How to Implement Mesh Communication in ns3

To implement the mesh communication in ns3 has includes to setup a network where multiple nodes interact with each other via multi-hop wireless links. This is usually generate the mesh network that is 802.11s mesh standard that were supported by ns3. The given below is the complete procedures to implement the mesh communication in ns3.

Step-by-Step Implementation:

1. Set up ns3 Environment

Make sure ns3 is installed in the system.

2. Create a New Simulation Script

Create a new C++ script for your simulation. For this example, we will use C++.

3. Include Necessary Headers

Include the necessary ns3 headers in your script.

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/mesh-module.h”

#include “ns3/mobility-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

#include “ns3/mesh-helper.h”

4.      Define the Network Topology

Set up the basic network topology, including nodes, devices, and links.

using namespace ns3;

NS_LOG_COMPONENT_DEFINE (“MeshExample”);

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

CommandLine cmd;

cmd.Parse (argc, argv);

// Create nodes

NodeContainer meshNodes;

meshNodes.Create (4);  // Create 4 nodes for the mesh network

// Set up mesh network

MeshHelper mesh;

mesh.SetStackInstaller (“ns3::Dot11sStack”);

mesh.SetSpreadInterfaceChannels (MeshHelper::SPREAD_CHANNELS);

mesh.SetMacType (“RandomStart”, TimeValue (Seconds (0.1)));

mesh.SetNumberOfInterfaces (1);

NetDeviceContainer meshDevices = mesh.Install (WifiHelper::Default (), meshNodes);

// Install the internet stack

InternetStackHelper internetStack;

internetStack.Install (meshNodes);

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

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

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign (meshDevices);

// Set mobility

MobilityHelper mobility;

mobility.SetPositionAllocator (“ns3::GridPositionAllocator”,

“MinX”, DoubleValue (0.0),

“MinY”, DoubleValue (0.0),

“DeltaX”, DoubleValue (50.0),

“DeltaY”, DoubleValue (50.0),

“GridWidth”, UintegerValue (2),

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

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

mobility.Install (meshNodes);

// Install applications

uint16_t port = 9; // Discard port

UdpServerHelper server (port);

ApplicationContainer serverApp = server.Install (meshNodes.Get (0));

serverApp.Start (Seconds (1.0));

serverApp.Stop (Seconds (10.0));

UdpClientHelper client (interfaces.GetAddress (0), port);

client.SetAttribute (“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue (320));

client.SetAttribute (“Interval”, TimeValue (Seconds (0.05)));

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

ApplicationContainer clientApp = client.Install (meshNodes.Get (3));

clientApp.Start (Seconds (2.0));

clientApp.Stop (Seconds (10.0));

// Enable pcap tracing

meshDevices.Get (0)->TraceConnectWithoutContext (“PhyRxDrop”, MakeCallback (&RxDrop));

// Run simulation

Simulator::Stop (Seconds (10.0));

Simulator::Run ();

Simulator::Destroy ();

return 0;

}

Explanation

• Network Topology: The script sets up a simple mesh network topology with four nodes.
• Mesh Setup: The MeshHelper is used to configure the mesh network. The 802.11s mesh stack is installed, and a single interface per node is used.
• Mobility: The nodes are assigned fixed positions using the ConstantPositionMobilityModel, simulating stationary mesh nodes.
• Applications: A UDP server and client are set up on different nodes to simulate communication across the mesh network. The client sends packets to the server.
• PCAP Tracing: PCAP tracing is enabled to capture packets for analysis.

5.      Define the RxDrop Callback Function

Define a function to handle packet drop events.

void RxDrop (Ptr<const Packet> p) {

NS_LOG_UNCOND (“RxDrop at ” << Simulator::Now ().GetSeconds ());

}

6.      Build and Run the Script

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

./waf configure

./waf build

./waf –run your-script-name

Finally, we had clearly demonstrated that the Mesh communication can interact with each other via multi-hop wireless links that were implemented using ns3 tool. We will give further information regarding Mesh communication.

Excellent results on Mesh Communication in ns3 are assured by us , we help you in achieving excellent implementation results and conducting a comparative analysis through multi-hop wireless links, along with a concise explanation.