MiniNAM: A network animator for visualizing real-time packet flows in Mininet

In this demonstration we present MiniNAM, a utility that provides real-time animation of networks created by the Mininet emulator. Mininet is one of the most well-known network emulators in research and academia. Although Mininet is capable of emulating both traditional and software-defined networks, it does not provide a tool to visually observe and monitor the packets flowing over the created network topology. Our utility includes all the components required to initiate, visualize and modify Mininet network flows in real-time. MiniNAM provides a graphical user interface that allows dynamic modification of preferences and packet filters: a user can view selective flows with options to color code packets based on packet type and/or source node. This establishes MiniNAM as a very powerful tool for debugging network protocols or teaching, learning and understanding network concepts. This demonstration illustrates a number of sample use cases and examples of using MiniNAM to create networks and view the generated network flows with customized preferences.