PLATINE: DVB-S2/RCS enhanced testbed for next generation satellite networks

Emulation is a cost effective and efficient tool to perform performances evaluation and innovative access and network techniques validation. Its ability to interconnect real equipments with real applications provides excellent demonstrations means. The main problem is to overcome the emulation weakness which is the accuracy of the model reproducing the systems to be evaluated. Owing to its modular design and implementation, the PLATINE satellite emulation platform, presented in this paper, is able to emulate a complete DVB-RCS (Digital Video Broadcasting - Return Channel via Satellite)- DVB-S2 (Digital Video Broadcasting - Second) system in a realistic and flexible way. It is possible to configure the platform to emulate a transparent DVB-RCS system dimensioned around a single Hub, or to emulate a system using a regenerative satellite with an onboard switching matrix. Different DVB-RCS protocol stacks are implemented, and the adaptive physical layer is emulated in real time thanks to precalculated DRA schemes and MODCOD files. A DiftServ-like QoS Architecture that couples MAC and IP-Layer QoS mechanisms and Layer 2 security framework are currently under development. At the network side, IPv4 and IPv6 are fully supported as well as IPv6 mobility and dynamic multicast. In this paper, we mainly focus on the emulation platform and the tools developed to help the performance analysis of the emulated system.