nsim: add packet loss simulation, docs

Change-Id: Ic9747541aad8148ebf7d520b525b99c4cc3961f3
Signed-off-by: Dave Barach <dave@barachs.net>

2 files changed, 91 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/docs/usecases/index.rst b/docs/usecases/index.rst
index 735947cd994..3dabd78ca06 100644
--- a/docs/usecases/index.rst
+++ b/docs/usecases/index.rst
@@ -14,5 +14,5 @@ extensive list, but should give a sampling of the many features contained in FD.
    vhost/index.rst
    homegateway
    contiv/index.rst
-
+   networksim
 
diff --git a/docs/usecases/networksim.md b/docs/usecases/networksim.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..817ddf82a29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/usecases/networksim.md
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+Network Simulator Plugin
+========================
+
+Vpp includes a fairly capable network simulator plugin, which can
+simulate real-world round-trip times and a configurable network packet
+loss rate. It's perfect for evaluating the performance of a TCP stack
+under specified delay/bandwidth/loss conditions.
+
+The "nsim" plugin cross-connects two physical interfaces at layer 2,
+introducing the specified delay and network loss
+parameters. Reconfiguration on the fly is OK, with the proviso that
+packets held in the network simulator scheduling wheel will be lost.
+
+Configuration
+-------------
+
+Configuration by debug CLI is simple. First, specify the simulator
+configuration: unidirectional delay (half of the desired RTT), the
+link bandwidth, and the expected average packet size. These parameters
+allow the network simulator allocate the right amount of buffering to
+produce the requested delay/bandwidth product.
+
+```
+    set nsim delay 25.0 ms bandwidth 10 gbit packet-size 128 
+```
+
+To simulate network packet drops, add either "packets-per-drop <nnnnn>" or
+"drop-fraction [0.0 ... 1.0]" parameters:
+
+```
+    set nsim delay 25.0 ms bandwidth 10 gbit packet-size 128 packets-per-drop 10000
+```
+Remember to configure the layer-2 cross-connect:
+
+```
+    nsim enable-disable <interface-1> <interface-2>
+```
+
+Packet Generator Configuration
+------------------------------
+
+Here's a unit-test configuration for the vpp packet generator:
+
+```
+  loop cre
+  set int ip address loop0 11.22.33.1/24
+  set int state loop0 up
+
+  loop cre
+  set int ip address loop1 11.22.34.1/24
+  set int state loop1 up
+
+  set nsim delay 1.0 ms bandwidth 10 gbit packet-size 128 packets-per-drop 1000
+  nsim enable-disable loop0 loop1
+
+  packet-generator new {
+      name s0
+      limit 10000
+      size 128-128
+      interface loop0
+      node ethernet-input
+      data { IP4: 1.2.3 -> 4.5.6 
+             UDP: 11.22.33.44 -> 11.22.34.44
+             UDP: 1234 -> 2345
+             incrementing 114 
+      }
+  } 
+```
+
+For extra realism, the network simulator drops any specific packet
+with the specified probability. In this example, we see that slight
+variation from run to run occurs as it should.
+
+```
+    DBGvpp# pa en
+    DBGvpp# sh err
+       Count                    Node                  Reason
+          9991                  nsim                  Packets buffered
+             9                  nsim                  Network loss simulation drop packets
+          9991             ethernet-input             l3 mac mismatch
+
+    DBGvpp# clear err
+    DBGvpp# pa en
+    DBGvpp# sh err
+    sh err
+       Count                    Node                  Reason
+          9993                  nsim                  Packets buffered
+             7                  nsim                  Network loss simulation drop packets
+          9993             ethernet-input             l3 mac mismatch
+```