How to Begin Implementing a HTTP HTTPS Projects Using NS3

To begin executing HTTP/HTTPS projects in NS3, we can follow these steps to replicate application-level traffic for estimating the web-based protocols performance through diverse network configurations. Below is a comprehensive technique to get started:

Steps to Begin Implementing a HTTP HTTPS Projects in NS3

1. Understand HTTP/HTTPS Protocols

• HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol):
  • Application-layer protocol supports to send the web resources.
  • It functions through TCP.
• HTTPS (Secure HTTP):
  • Encodes HTTP for secure interaction to leverage TLS/SSL.
• Use Cases:
  • Performance comparison among the HTTP and HTTPS.
  • Effect of latency and packet loss at web services.
  • Traffic analysis for web applications.

2. Set Up NS3 Environment

• We can download and install new version of NS3 on the system.
• Learn about the following modules:
  • Internet Module: It offers TCP/IP stack.
  • Applications Module: This module has HTTP-like traffic generators.
  • PointToPoint or Wi-Fi Module: Designed for network interaction.

3. Define Project Objectives

• Replicate the web server and client interaction.
• Estimate the metrics such as latency, throughput, and packet loss for HTTP/HTTPS traffic.
• Equate the performance of HTTP and HTTPS in diverse network scenarios.

4. Design the Network Topology

• Nodes:
  • Web server to perform like HTTP/HTTPS server.
  • Web clients support browsers to demand the resources.
• Links:
  • Wired (Point-to-Point) or wireless (Wi-Fi, LTE) connections for communication.
• Traffic:
  • Make web traffic to utilize applications such as BulkSend or OnOff.

5. Basic Example of HTTP/HTTPS Simulation

Below is a sample simulation for HTTP traffic:

#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;

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

CommandLine cmd;

cmd.Parse(argc, argv);

// Create nodes

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create(2); // Client and Server

// Set up Point-to-Point link

PointToPointHelper p2p;

p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“100Mbps”));

p2p.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“2ms”));

// Install devices

NetDeviceContainer devices = p2p.Install(nodes);

// Install Internet stack

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install(nodes);

// Assign IP addresses

Ipv4AddressHelper ipv4;

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = ipv4.Assign(devices);

// Configure the HTTP-like application

uint16_t port = 80; // HTTP port

Address serverAddress(InetSocketAddress(interfaces.GetAddress(1), port));

// Server: PacketSink to act as an HTTP server

PacketSinkHelper sink(“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”, serverAddress);

ApplicationContainer serverApp = sink.Install(nodes.Get(1));

serverApp.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

// Client: BulkSend application to act as an HTTP client

BulkSendHelper client(“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”, serverAddress);

client.SetAttribute(“MaxBytes”, UintegerValue(0)); // Unlimited transfer

ApplicationContainer clientApp = client.Install(nodes.Get(0));

clientApp.Start(Seconds(2.0));

clientApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

// Run the simulation

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

return 0;

}

6. Add HTTPS Simulation

• NS3 environment doesn’t have direct support to execute the TLS/SSL.
• To replicate HTTPS, add OpenSSL or design HTTPS by launching:
  • Maximized packet sizes for encryption overhead.
  • More latency for handshake.

7. Expand the Simulation

• Network Topology:
  • Integrate additional nodes for replicating numerous clients or servers.
  • We need to utilize a combination of wired and wireless connections.
• Traffic Patterns:
  • Mimic traffic models like web page requests, with resource-heavy content.
• Congestion and Loss:
  • Launch network congestion and packet loss for experimenting performance.
• QoS:
  • Integrate separated services to give procedure for HTTPS traffic.

8. Performance Metrics

• Latency:
  • Estimate the duration for HTTP/HTTPS requests and responses.
• Throughput:
  • Measure the rate of data that are effectively sent.
• Packet Loss:
  • Examine how network conditions impact the HTTP/HTTPS.
• Handshake Time (for HTTPS):
  • Compute the duration, which necessary for the SSL/TLS handshake.

9. Advanced Features

• Caching:
  • Mimic caching approaches to minimize HTTP latency.
• Compression:
  • Design HTTP/2 or Brotli compression for enhancing the traffic.
• Security Analysis:
  • Launch potential attacks such as MITM, DDoS and examine the resilience of HTTPS.

10. Visualization and Analysis

• Envision packet flows and network communications to utilize the tool NetAnim.
• Examine records to make graphs for performance parameters such as throughput, latency, and packet loss with the support of external tools like Python or MATLAB.

11. Extensions

• Multi-Client Scenario:
  • Mimic numerous clients that are getting into a single web server.
• Content Delivery Network (CDN):
  • For content delivery, we want to replicate distributed servers.
• Energy Efficiency:
  • Examine energy utilization within mobile environments for HTTP/HTTPS traffic.

We have systematically offered the brief demonstration on how to implement and analyze the HTTP HTTPS Projects and their sample examples in NS3 environment. We plan to offer additional insights along with examples through another manual, if needed.