TheaterQ: A Qdisc for Emulation of Dynamic Satellite Networks

Ottens M, Hielscher KS, German R (2026)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2026

Original Authors: Martin Ottens, Kai-Steffen Hielscher, Reinhard German

Pages Range: 549-555

Event location: Berlin DE

DOI: 10.1109/NetSoft70012.2026.11603418

Abstract

TheaterQ is a Linux queuing discipline (qdisc) designed for the emulation of satellite networks. Traditional emulation tools like NetEm are limited to static parameters, making these tools unsuitable for networks with dynamic characteristics, as is the case with LEO constellations. By utilizing Trace Files containing timelines with network characteristics, TheaterQ achieves high-accuracy emulation of dynamic networks without involving user-space applications and allows resolution of characteristic updates up to 1μ s. Features include synchronization across multiple qdisc instances and handling of delays, bandwidth, packet loss, duplication, and reordering. Evaluations show that TheaterQ's accuracy is comparable to other tools, and it can handle data rates of up to 3.5 Gbps, making it an ideal solution for protocol and application development with satellite networks. TheaterQ can be used in different emulation environments; it especially allows simple testbed setups with real systems and human interaction. The source code of TheaterQ is available open source11https://github.com/cs7org/TheaterQ.

Authors with CRIS profile

Martin Ottens Computer Science 7 (Computer Networks and Communication Systems) Kai-Steffen Hielscher Computer Science 7 (Computer Networks and Communication Systems) Reinhard German Computer Science 7 (Computer Networks and Communication Systems)

How to cite

APA:

Ottens, M., Hielscher, K.-S., & German, R. (2026). TheaterQ: A Qdisc for Emulation of Dynamic Satellite Networks. In Proceedings of the 026 IEEE 12th International Conference on Network Softwarization (NetSoft) (pp. 549-555). Berlin, DE.

MLA:

Ottens, Martin, Kai-Steffen Hielscher, and Reinhard German. "TheaterQ: A Qdisc for Emulation of Dynamic Satellite Networks." Proceedings of the 026 IEEE 12th International Conference on Network Softwarization (NetSoft), Berlin 2026. 549-555.

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