System and method for virtualization of networking system software via emulation

A method of running a target device in a hardware-in-the-loop network simulation via a host computer, the method comprising:

• launching a network application on a host computer, the host computer having a host protocol stack and a network device connected to a simulated network of target devices;
• interposing, on the host computer, a target device interface and adaptor between the host protocol stack and the network device;
• transferring data and control information between the network application and at least one of the target devices via the network device;
• whereby each target device runs on the host computer as if the target device were running directly on a host computer having a network device directly compatible with the target device;
• wherein interposing the target device interface and adaptor further comprises:
• sending and receiving data packets with the network application from the target device using addresses which appear to the network application to be the addresses of an actual target device in the simulated network;
• transferring control data for getting and setting control attributes in the target device with the network device using addresses which appear to the network device to be the addresses of an actual target device in the simulated network;
• sending and receiving data packets with the host protocol stack for the network application using addresses which appear to the host protocol stack and network application to be the addresses of the actual target device in the simulated network;
• and
• transferring control data for getting and setting control attributes with the host protocol stack for the network application using addresses which appear to the host protocol stack and network application to be the addresses of an actual target device in the simulated network;
• and
• wherein transferring control data for getting and setting control attributes further comprises storing network device attribute data, including at least one or more hardware attributes of the target device, locally when set device attribute commands are sent from the host computer to the target device.