How to Simulate TCP Protocol Projects Using NS3

To simulate TCP protocol projects in NS3 have includes configuring a simple network topology with nodes, setting up TCP variants, and generating traffic-generating applications that exploit TCP connections. NS3 delivers the support for numerous TCP variants like TCP NewReno, TCP Tahoe, TCP Vegas, TCP Westwood, and others, that can be setting up for different network scenarios.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to simulate TCP protocol projects in NS3.

Steps to Simulate TCP Protocols in NS3

  1. Install NS3

Ensure that we have NS3 installed.

  1. Understanding TCP Protocol in NS3

NS3 supports diverse TCP variants. Some common TCP variants are:

  • TCP NewReno (default)
  • TCP Tahoe
  • TCP Vegas
  • TCP Westwood
  • TCP HighSpeed
  • TCP Scalable

We can change the TCP variant utilized by the simulation by configuring attributes in NS3’s TCP socket API.

  1. Create a Simulation Script

In this sample, we will generate a simple simulation in which nodes interact using the TCP protocol. The setup will include:

  • A point-to-point link among two nodes.
  • A TCP traffic generator using OnOffApplication and PacketSink.

Example Simulation with TCP NewReno

  1. Include Necessary Headers

These headers will permit you to configure the network, TCP, applications, and logging.

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/point-to-point-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

#include “ns3/flow-monitor-module.h”

  1. Create and Install Nodes

Generate two nodes to signify a simple client-server setup.

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create(2);  // Create 2 nodes

  1. Configure Point-to-Point Link

Generate a point-to-point link among the two nodes. Set the bandwidth (data rate) and delay of the link.

PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;

pointToPoint.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“5Mbps”));

pointToPoint.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“2ms”));

NetDeviceContainer devices;

devices = pointToPoint.Install(nodes);

  1. Install Internet Stack

Install the internet stack (which includes TCP/IP) on both nodes.

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install(nodes);

  1. Assign IP Addresses

Allocate IP addresses to the point-to-point devices. This will permits the nodes to interact through IP.

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

address.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign(devices);

  1. Configure TCP Variant

NS3 enable you to change the TCP variant globally by configuring the ns3::TcpL4Protocol::SocketType attribute. Below is an instance of setting TCP NewReno (the default variant), however we can easily switch to other variants.

Config::SetDefault(“ns3::TcpL4Protocol::SocketType”, TypeIdValue(ns3::TcpNewReno::GetTypeId()));

For other TCP variants, we can change TcpNewReno to any of the following:

  • TcpTahoe
  • TcpVegas
  • TcpWestwood
  • TcpHighSpeed
  • TcpScalable
  1. Set up TCP Applications (Client-Server)

To replicate TCP traffic, we will utilize the OnOffApplication as the client and PacketSinkApplication as the server.

  • Server (Sink Application):

uint16_t port = 8080;  // Server listening port

Address sinkAddress(InetSocketAddress(interfaces.GetAddress(1), port));  // Server IP address

PacketSinkHelper packetSinkHelper(“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”, sinkAddress);  // TCP packet sink

ApplicationContainer sinkApp = packetSinkHelper.Install(nodes.Get(1));  // Install on server node

sinkApp.Start(Seconds(0.0));

sinkApp.Stop(Seconds(20.0));  // Set duration of simulation

  • Client (OnOff Application):

OnOffHelper clientHelper(“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”, sinkAddress);  // TCP client

clientHelper.SetAttribute(“OnTime”, StringValue(“ns3::ConstantRandomVariable[Constant=1]”));

clientHelper.SetAttribute(“OffTime”, StringValue(“ns3::ConstantRandomVariable[Constant=0]”));

clientHelper.SetAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“2Mbps”));  // Data rate for the client

clientHelper.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));  // Packet size

ApplicationContainer clientApp = clientHelper.Install(nodes.Get(0));  // Install on client node

clientApp.Start(Seconds(1.0));

clientApp.Stop(Seconds(20.0));  // Set duration of simulation

  1. Monitor Network Performance

To track the performance of the network, we can utilize NS3’s FlowMonitor to monitor throughput, delay, and packet loss.

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();

  1. Run the Simulation

Set the simulation time, execute the simulation, and then measure the outcomes.

Simulator::Stop(Seconds(20.0));  // Run simulation for 20 seconds

Simulator::Run();

monitor->SerializeToXmlFile(“tcp-simulation.xml”, true, true);  // Save the flow monitor results to an XML file

Simulator::Destroy();

  1. Example Full Script

Here’s a complete NS3 simulation script for TCP NewReno over a point-to-point link:

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/point-to-point-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

#include “ns3/flow-monitor-module.h”

using namespace ns3;

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

// Step 1: Create nodes

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create(2);  // Create 2 nodes (client and server)

// Step 2: Configure point-to-point link

PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;

pointToPoint.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“5Mbps”));

pointToPoint.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“2ms”));

NetDeviceContainer devices;

devices = pointToPoint.Install(nodes);

// Step 3: Install internet stack (TCP/IP)

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install(nodes);

// Step 4: Assign IP addresses

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

address.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign(devices);

// Step 5: Configure TCP variant (NewReno is default)

Config::SetDefault(“ns3::TcpL4Protocol::SocketType”, TypeIdValue(ns3::TcpNewReno::GetTypeId()));

// Step 6: Set up TCP server (PacketSink)

uint16_t port = 8080;  // Server listening port

Address sinkAddress(InetSocketAddress(interfaces.GetAddress(1), port));  // Server IP address

PacketSinkHelper packetSinkHelper(“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”, sinkAddress);

ApplicationContainer sinkApp = packetSinkHelper.Install(nodes.Get(1));  // Install on server node

sinkApp.Start(Seconds(0.0));

sinkApp.Stop(Seconds(20.0));  // Set duration of simulation

// Step 7: Set up TCP client (OnOffApplication)

OnOffHelper clientHelper(“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”, sinkAddress);

clientHelper.SetAttribute(“OnTime”, StringValue(“ns3::ConstantRandomVariable[Constant=1]”));

clientHelper.SetAttribute(“OffTime”, StringValue(“ns3::ConstantRandomVariable[Constant=0]”));

clientHelper.SetAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“2Mbps”));  // Data rate

clientHelper.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));  // Packet size

ApplicationContainer clientApp = clientHelper.Install(nodes.Get(0));  // Install on client node

clientApp.Start(Seconds(1.0));

clientApp.Stop(Seconds(20.0));  // Set duration of simulation

// Step 8: Monitor performance using FlowMonitor

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();

// Step 9: Run the simulation

Simulator::Stop(Seconds(20.0));  // Run simulation for 20 seconds

Simulator::Run();

// Save flow monitor results to an XML file

monitor->SerializeToXmlFile(“tcp-simulation.xml”, true, true);

// Clean up and finish the simulation

Simulator::Destroy();

return 0;

}

  1. Run the Simulation
  • Compile and run the script using NS3’s waf build system:

./waf build

./waf –run <your_script_name>

  1. Analysing Results
  • Flow Monitor: The tcp-simulation.xml file created by the flow monitor can be measured for detailed information about throughput, packet loss, delay, etc. we can utilize Python or other tools to parse the XML file.
  • PCAP Traces: we can permit packet capture (pcap) to record all packets for evaluation with Wireshark or other network analysis tools:

pointToPoint.EnablePcapAll(“tcp-simulation”);  // Save pcap trace for all nodes

  1. Switching TCP Variants

We can change the TCP variant by configuring the proper socket type using Config::SetDefault(). For example:

  • TCP Tahoe:

Config::SetDefault(“ns3::TcpL4Protocol::SocketType”, TypeIdValue(ns3::TcpTahoe::GetTypeId()));

  • TCP Vegas:

Config::SetDefault(“ns3::TcpL4Protocol::SocketType”, TypeIdValue(ns3::TcpVegas::GetTypeId()));

We can simulate diverse TCP variants to relate the parameters such as throughput, packet loss, and congestion control behaviour.

In the accessible manual will established the simulation process that supports to implement the TCP protocol and measure their performance NS3 tool. More details will be offered on this TCP protocol in upcoming manual.

For the best outcomes while simulating TCP protocol projects Get a hassle-free research experience by collaborating with us. We at PhDprime.com will use the NS3 tool to provide you with innovative outcomes. Our technical team professionals will go over all of your work in depth.

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