To simulate Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) in ns3 has include to setting up network topologies over a city-wide area, in which data is transmitted among numerous nodes that signifies homes, offices, data centers, or telecom infrastructure. MANs usually implement high-speed links such as fiber optics, Ethernet, and technologies like WiMAX, MPLS, or optical networks.
Here is a guide to simulate MAN projects using ns3.
Steps to Simulate Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) in ns3
- Install ns3:
- Ensure ns3 is installed in the system.
- Create MAN Nodes:
- For a MAN, we will usually generate multiple nodes denotes the numerous entities such as offices, buildings, or telecom infrastructure.
NodeContainer manNodes;
manNodes.Create(10); // Create 10 nodes in the MAN network
- Choose the Network Technology:
- Point-to-Point Links: For interconnecting fixed nodes in the MAN using wired links such as fiber, Ethernet, PointToPointHelper can be used.
- WiMAX (802.16): For wireless metropolitan area network simulation, we can use WiMAXHelper.
Example for Point-to-Point connection:
PointToPointHelper p2p;
p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“10Gbps”)); // High-speed fiber links
p2p.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“2ms”)); // Low latency for MAN
NetDeviceContainer devices;
devices = p2p.Install(manNodes);
Example for WiMAX configuration:
WimaxHelper wimax;
NodeContainer bsNodes; // Base stations
NodeContainer ssNodes; // Subscriber stations (clients)
bsNodes.Create(1); // Create 1 base station node
ssNodes.Create(5); // Create 5 subscriber station nodes
NetDeviceContainer baseStationDevs = wimax.Install(bsNodes, WimaxHelper::BS);
NetDeviceContainer subscriberStationDevs = wimax.Install(ssNodes, WimaxHelper::SS);
- Install Internet Stack:
- Install the Internet stack to allow communication among nodes.
InternetStackHelper internet;
internet.Install(manNodes);
- Assign IP Addresses:
- Allocate IP addresses to the devices.
Ipv4AddressHelper ipv4;
ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);
Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = ipv4.Assign(devices);
- Set Up Routing:
- In MAN simulations, we need routing protocols to direct data across the network. we can utilize dynamic routing protocols such as OSPF, RIP, or even static routes for simplicity.
Example of setting up a static route:
Ipv4StaticRoutingHelper staticRouting;
Ptr<Ipv4StaticRouting> route = staticRouting.GetStaticRouting(manNodes.Get(0)->GetObject<Ipv4>());
route->AddNetworkRouteTo(Ipv4Address(“10.1.2.0”), Ipv4Mask(“255.255.255.0”), 1);
Example of setting up dynamic routing with RIP:
RipHelper rip;
Ipv4ListRoutingHelper list;
list.Add(rip, 0);
InternetStackHelper internet;
internet.SetRoutingHelper(list);
internet.Install(manNodes);
- Simulate Traffic:
- Generate traffic applications to replicate data flow among nodes, like HTTP, VoIP, or FTP. We can utilize OnOffApplication or UdpEchoClient to generate traffic.
Example of using UDP traffic:
UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(9); // Server listens on port 9
ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install(manNodes.Get(0)); // Server on node 0
serverApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));
serverApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));
UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(interfaces.GetAddress(0), 9); // Client sends to server
echoClient.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(100));
echoClient.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0)));
echoClient.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));
ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install(manNodes.Get(1)); // Client on node 1
clientApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));
clientApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));
- Simulate Node Mobility (Optional):
- In some MAN scenarios, certain nodes can be mobile such as buses or public transport. We can allocate mobility models to mimic moving nodes.
MobilityHelper mobility;
mobility.SetPositionAllocator(“ns3::GridPositionAllocator”,
“MinX”, DoubleValue(0.0),
“MinY”, DoubleValue(0.0),
“DeltaX”, DoubleValue(5.0),
“DeltaY”, DoubleValue(10.0),
“GridWidth”, UintegerValue(5),
“LayoutType”, StringValue(“RowFirst”));
mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantVelocityMobilityModel”);
mobility.Install(manNodes);
- Performance Monitoring and Visualization:
- To gather statistics such as throughput, delay, or packet loss, utilize the FlowMonitorHelper.
Example of Flow Monitor setup:
FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;
Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();
Simulator::Stop(Seconds(20.0));
Simulator::Run();
monitor->SerializeToXmlFile(“man-flow-results.xml”, true, true);
- We can also utilize NetAnim for envision of the network in MAN scenarios.
AnimationInterface anim(“man-network.xml”);
- Run and Analyze the Simulation:
- Finally, execute the simulation and measure the performance using the gathered statistics.
Simulator::Stop(Seconds(20.0));
Simulator::Run();
Simulator::Destroy();
Example of Simple Metropolitan Area Network Simulation
#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[])
{
// Create nodes representing MAN entities
NodeContainer manNodes;
manNodes.Create(4); // 4 nodes for offices or data centers
// Set up point-to-point links with high speed and low latency
PointToPointHelper p2p;
p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“10Gbps”));
p2p.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“2ms”));
NetDeviceContainer devices;
devices = p2p.Install(manNodes);
// Install the Internet stack on the nodes
InternetStackHelper internet;
internet.Install(manNodes);
// Assign IP addresses to the devices
Ipv4AddressHelper ipv4;
ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);
Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = ipv4.Assign(devices);
// Set up traffic between the nodes using UDP echo
UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(9); // Server listens on port 9
ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install(manNodes.Get(0));
serverApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));
serverApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));
UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(interfaces.GetAddress(0), 9);
echoClient.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(10));
echoClient.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0)));
echoClient.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));
ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install(manNodes.Get(1));
clientApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));
clientApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));
// Set up flow monitor for performance analysis
FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;
Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();
// Run the simulation
Simulator::Stop(Seconds(20.0));
Simulator::Run();
// Print results to file
monitor->SerializeToXmlFile(“man-flow-results.xml”, true, true);
Simulator::Destroy();
return 0;
}
Advanced Simulation Topics for MANs:
- Quality of Service (QoS) Analysis:
- We can mimic traffic prioritization, queuing disciplines, and bandwidth reservation mechanisms for applications such as video streaming or VoIP.
- Multicast Routing:
- In MANs, multicast routing protocols such as PIM-SM or DVMRP can be executed to efficiently shared data to multiple receivers.
- Hybrid MAN (Wired + Wireless):
- Mimic a hybrid network in which some nodes interact over WiMAX or LTE while others utilize Ethernet or fiber links.
- Fiber-Optic Network Simulation:
- Utilize Optical Network modules to replicate high-speed optical links in the MAN infrastructure.
- Metro Ethernet and MPLS:
- We can replicate Metro Ethernet using MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) to execute large-scale MAN projects.
In this process, we had covered the details about Metropolitan Area Networks simulation procedures and how to evaluate the Metropolitan Area Networks outcomes across the ns3 tool. Further details regarding the Metropolitan Area Networks will be provided in upcoming manuals. To simulate Metropolitan Area Networks projects utilizing NS3, you may contact phdprime.com, where we are equipped with a comprehensive array of tools and resources to meet your requirements. We encourage you to share the specifics of your project, and we will ensure timely delivery along with superior quality support. Our development team specializes in the implementation of high-speed connections, including fiber optics, Ethernet, and advanced technologies such as WiMAX, MPLS, and optical networks, to guarantee optimal results for your endeavors.
