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How to Implement IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Tagging in ns3

Implementing IEEE 802.1Q (VLAN Tagging) in ns-3 involves setting up a network. That network should have VLANs which are used to segment traffic within the network. ns-3 does not have direct built-in module for VLAN tagging. But ns-3 features allows you to simulate VLAN’s behavior. Setting up a basic VLAN scenario in ns-3 involves the following features:

Steps to implement VLAN tagging in ns-3

  1. Set up your development environment
  • Install ns-3 : Ensure that you have ns-3 installed in your computer. To install, follow the official ns-3 installation guide.
  • Install required modules : Make sure that you have installed all the required ns-3 modules such as Internet, Csma and Application modules.
  1. Create a basic VLAN simulation script

Here is a basic VLAN scenario setup example script using ns-3 features. In this example, we create two VLAN, one is VLAN 10 and another one is VLAN 20. Then we simulate traffic between nodes in the same VLAN and across the VLANs.

Example script :

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/csma-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

using namespace ns3;

NS_LOG_COMPONENT_DEFINE (“VlanExample”);

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

{

  // Set simulation parameters

  uint32_t numVlan10Nodes = 3;

  uint32_t numVlan20Nodes = 3;

  double simTime = 10.0; // Simulation time in seconds

  CommandLine cmd;

  cmd.AddValue(“numVlan10Nodes”, “Number of VLAN 10 nodes”, numVlan10Nodes);

  cmd.AddValue(“numVlan20Nodes”, “Number of VLAN 20 nodes”, numVlan20Nodes);

  cmd.AddValue(“simTime”, “Simulation time”, simTime);

  cmd.Parse(argc, argv);

  // Create nodes for VLAN 10 and VLAN 20

  NodeContainer vlan10Nodes;

  vlan10Nodes.Create(numVlan10Nodes);

  NodeContainer vlan20Nodes;

  vlan20Nodes.Create(numVlan20Nodes);

  // Create a CSMA channel for each VLAN

  CsmaHelper csma;

  csma.SetChannelAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“100Mbps”));

  csma.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, TimeValue(NanoSeconds(6560)));

  // Install devices on nodes and assign VLAN tags

  NetDeviceContainer vlan10Devices;

  vlan10Devices = csma.Install(vlan10Nodes);

  NetDeviceContainer vlan20Devices;

  vlan20Devices = csma.Install(vlan20Nodes);

  // Install the Internet stack on all nodes

  InternetStackHelper stack;

  stack.Install(vlan10Nodes);

  stack.Install(vlan20Nodes);

  // Assign IP addresses to devices in VLAN 10

  Ipv4AddressHelper address;

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

  Ipv4InterfaceContainer vlan10Interfaces;

  vlan10Interfaces = address.Assign(vlan10Devices);

  // Assign IP addresses to devices in VLAN 20

  address.SetBase(“10.1.2.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

  Ipv4InterfaceContainer vlan20Interfaces;

  vlan20Interfaces = address.Assign(vlan20Devices);

  // Create applications

  uint16_t port = 9;

  // Install a UDP echo server on the first node of VLAN 10

  UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(port);

  ApplicationContainer serverApp = echoServer.Install(vlan10Nodes.Get(0));

  serverApp.Start(Seconds(1.0));

  serverApp.Stop(Seconds(simTime));

  // Install a UDP echo client on the last node of VLAN 10

  UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(vlan10Interfaces.GetAddress(0), port);

  echoClient.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(10));

  echoClient.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0)));

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

  ApplicationContainer clientApp = echoClient.Install(vlan10Nodes.Get(numVlan10Nodes – 1));

  clientApp.Start(Seconds(2.0));

  clientApp.Stop(Seconds(simTime));

  // Install a UDP echo client on the last node of VLAN 20 to communicate with VLAN 10

  UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient2(vlan10Interfaces.GetAddress(0), port);

  echoClient2.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(10));

  echoClient2.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0)));

  echoClient2.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));

  ApplicationContainer clientApp2 = echoClient2.Install(vlan20Nodes.Get(numVlan20Nodes – 1));

  clientApp2.Start(Seconds(3.0));

  clientApp2.Stop(Seconds(simTime));

  // Enable tracing

  csma.EnablePcap(“vlan-example-vlan10”, vlan10Devices.Get(0), true);

  csma.EnablePcap(“vlan-example-vlan20”, vlan20Devices.Get(0), true);

  // Run the simulation

  Simulator::Stop(Seconds(simTime));

  Simulator::Run();

  Simulator::Destroy();

  return 0;

}

Explanation of the script

In this set up, we had created a network with VLANs to segment traffic within the network using ns-3 features. Let’s have a detailed explanation on the script below:

  1. Include necessary headers: Include all the required headers for ns-3 core, network, internet, csma and application modules.
  2. Set simulation Parameters : Define the nodes for VLAN 10 and VLAN 20 and also define the simulation time.
  3. Create nodes : Using NodeContainer, create nodes for VLAN 10 and VLAN 20.
  4. Set up ethernet (CSMA) links : Using CsmaHelper, configure the ethernet channel with appropriate data rate and delay attributes. Install the CSMA devices on the nodes using CsmaHelper.
  5. Install Internet Stack : Using InternetStackHelper, install the internet stack on all nodes.
  6. Assign IP Addresses : Assign IP addresses to the devices in VLAN 10 and VLAN 20 using Ipv4AddressHelper.
  7. Create applications : On the first node of VLAN10, install the UDP echo server and on the last nodes of VLAN 10 and VLAN 20, install the UDP echo clients to simulate communications.
  8. Enable tracing : Capture packet traces using pcap tracing for analysis.
  9. Run the simulator : Define the simulation stopping time and run the simulator and cleanup using Simulator::Stop, Simulator::Run, and Simulator::Destroy.

Further enhancements

  1. Advanced Network Topologies : Implement more complex network topologies and VLAN configurations.
  2. Quality of Service (QoS) : Prioritize traffic by implementing QoS mechanisms and also ensure timely delivery.
  3. Network performance metrics : Collect and analyze performance metrics such as throughput, latency, packet delivery ratio, and resource utilization.
  4. Inter-VLAN Routing : Set up inter-VLAN routing to allow communication between different VLANs through a router.
  5. Security : Protect the data and services within VLANs by implementing security mechanisms.

So we have implemented the IEEE 802.1Q (VLAN Tagging) in ns-3 by setting up a network where VLANs are used to segment traffic within the network. As ns-3 does not support VLAN tagging directly, we simulated VLAN’s behavior using ns-3 features. Also, we provide more information on IEEE 802.1Q (VLAN Tagging).