How to Calculate Network Jitter in ns3

To calculate the jitter in ns3, we need follow the several steps for jitter which usually estimated the average of the absolute differences among consecutive packet delays that need to measure the variation in packet delay.

Here are the actions on how to calculate the jitter in ns3:

1. Set up Your Simulation Environment: Create a network topology; configure nodes, links, and protocols.
2. Install Applications: Set up applications on the nodes to generate and receive traffic.
3. Trace the Packets: Use ns3 tracing capabilities to record the send and receive times of packets.
4. Calculate Jitter: Compute the variation in delay for consecutive packets.

Example

Here we provide the sample illustrative steps to complete the jitter in ns3:

Step 1: Set Up Your Simulation Environment

Initially, we need to make the network topology. The below are the sample snippet for point to point link among two nodes.

#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”

using namespace ns3;

NS_LOG_COMPONENT_DEFINE (“NetworkJitterExample”);

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

{

// Create two nodes

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create (2);

// Set up the point-to-point link

PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;

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

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

// Install the link devices on the nodes

NetDeviceContainer devices;

devices = pointToPoint.Install (nodes);

// Install the internet stack

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install (nodes);

// Assign IP addresses

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

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

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign (devices);

// Set up the UDP echo server and client

uint16_t port = 9; // well-known echo port number

UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer (port);

ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install (nodes.Get (1));

serverApps.Start (Seconds (1.0));

serverApps.Stop (Seconds (10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient (interfaces.GetAddress (1), port);

echoClient.SetAttribute (“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue (100));

echoClient.SetAttribute (“Interval”, TimeValue (Seconds (0.1))); // 10 packets per second

echoClient.SetAttribute (“PacketSize”, UintegerValue (1024));

ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install (nodes.Get (0));

clientApps.Start (Seconds (2.0));

clientApps.Stop (Seconds (10.0));

// Enable tracing

AsciiTraceHelper ascii;

pointToPoint.EnableAsciiAll (ascii.CreateFileStream (“network-jitter.tr”));

// Run the simulation

Simulator::Run ();

Simulator::Destroy ();

return 0;

}

Step 2: Install Applications

In this example, a UDP echo server is installed on one node and a UDP echo client on the other node. The client sends 100 packets, each 1024 bytes in size, at an interval of 0.1 seconds.

Step 3: Trace the Packets

NS-3 provides several ways to trace packets. You can use ASCII or PCAP tracing. In the example above, ASCII tracing is enabled.

Step 4: Calculate Jitter

After running the simulation, parse the trace file to extract the send and receive times of packets. Here is a simple way to process the trace file:

Example Python Script to Calculate Jitter

Below is the sample snippet to compute the jitter:

send_times = []

recv_times = []

with open(“network-jitter.tr”, “r”) as trace_file:

for line in trace_file:

if “UdpEchoClient” in line and “Sent” in line:

time = float(line.split()[1])  # Assuming the time is the second field

send_times.append(time)

elif “UdpEchoServer” in line and “Received” in line:

time = float(line.split()[1])  # Assuming the time is the second field

recv_times.append(time)

delays = []

for send_time, recv_time in zip(send_times, recv_times):

delays.append(recv_time – send_time)

jitter_sum = 0

for i in range(1, len(delays)):

jitter_sum += abs(delays[i] – delays[i-1])

average_jitter = jitter_sum / (len(delays) – 1) if len(delays) > 1 else 0

print(f”Average Jitter: {average_jitter} seconds”)

 Explanation

• Set Up Your Simulation Environment: Create two nodes and connect them with a point-to-point link.
• Install Applications: Install a UDP echo server on one node and a UDP echo client on the other node. Configure the client to send a specified number of packets at a specified interval.
• Trace the Packets: Enable ASCII tracing to record packet events.
• Calculate Jitter: Parse the trace file to extract the send and receive times of packets. Calculate the delay for each packet, then compute the absolute differences between consecutive delays, and finally calculate the average of these differences.

In the end, here we calculate and implemented the jitter in send and receive times of packets by use of ns3 abilities. Then we deliver the additional details on how the jitter will perform in other alternative simulators.

Our developers offer guidance on network performance for your ongoing project. Additionally, we are conducting an in-depth comparison analysis. Furthermore, we provide extensive information on calculating Jitter in ns3simulation. For optimal results in Jitter, please reach out to ns3simulation.com.