Introduction to Netbuild
Basic usage:
- To create a Node, click and drag the "new node" icon in the
palette (the left panel) to the work area (the middle panel.)
- To link two nodes together, click one node, then hold "ctrl" and
click the node you want to link it to.
- To create a LAN, click and drag the "new LAN" icon in the palette
to the work area.
- To link a node to a LAN, click the node, then hold "ctrl" and
click on the LAN you want to link it to (or vice versa.)
- Note that you may not link a LAN directly to a LAN.
- Nodes and LANs may be moved around the work area by clicking and
dragging them.
- Nodes, links, and LANs may be eliminated by dragging them into the trash.
- Little circles between links and nodes represent the network
interface on that node, and may not be moved or eliminated (though
eliminating the attached link will get rid of them.)
- When your experiment topology has been built, clicking "create
experiment" will take you into the testbed experiment creation
page; from there, you may view the generated NS file as well as create
an actual experiment.
Selection:
- Clicking a single item in the work area will select it.
- Clicking a single item while holding down shift will add it to the
pool of selected items (unless it was already selected, then it will
become deselected.)
- Clicking an empty part of the canvas will deselect everything.
- Clicking an empty part of the canvas and dragging will create a
selection rectangle. When the mouse button is released, all items in
the rectangle will be selected.
- When multiple items are selected, clicking one selected item and
dragging it will drag all selected items.
- When multiple items are selected, clicking one selected item and
dragging it into the trash will eliminate all selected items.
Properties:
- When one item is selected, a properties view will open in the
rightmost panel. This is where properties, including name, may be
set.
- Invalid characters typed into a properties text box will be
ignored.
- If a property is "<auto>," it will automatically be determined in
the experiment creation process. Change this to specify your own value
for the property.
- Clicking "default" will reset the property of the adjoining box to
its default value (in many cases "<auto>.")
- If multiple items of the same type are selected, some boxes may
show up as "<multiple>." This means that the value of this property is
different between at least two nodes in the selection. Changing such a
property value (or setting it to default) will result in all
selected nodes assuming the new value for that property. Some
properties (such as name and IP address) may not be set simultaneously
in this way.
- If multiple items of varying types are selected, the property
boxes will still appear on the right, but may be in a collapsed state.
Clicking the '+' will expand one of these.
- Clicking the '-' on an expanded box will collapse it again.
- Click "copy selection" to make a duplicate of the current
selection.