DtnSim: Bridging the Gap between Simulation and Implementation of Space-Terrestrial DTNs

Existing Internet protocols assume persistent end-to-end connectivity, which cannot be guaranteed in disruptive and high-latency space-terrestrial networks. To operate over these challenging networks, Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) architecture has been proposed. Although recent advances, evaluating DTN routing in large-scale networks spanning prolonged time-evolving topologies remain an unsolved issue. In this work, we introduce DtnSim, an event-driven DTN simulation tool that leverages routing models with flight-software routing algorithms implementations. This paper describes how DtnSim allows to conveniently and intuitively determine network flow metrics which otherwise would require complex prototyping and prolonged experiment times.