Mininet with OpenFlow and OpenVSwitch in a Docker container. Available resources:
- Supports Python2 and Python3
- Can be used to run mn directly, as well as run a OS command and download a script to run with arguments (thanks to https://github.com/ciena/mininet-docker) - see usage below
- Light-weight docker image based on Debian slim and include tools such as tcpdump, iperf, socat, curl, etc
After pull or build the image, you can run:
docker run --privileged -it --pull always -v /lib/modules:/lib/modules italovalcy/mininet:latest /usr/local/bin/mn --topo single,3
The /lib/modules mount volume is necessary to load openvswitch Kernel module required by OVS.
Another option to execute Mininet is with:
docker run -d --name mn1 --privileged --pull always -v /lib/modules:/lib/modules italovalcy/mininet:latest --topo single,3
After running the command above, mininet will start inside tmux on the container, so that you can attach to the container and have access to Mininet's console:
docker exec -it mn1 bash
tmux a -t mn
You can also run using a topology file:
docker run --privileged -it --pull always -v /lib/modules:/lib/modules italovalcy/mininet:latest https://raw.githubusercontent.com/italovalcy/mininet-docker/refs/heads/master/mytopo.py
Or even with a local file:
curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/italovalcy/mininet-docker/refs/heads/master/mytopo.py
docker run --privileged --name mn1 -t -d -v $PWD/mytopo.py:/mytopo.py italovalcy/mininet:latest file:///mytopo.py
The command above will start Mininet and detach from session while leaving Mininet running (you wont have access to mininet console -- see above examples).
Help:
prompt$ docker run --privileged italovalcy/mininet:latest --help
docker run italovalcy/mininet [options]
-h, --help display help information
/path/program ARG1 .. ARGn execute the specfified local program
URL ARG1 .. ARGn download script from URL and execute it
--ARG1 .. --ARGn execute mininet with these arguments