Abstract

The development of space-air-ground integrated networks (SAGIN) requires sophisticated satellite Internet emulation tools that can handle complex, dynamic topologies and offer in-depth analysis. Existing emulation platforms struggle with challenges like the need for detailed implementation across all network layers, real-time response, and scalability. This paper proposes a digital twin system based on microservices for satellite Internet emulation, namely Plotinus, which aims to solve these problems. Plotinus features a modular design, allowing for easy replacement of the physical layer to emulate different aerial vehicles and analyze channel interference. It also enables replacing of path computation methods to simplify testing and deploying algorithms. In particular, Plotinus allows for real-time emulation with live network traffic, enhancing practical network models. The evaluation result shows Plotinus's effective emulation of dynamic satellite networks with real-world devices. Its adaptability for various communication models and algorithm testing highlights Plotinus's role as a vital tool for developing and analyzing SAGIN systems, offering a cross-layer, real-time, and scalable digital twin system.

English explanation

Yue Gao, Kun Qiu, Zhe Chen, et al. Plotinus:A Satellite Internet Digital Twin System[J]. Journal of Communications and Information Networks, 2024, 9(1): 24-33

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Plotinus:A Satellite Internet Digital Twin System 

About the author

Yue Gao received his Ph.D from the Queen Mary University of London, UK, in 2007. He is a Chair Professor at the School of Computer Science, Director of the Intelligent Networking and Computing Research Centre at Fudan University, China, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey, UK. His research interests include smart antennas, sparse signal processing and cognitive networks for mobile and satellite systems. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.

Kun Qiu[corresponding author] received his B.Sc. from Fudan University in 2013 and his Ph.D from Fudan University in 2019. He works for Intel as a software engineer from 2019 to 2023. He joined Fudan University in 2023 as an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science at Fudan University. His research interests include computer networks and computer architecture. He is a member of IEEE, ACM, and CCF.

Zhe Chen received his Ph.D in Computer Science from Fudan University, China, with a 2019 ACM SIGCOMM China Doctoral Dissertation Award. He is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science at Fudan University and the Co-Founder of AIWiSe Ltd. Inc. Before joining Fudan University, he worked as a research fellow at NTU for three years, and his research achievements, along with his efforts in launching products based on them, have thus earned him 2021 ACM SIGMOBILE China Rising Star Award recently.

Wenjun Zhu received his master's degree from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China, in 2020. He works for Intel as a software engineer from 2020 to 2023. Now, he joined Fudan University in 2023 as a software engineer. His research interests include computer networks and computer architecture.

Qi Zhang earned his B.Eng. degree from Henan University, China, in 2020 and his M.Eng. in Computer Science and Technology from Soochow University, China in 2023. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D at Fudan University. He has made significant contributions to the field of edge computing. His research primarily focuses on routing optimization in integrated space-air-ground networks, a cutting-edge area with vast potential applications.

Handong Luo received his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China, in 2023. He is working toward a master's degree with the School of Computer Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include satellite network routing and scalability.

Quanwei Lin received his bachelor's degree in Engineering Management from Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China, in 2021. He is working toward a master's degree with the School of Computer Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include satellite network routing and link quality management.

Ziheng Yang earned his bachelor’s degree in communication engineering from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications in 2022. He is pursuing his master's degree at the School of Computer Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include satellite communication and beam hopping.

Wenhao Liu received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Fudan University, Shanghai, China, in 2023. He is working toward a PhD at the School of Computer Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include satellite network scalability and resilient architecture.