IMUNES vs Marionnet

IMUNES is a free multiprotocol emulator and simulator for general-purpose IP network experiments on FreeBSD and Linux. The project says a single physical machine can run hundreds to thousands of virtual nodes. Its GUI helps create and configure nodes and links, and each node has its own IPv4, IPv6, IPsec, socket and firewall configuration and address space. Link controls can introduce delay, bit errors, duplication and bandwidth limits. Standard UNIX APIs are preserved, so BSD and Linux binaries can run unmodified. On Linux it uses Docker for virtual nodes; on FreeBSD it uses jails and netgraph. The project says experiments can be instantiated in seconds and use hardware resources efficiently. Downloads include public source repositories, examples, security scenarios, manuals and VMware and VirtualBox images. Linux use requires kernel version 3.10 or newer and the Docker daemon; the README also instructs users to run experiments as root. The listed latest image is IMUNES-FreeBSD-14.3-RELEASE (BETA), a 4GB amd64 OVA. The project describes JSON configuration and live changes to nodes, interfaces and links during a running experiment.

Marionnet is desktop software for defining, configuring, and running virtual computer networks without physical equipment. A single GNU/Linux host can emulate Ethernet networks containing computers, routers, hubs, switches, and cables. Networks can be reconfigured while running, their diagrams update dynamically, and a gateway can connect the virtual network to the host network. Guest machines use User Mode Linux, while VDE links them and emulates network equipment. The project says guests provide binary compatibility with user-level GNU/Linux software and can run graphical applications such as Wireshark through the host X server. Marionnet is free software under the GNU General Public License, priced at free, with no warranty stated. Linux installation requires x86 or x86_64, root access, and internet access; Windows and macOS users can use the VirtualBox appliance.