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How to Implement Large Scale Networks in ns3

To implement large-scale networks in ns3, we need to simulate a network with a large number of nodes, that can represent different network scenarios like large wireless networks, data centers, or IoT environments.

We have shared the  complete guide to set up a large-scale network simulation in ns3.

Steps to implementation

  1. Set up your ns3

Make sure that ns3 is installed in the computer. If not, install it from the official ns3 website.

  1. Create a new ns3 script

On your ns3 installation, create a new C++ simulation script.

  1. Include necessary headers

Include all the required headers in the ns3 script.

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/point-to-point-module.h”

#include “ns3/csma-module.h”

#include “ns3/mobility-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

#include “ns3/flow-monitor-module.h”

  1. Define the Network Topology

Create a basic network topology, that includes nodes, devices, and links. In our example, we will set up a large-scale CSMA (Ethernet) network.

using namespace ns3;

NS_LOG_COMPONENT_DEFINE (“LargeScaleNetworkExample”);

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

CommandLine cmd;

uint32_t numNodes = 1000;

cmd.AddValue (“numNodes”, “Number of nodes in the network”, numNodes);

cmd.Parse (argc, argv);

// Create nodes

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create (numNodes);

// Set up CSMA (Ethernet) network

CsmaHelper csma;

csma.SetChannelAttribute (“DataRate”, StringValue (“1Gbps”));

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

NetDeviceContainer devices;

devices = csma.Install (nodes);

// Install the internet stack

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install (nodes);

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

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

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign (devices);

// Set mobility

MobilityHelper mobility;

mobility.SetPositionAllocator (“ns3::GridPositionAllocator”,

“MinX”, DoubleValue (0.0),

“MinY”, DoubleValue (0.0),

“DeltaX”, DoubleValue (5.0),

“DeltaY”, DoubleValue (5.0),

“GridWidth”, UintegerValue (100),

“LayoutType”, StringValue (“RowFirst”));

mobility.SetMobilityModel (“ns3::ConstantPositionMobilityModel”);

mobility.Install (nodes);

// Install applications

uint16_t port = 9;

OnOffHelper onoff (“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, InetSocketAddress (interfaces.GetAddress (numNodes – 1), port));

onoff.SetAttribute (“OnTime”, StringValue (“ns3::ConstantRandomVariable[Constant=1]”));

onoff.SetAttribute (“OffTime”, StringValue (“ns3::ConstantRandomVariable[Constant=0]”));

onoff.SetAttribute (“DataRate”, DataRateValue (DataRate (“50Mbps”)));

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

ApplicationContainer apps = onoff.Install (nodes.Get (0));

apps.Start (Seconds (1.0));

apps.Stop (Seconds (10.0));

PacketSinkHelper sink (“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, InetSocketAddress (Ipv4Address::GetAny (), port));

ApplicationContainer sinkApps = sink.Install (nodes.Get (numNodes – 1));

sinkApps.Start (Seconds (0.0));

sinkApps.Stop (Seconds (10.0));

// Enable pcap tracing

csma.EnablePcap (“large-scale-network”, devices.Get (0), true);

// Set up flow monitor

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();

// Run simulation

Simulator::Stop (Seconds (10.0));

Simulator::Run ();

// Print flow monitor statistics

monitor->CheckForLostPackets ();

Ptr<Ipv4FlowClassifier> classifier = DynamicCast<Ipv4FlowClassifier> (flowmon.GetClassifier ());

std::map<FlowId, FlowMonitor::FlowStats> stats = monitor->GetFlowStats ();

for (std::map<FlowId, FlowMonitor::FlowStats>::const_iterator i = stats.begin (); i != stats.end (); ++i) {

Ipv4FlowClassifier::FiveTuple t = classifier->FindFlow (i->first);

NS_LOG_UNCOND (“Flow ” << i->first << ” (” << t.sourceAddress << ” -> ” << t.destinationAddress << “)”);

NS_LOG_UNCOND (”  Tx Bytes:   ” << i->second.txBytes);

NS_LOG_UNCOND (”  Rx Bytes:   ” << i->second.rxBytes);

NS_LOG_UNCOND (”  Throughput: ” << i->second.rxBytes * 8.0 / (i->second.timeLastRxPacket.GetSeconds () – i->second.timeFirstTxPacket.GetSeconds ()) / 1024 << ” Kbps”);

}

Simulator::Destroy ();

return 0;

}

Explanation

  • Network Topology: Sets up a large-scale CSMA network with a specified number of nodes.
  • CSMA Setup: Use CsmaHelper to configure the CSMA network with a data rate of 1 Gbps and a delay of 6560 ns.
  • Internet Stack: Use InternetStackHelper to install the IP stack on all nodes.
  • Mobility: Use ConstantPositionMobilityModel to give nodes fixed positions in a grid layout.
  • Applications: On the first node, an OnOff application is installed to generate UDP traffic to the last node. A PacketSink application is installed on the last node to receive the traffic.
  • PCAP Tracing: Enable pcap to capture packets for analysis.
  • Flow Monitor: Use FlowMonitorHelper to monitor network performance metrics such as throughput and packet loss.
  1. Build and Run the Script

Save the script and build it using the ns3 build system (waf).

./waf configure

./waf build

./waf –run large-scale-network

Extending the Example

We can extend this example by including more complex scenarios, such as:

  • Wireless Networks: create large-scale wireless networks by using Wi-Fi or LTE modules.
  • Dynamic Mobility Models: simulate node movement by using more advanced mobility models such as RandomWaypointMobilityModel or GaussMarkovMobilityModel.
  • Routing Protocols: Use routing protocols like OLSR or AODV to handle multi-hop communication.
  • Network Monitoring: Use the FlowMonitor module for monitoring additional network performance metrics such as delay, jitter, and packet loss.
  • Energy Models: Include energy models to simulate battery consumption and energy-efficient communication protocols.

Here is an example of setting up a large-scale Wi-Fi network:

#include “ns3/wifi-module.h”

// In your main function, after creating the nodes

YansWifiChannelHelper wifiChannel = YansWifiChannelHelper::Default ();

YansWifiPhyHelper wifiPhy = YansWifiPhyHelper::Default ();

wifiPhy.SetChannel (wifiChannel.Create ());

WifiHelper wifi;

wifi.SetStandard (WIFI_STANDARD_80211n);

wifi.SetRemoteStationManager (“ns3::AarfWifiManager”);

WifiMacHelper wifiMac;

wifiMac.SetType (“ns3::AdhocWifiMac”);

NetDeviceContainer devices = wifi.Install (wifiPhy, wifiMac, nodes);

// Continue with the rest of the script

Overall, we had an analysis on the implementation of  large scale networks using ns3 by simulating a network with a large number of nodes, which can represent a variety of network scenarios such as large wireless networks, data centers, or IoT environments.

ns3simulation.com excel in implementing projects on a large scale using the ns3tool in Large Scale Networks. Our team of researchers stays current with the latest trends in ns3tool to provide you with the best guidance for your project. Share your concept with us for a comparative analysis and provide us with all the necessary details for further assistance.