WARPnet Testing Framework

An important part in wireless algorithm evaluation is gathering data on its performance. On one end of the spectrum, doing this in non-real-time but with a fine grained view is possible with WARPLab. On the other end of the spectrum, gather aggregate data is possible by the node storing the information and it being read by a terminal viewer. To truly evaluate the algorithm at a network level, is considerably more difficult, especially as the size of the network grows. To tackle this problem we developed the WARPnet Testing Framework that is able to communicate with a network of nodes, conduct pre-defined experiments and gather data in real-time for analysis.

The system connects to all the nodes in the network over an Ethernet link. This serves as the control data conduit. The nodes themselves respond to certain pre-formatted packets from the network and either take action on a control packet or respond to a request of information. This information is collated and spread to the appropriate controllers or scripts that are connected to the system. The user controls the node behavior and the script itself while the system will ensure that data is correctly routed to the nodes and controllers.

By default the WARPnet Testing Framework is integrated into the OFDM Reference Design. It can be integrated into any custom system developed.

Architecture of Framework