Candela Technologies delivers LANforge systems fully installed and configured
on our validated hardware platforms. If you have a
understanding of the Linux operating system, you should be able to install and
configure a functional LANforge system on the hardware of your choice. LANforge also
can be installed on Windows, Apple(Intel), and has client apps on
Android and iOS. LANforge works best on Linux!
Legal use of the LANforge system is based upon licensed data-generating ports and/or machines.
You must own a license for every port or machine configured to generate traffic.
Upgrade with Internet Access
If you are upgrading to LANforge 5.4.8 or higher, and are using
Fedora 19 to 39, we suggest the upgrade.bash
options.
The lf_kinstall.pl script will take a base install and add the appropriate
packages, install or upgrade LANforge server, GUI, kernel and supporting files and tweak the OS
to run best with LANforge.
Configure Web Proxy
If your systems do not have direct Internet access and need to configure a proxy, please use
the /home/lanforge/scripts/config_proxy.bash script.
Exporting proxy environment variables set to [http://proxy.example.com:8080]
Not proxying [127.0.0.1,127.0.0.1:8080,*.localdomain,.localdomain,localhost,192.168.45.24,192.168.45.24:8080]
You might want to configure a git proxy, example:
git config --global http.proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080
git config --global http.https://domain.com.proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080
Your current git proxies:
[+proxy] root@ct521a-manx $
The config_proxy script creates a new sub-shell with the correct proxy variables set. Once you are done upgrading,
type exit to leave the sub-shell.
Manually Configuring Proxy Settings
If your system does not have config_proxy.bash, then please set these environment variables in your terminal (as root):
Ask if you want to update lf_kinstall.pl and lf_kinstall_dev.pl
Ask what version you want to upgrade to
Ask what server to pull files from
List the builds available (if one is available)
Ask for what style of upgrade
Print out the corresponding lf_kinstall_dev.pl for your reference
Start your upgrade using lf_kinstall_dev.pl .
Once the upgrade is finished, you can either:
Restart the system with reboot. Do this if you installed a new kernel. OR:
Restart the LANforge manager service with service lanforge restart.
This script will not do offline bundle installation.
C: Interop Upgrade
Your systems are clustered and you want to upgrade LANforge on the manager.
Your system has Internet access
Upgrade the manager first (
See instructions for upgrade.bash or upgrade_dev.bash.)
Create a local package mirror on your manager device.
This downloads the necessary packages that other PC-based LANforge resources need to do upgrades.
(Upgrades to iPhone and Android apps need updating via the Interop Batch Modify menu.)
sudo -s cd /root wget -O lf_kinstall.pl https://www.candelatech.com/lf_kinstall.pl chmod +x lf_kinstall.pl ./lf_kinstall.pl --lfver 5.4.8 --do_release_mirror
This last command will update your Linux LANforge Apache configuration and allow
the files in /home/lanforge/public_html to be served from it. Those web shares
will be be visible as /downloads and /private/downloads/5.4.8
Upgrade the resources in the cluster:
Open the GUI
Select the Resource Mgr tab
Select the computer resources you wish to upgrade (Android and iOS devices will not be upgraded)
In the Download From box, enter your management IP (check Port Mgr tab, device eth0).
Click Upgrade
D: Offline Upgrade Using Bundle
A bundle is a single tar archive that contains all the downloaded elements of a typicall upgrade of an existing installation.
This reduces effort to copy items to an offline or isolated instance of LANforge.
You can use the offline-bundle when:
Your LANforge machine is 64-bit
Your LANforge machine is Fedora 21 or more recent
Your LANforge machine already as LANforge installed
You should avoid the install-bundle when:
You have reinstalled your OS (please be online and use lf_kinstall.pl --do_all_ct)
Your machine is 32-bit (Please ask for a quote for machine upgrade)
Your machine has not completed the lf_kinstall.pl --do_all_ct step
If you have a LANforge machine you purchased from us and it still runs LANforge, you can use the offline-bundle.
Steps for using the offline-bundle:
Determine what OS you are using: cat /etc/os-release Probably you have Fedora 24, 27, 30, 34 or Fedora 36.
The matching bundles would have F24, F27, F30, F34 or F30 in their name for these releases.
If you have some other OS release
that does not have a bundle packaged for it, contact support.
cd /root wget -O lf_kinstall.pl https://www.candelatech.com/lf_kinstall.pl
chmod +x lf_kinstall.pl
Running the lf_kinstall.pl Script
This script can do offline bundle installation.
For normal upgrades, just use /root/upgrade.bash (if it is available).
For specific kinstall actions
you want to accomplish, please use the lf_kinstall.pl script you downloaded in /root: cd /root ./lf_kinstall --lfver 5.4.8 --some_action
For a full installation of release 5.4.8, you can use this command:
./lf_kinstall.pl --do_all_ct --lfver 5.4.8
For releases 5.4.1 and earlier and/or different kernel versions,
change the version numbers as needed by using the latest information
from the release download page.
Example: install with kernel 6.9.11+ with most options enabled:./lf_kinstall.pl --do_all_ct --kver 6.9.11+ --lfver 5.4.8
Ensure the script finishes without errors before you continue.
Please contact support if you have questions.
To see all available options
use the following command: ./lf_kinstall.pl --help
For 19 and higher systems (gnome-3 based systems), the script will
tweak the desktop settings if you are logged into the graphical desktop.
If you are not logged in currently, just run the tweak commands next time you do
log in (as user lanforge):
/usr/local/bin/ctgnome.bash
Reboot the machine
After a fresh (first time) installation, or any time you upgrade the Linux kernel, reboot the LANforge machine.
reboot
The machine will reboot to a black screen with a white login prompt.
Contact Support if you have any questions or notice problems with the install script.
Installation Options
You need Internet access to install LANforge for the first time.
Installation Preparation:
If you are installing LANforge on a pre-installed Linux system, your partition layout will have already been decided.
The partions might be BTRFS or one large / (root) filesystem, and
a LANforge kernel is no longer an option.
Fedora MATE 39 is currently the suggested OS.Please use this
Fedora MATE Spin ISO
to install Fedora.
It is has the most preinstalled packages.
During installation, format the system in ONE of these ways:
A UEFI
Most modern computers default to UEFI.
Some newer networking hardware might only be compatible with UEFI boot modes.
UEFI can use GPT partitions.
B BIOS
Many servers and embedded systems are configured as BIOS Compatibility Mode,
which disables many UEFI features. Compatibility mode ensures that the Kernel signing
and Trusted Platform Security are disabled, and uses only MBR partions.
A: UEFI Partitions
128 MB /boot/efi EFI partition
2 GB /boot partition (format ext4)
50 GB / partition (format ext4)
10+ GB /home partition (format ext4)
B: BIOS Partitions
2 GB /boot partition (format ext4)
50 GB / partition (format ext4)
10+ GB /home partition (format ext4)
Check network access
Log into LANforge machine as the root user, and open a terminal window.
Make sure you can reach www.candelatech.com:
ping www.candelatech.com.
If you are unable to reach www.candelatech.com, then
possibly your machine:
A Interop Linux System
Able to run Layer 3-7 traffic without a special kernel or WiFi drivers.
B Full Kernel Linux System
Boots a custom LANforge kernel and comes with special WANlink modules and radio firmware.
A: Interop Linux System:
An Interop LANforge system is can be any version of Linux and is recommended
for machines that do not need a special kernel, WAN emulation, packet generation,
or special radio firmware features. Choose Interop if you are unsure.
This option will transform your Linux system into the kind of LANforge system that
resembles the systems we would ship you, including specialized kernel, radio firmware,
and WAN emulation modules. This system must be formatted correctly beforehand.
⚠
The lf_kinstall.pl script will stop with errors
when installing the first time without Internet access.
Do not attempt to install LANforge on a fresh system without Internet access.
Historical Offline Upgrade
Offline upgrade means the LANforge system lacks access to the Internet.
We encourage you use modern LANforge Bundles for offline installation.
These instructions are a more detailed method of using lf_kinstall.pl, specifically how to download
LANforge software for old releases.
The version numbers below are examples. Change them as needed by using the latest information
by reading the release download page.
The following example is for upgrading a 64 bit, Fedora 20 based system to LANforge release 5.4.8:
Note: You may have to copy and paste the lf_kinstall.txt from a browser to a plain text document.
Copy the lf_kinstall.txt file to the LANforge machine, using winscp or similar and save it in
the /home/lanforge/Downloads directory. Perform the following commands to get a list of files to download:
Download the URLs and transfer them to the /home/lanforge/Downloads directory.
If you do not have a password, you may log in as user guest with password guest.
Log into LANforge machine as the root user, and open a terminal window.
Perform the following commands:
cd /home/lanforge/Downloads sudo -s ./lf_kinstall.txt --do_all_ct --kver 6.10.3+ --lfver 5.4.8
--source_dir /home/lanforge/Downloads
Ensure the script finishes without errors before you continue.
Reboot the LANforge machine and make sure it comes back up running the proper
kernel and LANforge software.
Contact Support if you have any questions or notice problems with the install script.
Most Recent Fedora Releases
If you get the latest version of Fedora, it will often be more recent than
our validated Fedora target. If you are installing LANforge on the latest
version of Fedora, you will probably discover that our packages are labeled one release
behind the most recent Fedora release.
Below is an example of doing an offline installation on Fedora 45:
The installer has a switch for this: --force_osver
LANforge Server and GUI software is tested on recent Fedora versions, but
it is not always possible to keep up with the latest version. In some cases,
versions of Fedora have been inappropriate and those releases get skipped.
CentOS 6 Installation
CentOS 6 (6.9 as of this writing) often installs with a very minimal package set and might require preparation before they will run the
lf_kinstall.pl script. This is very true for the CentOS 6 Minimal Installation.
To prepare the system for LANforge, login as root to your system and run the following commands:
After these commands are executed, you can continue with the automated installation instructions.
You should not need to reboot.
(Optional) If your system needs access to NFS shares during installation, these commands will enable NFS:
/sbin/chkconfig rpcbind on
/sbin/chkconfig nfs on
/sbin/service rpcbind start
/sbin/service nfs start
/sbin/rpc.statd
Installing LANforge OpenWRT
With LANforge 5.3.8 and higher releases, LANforge has beta support for running on OpenWRT.
So far, we only have images for the Netgear r7800 platform (dual 4x4 MU-MIMO radios).
These platforms may be useful for testing with many lower-speed appliances to act like
a full room of users, for instance.
For a new install, download the openwrt-ipq806x-netgear_r7800-squashfs-factory.img
image from our downloads page. For an upgrade, see next section.
To install on the Netgear r7800, you first connect it to a Linux machine that has 'tftp'
installed on it. The Linux machine should have a network port on the 192.168.1.X subnet,
with IP address other than 192.168.1.1. Connect the r7800 LAN port 4 to this interface.
Power up the Netgear with the 'reset' pin pressed. The power LED should start blinking white
after a short time. This indicates that the r7800's boot loader is waiting for tftp.
On the Linux machine, cd to the directory that contains the factory.img file that you downloaded.
Upload the file to the r7800:
tftp 192.168.1.1
tftp> bin
tftp> put openwrt-ipq806x-netgear_r7800-squashfs-factory.img
The r7800 should reboot soon after. The yellow port will be the
management port and will try to do DHCP by default. If it cannot
get a DHCP address, it will be 192.168.1.101.
Connect with ssh to the r7800 as the root user (there is no password by default).
To complete the install, run these commands:
cd /home/lanforge
./install.bash # Ignore the warnings about copying over the same file
./lf_kinstall.pl --lfver 5.4.8 --do_sys_reconfig
reboot
Upgrading LANforge OpenWRT
Download the openwrt-ipq806x-netgear_r7800-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin
image from our downloads page.
Use scp to copy this file to the temp directory on the r7800, for instance:
The system will reboot. When it comes back up, log in and configure LANforge:
cd /home/lanforge
./install.bash #Ignore the warnings about copying over the same file
./lf_kinstall.pl --lfver 5.4.8 --do_sys_reconfig
reboot
Hardware Requirements
The LANforge-FIRE Network Traffic Generator configuration typically requires at least two Ethernet
ports: one for network management and one for data-generation. The LANforge-ICE Network
Emulator works best using a minimum of three Ethernet ports. Your unit's performance will be
directly related to the CPU and memory as well as the quality of the ethernet hardware and
PCIe bus. Candela Technologies suggests a minimum of 4GB RAM and a 1.2Ghz processor.
Software Requirements
LANforge is best supported by Fedora Linux. For interop-style setups, we have packages for:
Windows 10+
Mac OS X
Android
iOS
Versions of Linux that lack brctl are not compatible as full LANforge resources. This means
such systems would perform only as interop resources, not use a full LANforge kernel, and might have
limitations on creating network interfaces.
Red Hat 8, CentOS 8, CentOS Stream 8
Red Hat 9, CentOS Stream 9
Manually Installing a LANforge Linux Kernel
In offline environments this is occasionally necessary. Normally we suggest using the
command ./lf_kinstall.pl --lfver VER --kver KVER --do_kern command.
Download an appropriate pre-built kernel from the
downloads page.
Using Filezilla or scp to copy the file to the LANforge server, to /home/lanforge/Downloads
Install the kernel as root with command similar to: cd / tar -xvzf /home/lanforge/ct2.6.31.6.p4s.tar.gz /usr/local/bin/kinstall_ct2.6.31.6.bash
If you are using Suse, this kinstall script will probably fail. Try making
the initrd script with a command similar to: # mkinitrd -k ct2.6.31.6.img -i initrd-ct2.6.31.6.img
Update GRUB (the bootloader):
Please use the lf_kinstall.pl script to do this.
./lf_kinstall.pl --do_grub --kver 2.6.31+
Please do not edit the /boot/grub2/grub.conf files manually.
If you need to change boot settings, please edit /etc/default/grub. If you do edit that, follow it up with:
Fedora: grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
Ubuntu: update-grub2
Manually Installing LANforge Server on Linux
Become root usersudo su
Other commands work well: sudo -s, su - root
On Ubuntu, Redhat, CentOS
Please use ./lf_kinstall.pl --do_interop --lfver 5.4.8. That command will:
Create the lanforge account
Install required libraries
Install package dependencies.
Configure the desktop to use MATE.
Install xrdp and vnc servers.
Install LANforge GUI
Other Linux Systems
Follow these instructions if you have a Linux system installed and you want to run LANforge Server on it, but do not want to run
lf_kinstall.pl to install all the required dependencies. This is unlikely to work well. If this doesn't work well,
you might need to reinstall your OS to get it back to its former state. We suggest you:
Maintain current Candelatech support so we can help you.
Backup your machine using a disk-image program like Ghost.
Manual Steps
Create LANforge Accounts
You should create a lanforge user and install the LANforge software in that user's
home directory. Use your preferred method, or use mine: # adduser lanforge
# passwd lanforge
Install LANforge Server
Copy the LANforgeServer-X.X.X_Linux-XX.tar.gz
file to some temporary directory and un-tar it with a command like: # tar -xvzf LANforgeServer-*_Linux-x86.tar.gz
That command should create a LANforgeServer-X.X.X directory, in which the distribution
exists. Change to that directory as root, and you will find an install.bash file.
Run this script:
# ./install.bash
Configure LANforge Server using lfconfig
Use the /home/lanforge/lfconfig script to configure LANforge realm settings.
NOTE 1
The lfconfig tool often scrolls information off the screen, so you may need to scroll back to
see useful information. On the console, use SHIFT-PageUp, SHIFT-PageDown.
NOTE 2
Make sure you enter 'config' when done with the lfconfig
changes: It is the config option that creates the files needed to run the LANforge
applications.
NOTE 3
Make sure that each resource machine has a unique
identifier. This identifier is specified as 'resource', and you can find
more details below.
NOTE 4
If you wish to run the LANforge-ICE WAN Emulator
on a machine with only two ethernet ports, the management device (mgt_dev)
must be 'lo', the loopback device. This means you will not be able to get
network connectivity to this machine when LANforge is running as both of the
ICE interfaces must have an IP address of 0.0.0.0
After running the install script, cd to the /home/lanforge directory as root
and run the lfconfig script to configure LANforge:
$ cd /home/lanforge
$ ./lfconfig
It is an interactive script that allows you to set certain configuration options and
then generate the start/stop scripts to control LANforge. The lfconfig script now hides
some of the less often used options. You can view them with the show_all command.
However, for most configurations, you will not need to change any of the hidden options.
When you start lfconfig, you will see something like this:
Interfaces: eth0 eth1 eth2 eth3
Resource interface assignment:
Resource 1: eth0 eth1 eth2 eth3
Specified Resource Addresses:
127.0.0.1:4004
Key Acceptable Values Value
**************************************************
log_level [0-65535] 7
log_dir [directory path] /home/lanforge
add_resource_addr [host:port] SEE LIST ABOVE
rem_resource_addr [host:port] SEE LIST ABOVE
realm [1-255] 255
resource [1-511] 1
mgt_dev [ethernet device] eth0
mode [resource, manager, both] both
bind_mgt [0-1] 0
shelf [1-8] 1
dev_ignore [eth0 eth1 ... ethN]
first_cli_port [1025-4199] 4001
connect_mgr [host:port]
gps_dev [device file] NONE
max_tx [1-500] 5
wl_probe_timer [50-2000] 50
Other Commands: help, show_all
**************************************************
If these values are correct, enter 'config', otherwise change
the values by entering the key followed by the new value, for example:
mode manager
Your command:
Here are the values you can manipulate, and what they mean:
log_level
Suggested value is 7, run the btserver binary with the -h option to see what
the logging level means.
Example: log_level 7
gps_dev
GPS Device, for those wishing to integrate a GPS through the serial port using
the NMEA protocol.
Example: gps_dev /dev/ttyS0
Example: gps_dev NONE
log_dir
Suggested value is /home/lanforge, specifies where the logs are to be stored.
Example: log_dir /tmp
dev_ignore
If you don't want to use some of your interfaces for LANforge, then enter
them here. Otherwise, lfconfig will attempt to use them all.
Example: dev_ignore eth5 eth6 tr3
add_resource_addr
Add to the list of remote LANforge addresses. These are LANforge resources
that will otherwise not be discovered for various reasons. You must have TCP/IP
connectivity to them of course!
Example: add_resource_addr 192.168.5.5:4002
bind_mgt
If enabled, LANforge will only listen on the mgt-dev's
IP for management traffic. If disabled, it will listen on
all IPs on the local machine. Enabling this can help make
LANforge more secure, but may also make it harder to access.
The value 0 means disabled, 1 is enabled.
NOTE: If you enable the bind_mgt option and are in mode
'both', and not using 'lo' for management device, then you
will need to explicitly add a resource addr for
[ip-of-mgt-port]:4004 so that the manager can communicate
with the client process.
Example: bind_mgt 1
rem_resource_addr
Remove from the list of remote LANforge addresses. These are LANforge resources
that will otherwise not be discovered for various reasons. You must have TCP/IP
connectivity to them of course!
Example: rem_resource_addr 192.168.5.5:4002
max_tx
Maximum number of packets to tx per 'round.' The higher this number is the better
performance you may achieve. However, if you make it too high, you may increase
dropped packets due to making the traffic pattern too bursty. Suggested value is
between 5 and 10 for traffic patterns around 2000 packets-per-second.
Example: max_tx 50
keepalive
Resource keepalive timer, in miliseconds. After this time with no communication,
the manager will request an update, and after 4 times this interval, the remote
resource process will be considered dead. Default is 30,000 (30 seconds.)
Example: keepalive 60000
wl_probe_timer
Number of milliseconds between probes of
kernel-mode WanLink stats. Default is 50. Increasing
this will save some processing time, at the cost of less
accurate 3-second report averages and graphs.
Example: wl_probe_timer 50
realm
LANforge resources grouped (clustered) with the same realm value can be managed by a
single LANforge-GUI. LANforge processes will ignore messages from other realms. Valid
range of values is 1-255, inclusive, and the default is 255. If set to 255, it will
never cluster with other LANforge systems, even if the other system is set to 255
also.
Example: realm 1
shelf
This is the virtual 'shelf' that this LANforge instance should belong to.
Unless you have a very large installation, you should enter 1 here. If you have
more than 511 LANforge resources, then you will need to put them into a second
shelf.
Example: shelf 1
resource
Every LANforge resource (data-generator) on a given shelf MUST have a unique instance
(machine) identifier. Suggested values are 1 for the first data-generator machine, 2
for the second, 3 for the third, etc. This was previously called 'client'.
Example: resource 1
first_cli_port
This is the CLI (command line interface) port. If you have multiple resources
configured on the same machine (unlikely), then the second will be 2 greater than
the first, etc. The binary (GUI) port for a given resource will always be one
more than the CLI interface port. You can usually leave this at its default: 4001
Example: first_cli_port 4001
connect_mgr
Tell resource to connect to a known manager. Normally
managers connect to resources, but sometimes it's useful to connect
the other way to get around firewalls and when using mobile resources
that may often change their management IP address.
Example: connect_mgr 192.168.100.20:4002
Example: connect_mgr NONE
mgt_dev
This is the ethernet device that the LANforge management traffic is carried
over. The management devices for the LANforge manager and LANforge resources
should be connected to the same ethernet broadcast domain (LAN). If you want this
system to be completely self-contained, you can have mgt_dev be lo (loopback).
Example: mgt_dev eth0
mode
This determines the behavior of the LANforge software. You need exactly one
LANforge manager for each network, and at least 1 LANforge resource. The basic
software is the same, and its behavior is determined by the mode you enter
here. Use 'both' for a single machine configuration. For multiple machine
configurations, you will usually have one machine in mode 'both', and the remaining
machines in mode 'resource'.
Example: mode resource
Example Configurations
All-in-One/Stand-alone LANforge-ICE WAN Emulator & Traffic Generator
This is the default configuration and enables a machine with 3 ports to be a fully
functional WAN emulator and/or traffic generator. The LANforge-GUI can be installed
on the same machine to enable easy management as well. NOTE: LANforge resources
with the default realm of 255 cannot be clustered. See the clustered resources example
below to enable this feature.
mgt_dev eth0
resource 1
realm 255
mode both
config
LANforge data generator (or WAN Emulator) Resource only machine
Generally, you will have one system that is both a manager and a
traffic generator (see above), and the rest will be only resources.
The manager will discover the resources and will be the central point
for configuring the entire system. The resource machines must have
unique identifiers (resource must be unique). NOTE: LANforge
resources with the default realm of 255 cannot be clustered. See the
clustered resources example below to enable this feature.
All clustered resources will now be displayed on the Status page of the
LANforge-GUI and will be listed in the Port Mgr tab.
NOTE: Entering the config command creates a port
configuration file called lanforge_eth_1 for resource 1 or lanforge_eth_2
for resource 2, etc., which are saved in the /home/lanforge directory.
After running the lfconfig script, you should have a box that is functionally similar
to the LF1000 Series units.
Start LANforge Server
To start the LANforge server, choose one of the these methods as root:
service lanforge start
cd /home/lanforge; ./serverctl.bash start
Installing LANforge Server on MacOS X
Installing LANforge server on Mac OS X
Choose one method to install LANforge on OS X::
A Automated Install:
Use lf_kinstall.pl to perform most steps.
B Manual Install:
This method might be necessary if the Automated Install option breaks.
Become root usersudo su - root
Automated Install
curl -o lf_kinstall.pl https://www.candelatech.com/lf_kinstall.pl chmod a+x lf_kinstall.pl ./lf_kinstall.pl --do_all_ct --lfver 5.4.8
Change directory to /Users/lanforge and skip to the "Configure LANforge Server" step below.
B:
Manual Install
Create LANforge Accounts
You should create a lanforge user and install the LANforge software in that user's
home directory. Use your preferred method, or use mine: sysadminctl -addUser lanforge -password lanforge -shell /bin/bash
This is optional, but required for at least some things (like VOIP with PESQ/POLQA analysis).
After this is installed, add some additional tools:
port install md5sha1sum
Install LANforge Server
Copy the LANforgeServer-X.X.X_MacOS-XX.tar.gz
file to some temporary directory and un-tar it with a command like: tar -xvzf LANforgeServer-*_MacOS*.tar.gz
That command should create a LANforgeServer-X.X.X directory, in which the distribution
exists. Change to that directory as root, and you will find an install.bash file.
Run this script:
./install.bash
Example Configurations
LANforge data generator Resource only machine
Generally, you will have one system that is both a manager and a
traffic generator, and the rest will be only resources.
The manager will discover the resources and will be the central point
for configuring the entire system. The resource machines must have
unique identifiers (resource must be unique). NOTE: LANforge
resources with the default realm of 255 cannot be clustered. See the
clustered resources example below to enable this feature.
Optional: Enable VNC and SSH access
On recent MacOS, this cannot be automated, so you have to configure this on the MacOS machine
through it's UI.
Open up Sharing Preferences on your Mac and then click the Screen sharing section.
Make sure Screen sharing is enabled and then click the Computer settings button.
Check the VNC Viewers may control screen with password check box and enter a VNC password.
You'll be prompted for this password when you connect.
Enable “Remote Login” in Sharing section to allow ssh login.
If this is stuck with "Remote login starting..." or similar, then try running this as root user
in a terminal:
Optional: Enable sudo without password
Enable sudo without a password on MacOS:
Edit the sudoers file: sudo visudo.
Then find the admin group permission section: %admin ALL = (ALL) ALL
Change to add NOPASSWD: %admin ALL = (ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL
After running the lfconfig script, reboot and LANforge should start automatically.
Installing LANforge Server on Microsoft Windows
BETA: Automated install procedure.
NOTE: Sometimes, the install commands seem to just hang waiting for input. If you see no
activity for a while, try hitting 'Enter'. Also, check for popped-under windows
waiting for clicks to continue installation of packages...
Open administrator powershell, change to a user-directory if needed,
and run commands below to download setup script and configure for Adminstrator autologin:
Enable Administrator auto-login and disable a lot of security.
.\windows_lf_setup.ps1 -autologin
Reboot shutdown /r
Reboot. Next you should login as user Administrator. If not, then fix that before continuing.
Download setup script again since you are probably in a different directory now.
wget http://www.candelatech.com/windows_lf_setup.ps1 -o windows_lf_setup.ps1
Install ssh, wireshark, vnc, lanforge and other tools and do automated configuration where possible.
In powershell window as administrator .\windows_lf_setup.ps1 -lfver 5.4.8
Be sure to configure LANforge to be proper resource-id, realm, mgt-port
Please see the LFConfig section.
Reboot: shutdown /r
If this worked properly, you should see Administrator desktop and LANforge running upon reboot. Happy testing!
Historical Windows Installation
Many LANforge traffic generation and network emulation features are available on Microsoft
Windows operating systems. This section has details pertinent to the old install process on Windows.
See supported
features for more detail.. LANforge on Linux is still the most precise, featureful, and highest performing
option. Please contact Candela Technologies or your sales representative if you have questions
about whether a feature you need is supported on Windows. Windows managers can manage Linux
data generators, and vice versa.
Install the LANforge Server Files
Execute the LANforge Server-Installer.exe program.
At the end of the LANforge install, you
have an option to run the "Configure LANforge" tool. Please do run this
tool (or re-run from the desktop) and click 'Configure' unless you are certain you do not
need to do so.
In the configuration tool, select the mode (you will want one machine configured to
be 'Both' (Manager and Resource) in your realm). The rest of the machines should be
configured in resource mode only.
The text box at the top of the configuration tool shows the LANforge server startup
information and the list of interfaces found on the machine. You will need to choose one
of the adapters for your management interface. 'Management Network Device' from one of
the 'Device ID:' fields.
The 'Realm Number' can be any value between 1 and 255. By placing
a machine into a certain realm, you ensure that the LANforge software
will only communicate with other machines in that same realm. Realm 255
means do not cluster.
Each LANforge machine in a cluster must have a unique identifier. This is the 'Resource Id Number',
and it corresponds to the resource number in the LANforge GUI. Typically, you use
1 for the first system, 2 for the second, and so forth.
If your management network is routed, and you are configuring a machine as Manager
or Both mode, then you will need to specify the IP addresses for the other LANforge
resource machines in the Clients <IP:port>. The reason is that while LANforge can
automatically discover other LANforge machines on the local subnet, it cannot
automatically discover LANforge machines on other subnets.
The syntax for multiple resources is a space separated list of IP address and ports.
The default port is 4002, unless you manually edit the start scripts.
For example: IP#1:Port1 IP#2:Port2 IP#3:Port3
Example input for three remote resources is:
192.168.2.2:4002 192.168.2.3:4002 120.5.3.2:4002
If you are configured for mode 'Both' or 'Manager', then you must install the
LANforge license keys sent to you by Candela Technologies or your LANforge reseller.
Install these license keys per instructions in the license file. (Typically, copy the keys
to a file called license.txt in the LANforge install directory.)
Configuration should now be complete. Click on the 'Configure' button to create
the LANforge server start script shortcuts (LANforge Manager and LANforge Data
Generator) on the desktop.
To start the LANforge server on a 'Both' system double click both the
LANforge ManagerANDLANforge Data Generator shortcuts.
Likewise, a Manager only node will only require the LANforge Manager shorcut executed while
a Resource node will only require running the LANforge Data Generator shortcut.
NOTE: Windows Vista and Windows 7 users must run the LANforge Manager, LANforge Data
Generator and usually the LANforge GUI as administrator for a LANforge system to function
properly.
The shortcut properties should be modified to run as administrator: right-click
on the shortcut icon, select Properties and click the Advanced button. Select 'Run as administrator'
then click OK on both the Advanced Properties and LANforge Manager (or LANforge Data Generator)
Properties windows.
Optional packages: NTP
If you want to keep the clocks for multiple systems in sync (to better report latencies
with LANforge-FIRE, for instance), you should consider installing NTP.
Candela suggests this page for more info and downloads:
https://www.meinberg.de/english/sw/ntp.htm
Optional packages: Wireshark
The Wireshark tool is an excellent packet sniffer and protocol analyzer. You can dowload
it from: www.wireshark.org. In order for
LANforge to be able to automatically launch Wireshark, it must be installed
in its default install directory on the same drive as LANforge is installed.
You can also launch Wireshark manually of course.
Installing LANforge Interop App on Android Devices
The LANforge Interop App running on an Android device gives ability to control the WiFi
settings on most Android devices, generate TCP and UDP traffic, as well as do specialized
traffic tests like using the Android web browser to download files and play movies.
Enable ADB debugging connection on Android phone.
Open up settings
Scroll down to “About Phone”, tap it once.
Select “Software Information”.
Tap “Build Version”, four or more times until you get a notification that it is in developer mode. If Build Version isn't there, try “build number”.
Go back to the main Settings menu list.
See “Developer options” now at the bottom of the list. Tap on it to open.
Scroll down list to “Debugging” section and enable "USB Debugging".
Optional: Scroll down to “Networking” section, configure WiFi networking related options:
Enable Wireless display certification
Enable Wi-Fi Verbose Logging
Disable Wi-Fi scan throttling
Connect your Phone to the LANforge using usb cable.
The phone should then show up in the Interop tab in the LANforge GUI.
In interop tab, double click on the new device, and give it a unique user name and click OK.
Click Batch Modify.
When that window opens, click the Install button. If you are running
the LANforge GUI inside a VNC or Remote Desktop session, then you can click the 'Launch GUI' button
to get an interactive display of your Android device.
The LANforge Manager IP field is an IP address that the Android device can connect to once
it is associated with the DUT. Often this is the 'upstream' Ethernet port on LANforge.
Fill in the SSID, Password and Encryption type. If using wpa2, use that option instead of psk2
in the encryption pulldown unless you are certain your Android device needs to use psk2.
Press 'Start'. This should launch the LANforge Interop App on the Android device, have it configure
the wifi as requested, and connect to the LANforge manager on the selected IP address.
Assuming that all worked as expected, then the Status panel in the LANforge GUI will now show the
new device, and the Interop App on the Android device will switch from the intro screen to a
screen filled with stats and other available tabs.
Installing LANforge Interop App on iOS Devices
The LANforge Interop App running on an iOS device gives ability to control the WiFi
settings, generate TCP and UDP traffic, and do some types of Layer 4-7 generation. This functionality is offered
for the iPhone 11 and all following generations. But has not yet been tested with the Apple iPad.
The Candela Technologies Linux kernel can be downloaded and expanded from archive.
We prefer you to use upgrade.bash for normal upgrading.
Check the release notes for special instructions:
Go to the Downloads Page
and scroll down to the latest release notes link. The downloads will be in the
/private/downloads/ directory.
On the LANforge system, as root, stop the LANforge service:
cd /home/lanforge ./serverctl.bash stop
Backup the existing installation:
cd /home tar -cvzf lanforge_bkup.tar.gz lanforge
Use a utility like Filezilla or scp to copy the LANforgeServer archive to the LANforge system, to /home/lanforge/Downloads
Install the new LANforge server software: cd /home/lanforge tar -xvzf LANforgeServer-<VER>-x64_Linux-x86.tar.gz cd LANforgeServer-<VER> ./install.bash
Regenerate the LANforge configuration as root:
cd /home/lanforge ./lfconfig --new_layout
Start the upgraded LANforge server: # ./serverctl.bash start
Upgrade the Linux Kernel Offline
Sometimes it is necessary to upgrade the Linux kernel in an offline environment.
Upgrade the LANforge kernel as root:
Generally, the kernel version should be upgraded to match the LANforge software version
both of which can be found on the
Downloads Page.
# uname -r # will give you your current kernel version
# /usr/local/bin/kinstall_ct<CURRENT KERNEL>.bash
# cd /
# tar -xvzf ct<NEW KERNEL>.tar.gz
# /usr/local/bin/kinstall_ct<NEW KERNEL>.bash
Update GRUB configuration file with new kernel name: /home/lanforge/lf_kinstall.pl htt
Reboot the system for the new kernel to be in use: # reboot
Verify new kernel is running: # uname -a
Upgrading LANforge Server on Microsoft Windows
To upgrade your LANforge server from an existing Windows installation,
follow these instructions:
Check the release notes for special instructions:
Go to the Downloads Page
and scroll down to the latest release notes link.
Stop the LANforge Manager and Data Generator:
Close the DOS windows labeled LANforge Manager and LANforge Data Generator.
Backup your current installation:
Rename or copy the C:\Program Files\LANforge server directory.
DO NOT UNINSTALL - YOU WILL LOSE YOUR LANforge DATABASE
Simply run the new LANforge Server Installer.
Re-run the Configure LANforge utility.
You will be prompted after installing the new server software.
Install your license keys:
Follow the license installation instructions in your license key file.
Start the LANforge server:
For a 'Both' node, double-click the LANforge Data Generator and LANforge Manager icons.
Otherwise, double-click the appropriate icon for the node type.
NOTE: Windows Vista and Windows 7 users must run the LANforge Manager, LANforge Data
Generator as Administrator for a LANforge system to function
properly.
The shortcut properties should be modified to run as Administrator:
Right-click on the shortcut icon
Select Properties→Advanced button
Select Run as administrator
then click OK on both the Advanced Properties and
LANforge Manager (or LANforge Data Generator) Properties windows.
Appendix
Various techniques below.
Discover Interface Names
You can learn your interface names with the command: ip -br link show
For fresh installs, on Fedora 15 and higher, you may wish to change the
network device names from the bus enumeration style (p1p2)
to classic Linux style (eth0). If so, edit the /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules file.
You will also need to rename and edit the corresponding /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-* files
to match the new names. When done, reboot to make sure the system comes back up with
the specified kernel and with properly named network interfaces.
Configure the Management Network Interface
Choose one of the methods below to configure your management interface:
LFConfig GUI
Double click on the LFConfig icon on the desktop.
Select eth0 (or appropriate)
Click Apply
CLI lfconfig:
cd /home/lanforge ./serverctl.bash stop ./lfconfig --new_layout
config
Please see the LFConfig section to learn mnore about the lfconfig command.
If you did not install a new kernel (upgrade) you may restart lanforge:
./serverctl.bash start
Using lf_kinstall.pl one-liner:
It is possible to runlf_kinstall.pl using a perl/curl one-liner.
This syntax is noted for reference, and we don't encourage this. This syntax is
not possible for offline bundle installations.