Fast Networking VM + GUI on MacOS

Table of Contents

Set up a fast + light VM using OrbStack with Mininet + Wireshark

Works on Apple Silicon (M1…)
no UTM/Multipass needed
GUI + Mac to/from VM copy/paste
setup in ~10m, ~5s bootup

Check out the FAQ for CSE 150 lab-specific stuff

Install XQuartz and OrbStack #

Install XQuartz (GUI): xquartz.org
Install OrbStack (VM): orbstack.dev

Create the OrbStack Instance #

Connect to the Instance #

Either ssh mininet@orb from a terminal or double-click mininet in OrbStack

Installation #

Inside the VM, run this:

Note: Please select yes on purple screen prompt

sudo apt install openssh-server xauth x11-apps -y
sudo apt install mininet traceroute wireshark -y
sudo apt install openvswitch-testcontroller dnsutils -y
sudo apt install lsof chromium firefox nscd -y
sudo usermod -aG wireshark $(whoami)

What is this doing?

openssh-server: Enables remote SSH access
xauth: Manages X11 forwarding auth
x11-apps: Provides basic X11 GUI tools
mininet: Simulates virtual networks
traceroute: Traces route packets to destination
wireshark: Captures and analyzes network traffic
openvswitch-testcontroller: OpenFlow controller
dnsutils: DNS utilities
lsof: Lists open files
chromium: Chromium browser
firefox: Firefox browser
nscd: Grants browsers access to the internet
usermod ...: Grants user to capture packets

GUI Setup #

Still in the VM, run this:

sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config

This brings up config, find and ensure these lines are set like this:

helpful: i to edit, :wq to save + exit, :q! to force quit without save if you mess up

X11Forwarding yes
X11DisplayOffset 10
X11UseLocalhost yes

Now saved, let’s reload:

sudo systemctl restart ssh

Let’s set a password (anything is fine, just remember it):

sudo passwd $USER

Let’s also allow Chrome to use the GUI:

echo 'export XAUTHORITY=$HOME/.Xauthority' >> $HOME/.profile

Connect to the VM with GUI #

Pretty much done atp, let’s connect!

Important: Close the VM’s terminal tab, and open a new one (MacOS, not VM)

Quick Option #

Connect with X11 (-X) forwarding):

ssh -X mininet.orb.local

Better Option #

Edit SSH config:

vim ~/.ssh/config

Add (make sure to add your username):

Host mininet
    HostName mininet.orb.local
    User <your-username>
    ForwardX11 yes

Connect!

ssh mininet

Usage #

Run Commands #

Run wireshark (in background):

wireshark &

Run browser (in background):

# FF seems to run faster
# but included both since
# CSE 150 lab docs use chromium

chromium &
# or
firefox &

Run mininet scripts:

sudo python3 <script_name>.py

Also if you re-run mininet script and get an error, try wiping env:

sudo mn -c

Also note, bidirectional clipboard is supported! Make sure to use the Control instead of Command on the GUI to copy/paste.

Edit Python Files in VSCode #

Below stuff is optional, it’s just to edit stuff in VSCode

Install Remote - SSH
Install Remote X11
Open VSCode, click TV icon on left sidebar or bottom & left-most icon
1. Connect to Host
2. Add New SSH Host
3. ssh -X mininet.orb.local
  - this allows you to launch GUI directly from VSCode’s terminal
  - can also do ssh mininet@orb
    - but this disallows GUI launching
    - and forces you to use a separate terminal
    - where you’ve SSH’d in with the -X flag
Cmd+Shift+P, type in “Install code PATH” and enter
Now just open up a fresh terminal
Do as you please, use code <filepath> to open stuff in VSCode

CSE 150 Labs FAQ #

This is aimed at troubleshooting lab-related issues for CSE 150

POX Controller and OpenFlow? #

To set up using the OpenFlow protocol with switches, we must run a POX controller

Dedicate a separate terminal for this, since it needs to run in bg. Also, run this before your mininet topology.

git clone https://github.com/noxrepo/pox
cd pox && chmod +x pox.py
./pox.py forwarding.l2_learning

To filter in Wireshark, use this filter:

openflow_v1

Sometimes your POX controller may be already binded to a port on a re-run:

sudo kill -9 $(sudo lsof -ti :6633)