How to Simulate LAN Protocols Projects Using MATLAB

To simulate Local Area Network (LAN) protocols using MATLAB we need to encompass designing a network, which contains several devices like computers, switches, routers and to replicate how these devices interact across the network utilizing numerous protocols. General LAN protocols comprise of Ethernet, Token Ring, and Wi-Fi. In this manual, we will fully concentrate on how to simulate an Ethernet-based LAN, as it is one of the most broadly utilized protocols.

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Steps to Simulate LAN Protocols in MATLAB

1. Define the Network Topology:

• Initially, we describing a network topology with numerous devices (nodes), which are interconnected. We can denote the devices and its connections within a graphical format.

Example:

% Number of devices in the LAN

num_devices = 10;

% Define the size of the simulation area (e.g., 100×100 units)

area_size = 100;

% Randomly generate positions for devices

devices = area_size * rand(num_devices, 2);  % Random (x, y) coordinates

% Plot the network topology

figure;

scatter(devices(:, 1), devices(:, 2), ‘filled’);

xlabel(‘X coordinate’);

ylabel(‘Y coordinate’);

title(‘LAN Topology Simulation’);

grid on;

hold on;

2. Create the Adjacency Matrix:

• Describe the connections among the devices according to its physical proximity. For simplicity, undertake every device can interact directly if they are in a specific communication range.

Example:

% Define communication range (e.g., 30 units)

comm_range = 30;

% Calculate pairwise distances between devices

distances = pdist2(devices, devices);

% Create adjacency matrix based on communication range

adjacency_matrix = distances <= comm_range & distances > 0;

% Plot the links between connected devices

for i = 1:num_devices

for j = i+1:num_devices

if adjacency_matrix(i, j)

plot([devices(i, 1), devices(j, 1)], [devices(i, 2), devices(j, 2)], ‘k–‘);

end

end

end

3. Initialize MAC Addresses and Routing Tables:

• Every single device in the LAN can be allocated a MAC address for communication. Furthermore, maintain the track of known devices, we can make a basic routing table.

Example:

% Initialize MAC addresses for each device

mac_addresses = cell(num_devices, 1);

for i = 1:num_devices

mac_addresses{i} = sprintf(’00:0%d:00:00:00:00′, i);

end

% Initialize routing table for each device

routing_table = cell(num_devices, 1);

for i = 1:num_devices

routing_table{i} = {};  % Each entry will store {Destination_MAC, Next_Hop_MAC}

end

4. Simulate Ethernet Frame Transmission:

• Once a device requires transmitting data to another device then it sum up the information within an Ethernet frame that contains the destination MAC address, source MAC address, and the payload.

Example of sending an Ethernet frame:

% Function to send an Ethernet frame from source to destination

function send_frame(source, destination, payload, mac_addresses, routing_table, adjacency_matrix)

% Get MAC addresses for source and destination

source_mac = mac_addresses{source};

destination_mac = mac_addresses{destination};

fprintf(‘Sending frame from %s to %s: %s\n’, source_mac, destination_mac, payload);

% Check if the destination is reachable

next_hop = find(strcmp(routing_table{source}(:, 1), destination_mac));

if isempty(next_hop)

fprintf(‘No route found from %s to %s. Packet dropped.\n’, source_mac, destination_mac);

return;

end

% Forward the frame to the next hop

next_hop_mac = routing_table{source}{next_hop, 2};

fprintf(‘Frame forwarded to %s\n’, next_hop_mac);

end

% Example: Send a frame from Device 1 to Device 5

send_frame(1, 5, ‘Hello, Device 5!’, mac_addresses, routing_table, adjacency_matrix);

5. Learn MAC Addresses (Address Resolution Protocol – ARP):

• Devices want to focus on each other’s MAC addresses for communication. It can be done utilizing a simplified version of the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) in which a device emits a request for a MAC address.

Example of ARP Request:

% Function to simulate ARP request

function arp_request(source, destination, mac_addresses)

fprintf(‘ARP Request: Device %d wants to know the MAC address of Device %d\n’, source, destination);

% Simulate response from the destination device

fprintf(‘ARP Reply: Device %d responds with MAC %s\n’, destination, mac_addresses{destination});

end

% Example: Device 1 requests MAC address of Device 5

arp_request(1, 5, mac_addresses);

6. Simulate Multiple Frame Transmissions:

• Replicate several frame transmissions within the network in which diverse devices interact with each other.

Example:

% Simulate multiple frame transmissions

num_frames = 5;

for i = 1:num_frames

% Randomly select source and destination devices

source_device = randi(num_devices);

destination_device = randi(num_devices);

payload = sprintf(‘Frame %d from Device %d’, i, source_device);

% Send the frame

send_frame(source_device, destination_device, payload, mac_addresses, routing_table, adjacency_matrix);

end

7. Performance Metrics:

• Calculate numerous performance parameters, like:
  • Throughput: Amount of data effectively sent across the network.
  • Packet Loss Rate: Ratio of lost packets to total packets is transmitted.
  • Delay: Duration for packets to move from source to destination.

Example of calculating throughput:

% Example: Calculate throughput based on frames sent

total_data_sent = num_frames * 100;  % Assuming each frame is 100 bytes

total_time = 10;  % Example total time in seconds

throughput = total_data_sent / total_time;  % Bytes per second

fprintf(‘Throughput: %.2f bytes/sec\n’, throughput);

8. Simulate Network Changes (Optional):

• In real LAN situations, devices possibly connect or disconnect, and network conditions may alter. We can replicate such changes and monitor how the network adjusts.

Example of simulating a device failure:

% Simulate device failure (e.g., Device 3)

fprintf(‘Device %d has failed and is no longer in the network.\n’, 3);

% Update the adjacency matrix and routing tables

adjacency_matrix(3, 🙂 = 0;  % Remove connections for Device 3

adjacency_matrix(:, 3) = 0;

% Recompute routing tables or inform other devices as needed

Conclusion:

This guide offers a simple outline to replicate the LAN protocols using MATLAB, which especially concentrating on Ethernet as a broadly utilized instance. We can expand this framework comprising more aspects such as collision detection, more complex routing mechanisms, or other LAN protocols as required.

Key steps contain:

1. Describing the network topology and adjacency matrix.
2. Introducing MAC addresses and routing tables.
3. Replicating the Ethernet frame transmission and ARP requests.
4. Transmitting several frames and calculating performance parameters.

We effectively carried out a stepwise simulation process for LAN Protocols project that were simulated using MATLAB environment. We are able to provide more insights based on your requirements.