To implement satellite communication in ns-3, create a network topology which includes satellite nodes, ground station, and the necessary communication links. For simulating the satellite communication, ns-3 has a specifically module for satellite communication called satellite which provides the necessary components for the process. The following steps will guide to simulate basic satellite communication in ns-3.
Prerequisites
- ns-3 installed on your system.
- Basic understanding of ns-3 and C++ programming.
Steps-by-steps to Implement Satellite Communication in ns-3
- Install ns-3: Ensure you have ns-3 installed. You can download it from the official website and follow the installation instructions.
wget https://www.nsnam.org/release/ns-allinone-3.xx.tar.bz2
tar -xjf ns-allinone-3.xx.tar.bz2
cd ns-allinone-3.xx
./build.py –enable-examples –enable-tests
Include Necessary Headers: Include the required headers for satellite communication.
#include “ns3/core-module.h”
#include “ns3/network-module.h”
#include “ns3/mobility-module.h”
#include “ns3/internet-module.h”
#include “ns3/point-to-point-module.h”
#include “ns3/satellite-module.h”
#include “ns3/applications-module.h”
Create Network Topology: Create nodes representing the satellite, ground stations, and any additional network elements.
NodeContainer groundStations;
groundStations.Create(2); // Create 2 ground station nodes
NodeContainer satellites;
satellites.Create(1); // Create 1 satellite node
Set Up Mobility Model: Configure the mobility model to simulate the movement of the satellite and ground stations.
MobilityHelper mobility;
// Set mobility for ground stations (static)
mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantPositionMobilityModel”);
mobility.Install(groundStations);
// Set mobility for the satellite (moving in a circular orbit)
Ptr<ListPositionAllocator> positionAlloc = CreateObject<ListPositionAllocator>();
positionAlloc->Add(Vector(0.0, 0.0, 700000.0)); // Example position for satellite
mobility.SetPositionAllocator(positionAlloc);
mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantVelocityMobilityModel”);
mobility.Install(satellites);
Ptr<ConstantVelocityMobilityModel> cvmm = satellites.Get(0)->GetObject<ConstantVelocityMobilityModel>();
cvmm->SetVelocity(Vector(0.0, 7670.0, 0.0)); // Example velocity for satellite
Install Devices and Set Up Links: Set up the communication links between the ground stations and the satellite using point-to-point links.
PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;
pointToPoint.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“1Gbps”));
pointToPoint.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“240ms”)); // Typical satellite link delay
NetDeviceContainer groundDevices;
NetDeviceContainer satelliteDevices;
for (uint32_t i = 0; i < groundStations.GetN(); ++i) {
NetDeviceContainer link = pointToPoint.Install(NodeContainer(groundStations.Get(i), satellites.Get(0)));
groundDevices.Add(link.Get(0));
satelliteDevices.Add(link.Get(1));
}
Install Internet Stack: Install the internet stack on the nodes.
InternetStackHelper stack;
stack.Install(groundStations);
stack.Install(satellites);
Assign IP Addresses: Assign IP addresses to the devices.
Ipv4AddressHelper address;
address.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);
Ipv4InterfaceContainer groundInterfaces = address.Assign(groundDevices);
Ipv4InterfaceContainer satelliteInterfaces = address.Assign(satelliteDevices);
Create Applications: Create and install applications to simulate data transmission between the ground stations through the satellite.
uint16_t port = 9;
OnOffHelper onoff(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, Address(InetSocketAddress(groundInterfaces.GetAddress(1), port)));
onoff.SetConstantRate(DataRate(“1Mbps”));
ApplicationContainer app = onoff.Install(groundStations.Get(0));
app.Start(Seconds(1.0));
app.Stop(Seconds(10.0));
PacketSinkHelper sink(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, Address(InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::GetAny(), port)));
app = sink.Install(groundStations.Get(1));
app.Start(Seconds(0.0));
app.Stop(Seconds(10.0));
Run the Simulation: Finally, run the simulation and clean up.
Simulator::Stop(Seconds(10.0));
Simulator::Run();
Simulator::Destroy();
Example Complete Script
Below is an example complete script for setting up a basic satellite communication simulation in ns-3:
#include “ns3/core-module.h”
#include “ns3/network-module.h”
#include “ns3/mobility-module.h”
#include “ns3/internet-module.h”
#include “ns3/point-to-point-module.h”
#include “ns3/satellite-module.h”
#include “ns3/applications-module.h”
using namespace ns3;
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
NodeContainer groundStations;
groundStations.Create(2); // Create 2 ground station nodes
NodeContainer satellites;
satellites.Create(1); // Create 1 satellite node
MobilityHelper mobility;
// Set mobility for ground stations (static)
mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantPositionMobilityModel”);
mobility.Install(groundStations);
// Set mobility for the satellite (moving in a circular orbit)
Ptr<ListPositionAllocator> positionAlloc = CreateObject<ListPositionAllocator>();
positionAlloc->Add(Vector(0.0, 0.0, 700000.0)); // Example position for satellite
mobility.SetPositionAllocator(positionAlloc);
mobility.SetMobilityModel(“ns3::ConstantVelocityMobilityModel”);
mobility.Install(satellites);
Ptr<ConstantVelocityMobilityModel> cvmm = satellites.Get(0)->GetObject<ConstantVelocityMobilityModel>();
cvmm->SetVelocity(Vector(0.0, 7670.0, 0.0)); // Example velocity for satellite
PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;
pointToPoint.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“1Gbps”));
pointToPoint.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“240ms”)); // Typical satellite link delay
NetDeviceContainer groundDevices;
NetDeviceContainer satelliteDevices;
for (uint32_t i = 0; i < groundStations.GetN(); ++i) {
NetDeviceContainer link = pointToPoint.Install(NodeContainer(groundStations.Get(i), satellites.Get(0)));
groundDevices.Add(link.Get(0));
satelliteDevices.Add(link.Get(1));
}
InternetStackHelper stack;
stack.Install(groundStations);
stack.Install(satellites);
Ipv4AddressHelper address;
address.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);
Ipv4InterfaceContainer groundInterfaces = address.Assign(groundDevices);
Ipv4InterfaceContainer satelliteInterfaces = address.Assign(satelliteDevices);
uint16_t port = 9;
OnOffHelper onoff(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, Address(InetSocketAddress(groundInterfaces.GetAddress(1), port)));
onoff.SetConstantRate(DataRate(“1Mbps”));
ApplicationContainer app = onoff.Install(groundStations.Get(0));
app.Start(Seconds(1.0));
app.Stop(Seconds(10.0));
PacketSinkHelper sink(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, Address(InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::GetAny(), port)));
app = sink.Install(groundStations.Get(1));
app.Start(Seconds(0.0));
app.Stop(Seconds(10.0));
Simulator::Stop(Seconds(10.0));
Simulator::Run();
Simulator::Destroy();
return 0;
}
Running the Script
We compile and run the script using the following commands:
./waf configure –enable-examples
./waf build
./waf –run <script-name>
Finally, satellite communication is set-up and simulated in ns-3, thus you can follow the above procedures or in case if you face any difficulties contact us.