Container Can't Access Network

Make sure you're using --privileged flag:

docker run -it --rm --privileged ...

Port Forwarding for Web UI

If running the web UI, you may need to expose ports:

docker run -it --rm --privileged \
  -v $(pwd):/workspace \
  -w /workspace \
  -p 5000:5000 \
  network-control-plane:latest \
  /bin/bash

Mininet Requires Root

Remember: Mininet operations require sudo inside the container:

sudo python3 -m network_control_plane.cli deploy examples/topology.yaml

Docker Compose Commands

# Start container in background
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs

# Execute command in running container
docker-compose exec network-control-plane bash

# Stop container
docker-compose down

# Rebuild image
docker-compose build --no-cache

File Persistence

Files in your project directory are mounted as a volume, so:

  • Changes to code are immediately available in the container
  • Results and logs persist on your host machine
  • No need to rebuild the image for code changes

Next Steps

  1. Build the Docker image
  2. Run the container interactively
  3. Test with: sudo python3 -m network_control_plane.cli deploy examples/topology.yaml
  4. Explore the CLI commands and web UI

For more information, see the main README.md.