To simulating Network Automation projects in NS2 has includes to design the environment in which the specific network tasks like as routing, traffic management, and configuration, are automated deprived of human interference. Since NS2 primarily concentrates on network protocol simulation, we can expand it to replicate network automation by combined the characteristics like dynamic routing adjustments, self-healing mechanisms, and automatic load balancing.
To simulate network automation, we can design the network’s behaviour, describe policies, or write scripts that automate these tasks in the course of the simulation. This can be completed by using an integration of routing protocols, automation scripts, and event-driven control.
Key Concepts of Network Automation in NS2:
- Dynamic Routing: Automatically adapts the routing paths according to real-time network conditions such as congestion, delay, or node failure.
- Self-Healing: identifying link failures and automatically rerouting traffic.
- Traffic Management: Automating bandwidth allocation and traffic prioritization based on policies.
- Load Balancing: Automatically allocating traffic via multiple paths to mitigate congestion.
- Configuration Management: Automatically set up network parameters according to predefined templates or scripts.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to simulate network automation projects in NS2.
Steps to Simulate Network Automation Projects in NS2
- Install NS2
If we don’t have NS2 installed, download and install it from the NS2 official site.
- Dynamic Routing Protocol for Automation
For automation, routing protocols such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV), and Destination-Sequenced Distance Vector (DSDV) are utilized. These protocols can dynamically modify to variation in the network.
AODV is usually utilized in mobile ad-hoc networks and can systematically update routes when a link fails. OSPF, if implemented, delivered a dynamic routing mechanism for larger networks.
- TCL Script for Simulating Network Automation
Here is an instance TCL script for replicating a Network Automation environment using AODV in a mobile ad-hoc network. This script illustrates automatic routing modification and self-healing in response to node or link failures.
Example TCL Script for Network Automation Simulation
# Create a simulator object
set ns [new Simulator]
# Open files for tracing and NAM visualization
set tracefile [open network_automation.tr w]
$ns trace-all $tracefile
set namfile [open network_automation.nam w]
$ns namtrace-all-wireless $namfile 500 500
# Define network topology and set up wireless channel
set topo [new Topography]
$topo load_flatgrid 500 500
set chan_1_ [new Channel/WirelessChannel]
set prop [new Propagation/TwoRayGround]
set netif [new Phy/WirelessPhy]
set mac [new Mac/802_11]
set ll [new LL]
set ifq [new Queue/DropTail/PriQueue]
set antenna [new Antenna/OmniAntenna]
# Define routing protocol (e.g., AODV) for dynamic routing
set adhocRouting AODV
# Node configuration for dynamic routing
$ns node-config -adhocRouting $adhocRouting \
-llType $ll \
-macType $mac \
-ifqType $ifq \
-ifqLen 50 \
-antType $antenna \
-propType $prop \
-phyType $netif \
-channel $chan_1_ \
-topoInstance $topo \
-agentTrace ON \
-routerTrace ON \
-macTrace ON
# Create nodes
set num_nodes 5
for {set i 0} {$i < $num_nodes} {incr i} {
set node($i) [$ns node]
}
# Set node positions (adjust for your scenario)
$node(0) set X_ 50
$node(0) set Y_ 50
$node(1) set X_ 100
$node(1) set Y_ 100
$node(2) set X_ 200
$node(2) set Y_ 200
$node(3) set X_ 300
$node(3) set Y_ 300
$node(4) set X_ 400
$node(4) set Y_ 400
# Define node mobility (optional – for dynamic environments)
for {set i 0} {$i < $num_nodes} {incr i} {
$ns at 0.0 “$node($i) setdest 500 500 10”
}
# Create TCP agent at node 0 (source node)
set tcp0 [new Agent/TCP]
$ns attach-agent $node(0) $tcp0
# Create TCP Sink agent at node 4 (destination node)
set sink0 [new Agent/TCPSink]
$ns attach-agent $node(4) $sink0
# Connect TCP agent and Sink
$ns connect $tcp0 $sink0
# Create FTP application over TCP and start generating traffic
set ftp [new Application/FTP]
$ftp attach-agent $tcp0
$ns at 1.0 “$ftp start”
# Simulate automatic rerouting when a node (node 1) fails
$ns at 5.0 “$node(1) reset”
# Adjust bandwidth allocation dynamically at 10 seconds
$ns at 10.0 “$node(0) set bandwidth 10Mb”
# Stop traffic after 15 seconds
$ns at 15.0 “$ftp stop”
# End simulation after 20 seconds
$ns at 20.0 “finish”
# Define finish procedure to close trace and NAM files
proc finish {} {
global ns tracefile namfile
$ns flush-trace
close $tracefile
close $namfile
exec nam network_automation.nam &
exit 0
}
# Run the simulation
$ns run
- Explanation of the Script
- Simulator Setup: Generate the simulator object and opens trace and NAM files to log simulation events.
- Routing Protocol: AODV is selected for dynamic routing. This permit the network to systematically adapt routes when nodes fail or links break.
- Node Mobility: Nodes are mobile and utilize the setdest command to move around in the simulation, that triggers dynamic changes in the network topology.
- Traffic Generation: A TCP agent is attached to the source node, and FTP traffic is created.
- Network Automation: The script replicate network automation in multiple ways:
- Self-Healing: At 5 seconds, node 1 is made to fail (using the reset command), that cause AODV to by design reroute traffic via the remaining nodes.
- Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation: At 10 seconds, the bandwidth among two nodes is increased to 10Mb to replicate automated bandwidth alteration.
- Simulation End: The simulation ends after 20 seconds.
- Running the Simulation
Once we have written the TCL script (e.g., network_automation.tcl), execute it using NS2 with the following command:
ns network_automation.tcl
- Analyzing the Results
- NAM Visualization: we can open the .nam file in NAM (Network Animator) to envision the network, node mobility, traffic flow, and how AODV reroutes traffic automatically when node 1 fails.
nam network_automation.nam
- Trace File Analysis: Utilize the .tr trace file to measure network parameters like:
- Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR)
- End-to-End Delay
- Routing Overhead
- Performance Metrics for Network Automation
When replicating network automation, concentrate on the following parameters:
- Response Time: How rapidly the network detects failures or changes and reroutes traffic.
- Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR): The percentage of packets successfully delivered to the destination.
- Throughput: The rate of successful data delivery over the network.
- Routing Overhead: The number of control messages interchanged to update routes in response to changes.
- Extending the Simulation
Here are some ways to prolong the simulation to cover other contexts of network automation:
- Load Balancing: Execute multiple paths for traffic and share the load automatically via the paths.
- QoS (Quality of Service): Replicate dynamic prioritization of traffic in terms of QoS parameters, like delay or bandwidth requirements.
- Automatic Configuration: Execute automatic node configuration according to predefined policies, in which nodes self-configure their routing tables, bandwidth allocation, etc.
- Real-Time Network Monitoring: incorporate automation scripts to enthusiastically track the network performance and adapt parameters according to the conditions like congestion or link utilization.
We explored the numerous concepts regarding the simulation process, installation procedures and their configuration setup for Network Automation projects project that will executed using the tool of ns2 analysis tool. More information will be shared regarding the Network Automation projects in further manual.
To simulate network automation projects utilizing the NS2 approach, phdprime.com offers a dedicated team focused on executing these projects with the NS2 tool while sharing exemplary project ideas and topics in this field. We invite you to send us your complete details via email, and we will offer you the most effective guidance. Our experts are committed to ensuring that the simulation and project performance meet the highest standards, incorporating dynamic routing adjustments, self-healing mechanisms, and automatic load balancing into our work.
