Quantum network protocol development is crucial to realizing a production-grade network that can support distributed sensing, secure communication, and utility-scale quantum computation. However, the transition from laboratory demonstration to deployable networks requires software implementations of architectures and protocols tailored to the unique constraints of quantum systems. This paper reviews the current state of software implementations for quantum networks, organized around the three-plane abstraction of infrastructure, logical, and control/service planes. We cover software for both designing quantum network protocols (e.g., SeQUeNCe, QuISP, and NetSquid) and operating them, with a focus on essential control/service plane functions such as entanglement, topology, and resource management, in a proposed taxonomy. Our review highlights a persistent gap between theoretical protocol proposals and their realization in simulators or testbeds, particularly in dynamic topology and network management. We conclude by outlining open challenges and proposing a roadmap for developing scalable software architectures to enable hybrid, large-scale quantum networks.

翻译：量子网络协议开发对于实现能够支持分布式传感、安全通信和实用规模量子计算的生产级网络至关重要。然而，从实验室演示向可部署网络的过渡，需要针对量子系统独特约束条件量身定制的架构与协议的软件实现。本文围绕基础设施平面、逻辑平面与控制/服务平面的三层抽象结构，综述了当前量子网络软件实现的现状。我们涵盖了用于设计量子网络协议（如SeQUeNCe、QuISP和NetSquid）与运行协议的软件，并在提出的分类框架内重点探讨了纠缠管理、拓扑管理与资源管理等关键控制/服务平面功能。本综述揭示了理论协议方案与其在模拟器或测试平台中实现之间持续存在的差距，特别是在动态拓扑与网络管理方面。最后，我们概述了开放挑战，并提出了开发可扩展软件架构的路线图，以推动混合型大规模量子网络的发展。