As researchers and practitioners in FIA often propose clean-slate network architectures and protocols, there is a strong need for highly flexible, controllable, and scalable platforms for their validation. In recent years, with the advancement of network simulation technology, many excellent simulators have emerged, but a dedicated simulator for FIA research remains absent.
To fill this gap, we designed and implemented FISim, which standardizes network simulation into four steps: input, boot, simulation, and output. The platform includes user-friendly interfaces and automated tools for each step, greatly simplifying the simulation process. Additionally, FISim addresses three key challenges in FIA research—mobility, security, and availability—by integrating key features such as Mobility-friendly ID-aware Routing, Security Enhancement Suite, and Highly-available Multi-Stream Fusion Protocol.
To validate the effectiveness of FISim, we applied it to the Cybertwin network, a promising new FIA, implementing its core features like the Cybertwin-based communication model. The results demonstrate the advantages of the Cybertwin network in terms of mobility, security, and availability.