MACE: A Mobile Ad-hoc Computing Emulation Framework

Designing and deploying mobile applications for Edge/Fog environments is challenging. Previous studies have introduced simulation and emulation tools that can help to model new applications but fail to deliver an environment in which a system designer can emulate a realistic deployment of such applications. We propose the Mobile Ad-hoc Computing Framework (MACE) ¹ that provides features which facilitate and accelerate the development and testing of Edge/Fog applications. It also provides the nodes with mobility control that can be modelled or triggered by external applications, such as a flight simulator. With the included GUI, the user can plan deployment topologies, observe and interact with the nodes in real-time. To demonstrate its functionalities, two experimental evaluations were performed: one comparing the network emulators and another with an off-the-shelf configuration service running in mobile nodes. Finally, the functionality of controlling mobility via an external application is also demonstrated.