LFRI: Efficient Routing Emulation for LEO Mega-Constellations

Abstract

The demand for Low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite networking and routing is continuously growing. Container-based satellite network emulation becomes an important networking evaluation choice for LEO satellite network. While many container-based satellite network emulators optimize virtual network efficiency, they often overlook route installation latency—the duration of installing computed routes into kernel routing table. This latency represents a significant bottleneck for emulating large-scale LEO constellations, which are characterized by dynamic topologies and frequent, massive routing re-convergences. High routing installation latency not only reduces emulation efficiency but also compromises evaluation reliability and renders subsequent data transmission experiments infeasible. In this paper, we present a Lock-Free and Filtered Route Installation (LFRI) mechanism. LFRI filters out non-effective route installations, thereby shortening the installation procedure without changing the routing results. LFRI employs a lock-free installation mechanism that enables parallelized and efficient route installation. Experimental results demonstrate that, compared to the legacy Netlink installation, LFRI reduces the route installation latency by up to 99.9% in emulations of typical LEO satellite constellations, bringing it down to under ten milliseconds, within a performance level comparable to routing installation on physical machines. Meanwhile, in the case study evaluating path availability ratio and restoration time, LFRI yields more consistent and credible experimental data.