How to Begin Implement Network Automation in NS3

To begin a Network Automation in NS3 tool has includes the generating devices for automating network setting, management, and optimization. This contains for challenges like dynamic routing modifications, automated fault recovery, or self-configuration of network components. Below is a structured guide to help you get started with implementing Network Automation in NS-3:

Steps to Begin Implement Network Automation in NS3

Step 1: Define the Scope of Network Automation

1. Understand Network Automation Goals:
   • Challenges are automate like:
     • It modifies the dynamic routing protocol.
     • Congestion engineering and optimization.
     • Fault finding and recovery.
   • Focus on detailed use cases, such as:
     • Data center networks.
     • Self-healing ad-hoc networks.
     • Software-Defined Networking (SDN).
2. Key Features to Implement:
   • Monitoring: We collect a real-time network performance of parameter metrics for sample bandwidth, latency, packet loss.
   • Decision-Making: Utilized their procedures or AI/ML components for select movements for terms of metrics.
   • Execution: Implement the decisions for the network dynamically.

Step 2: Set Up NS-3

1. Install NS-3:
   • Clone and generate the NS3 replicator:

git clone https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev.git

cd ns-3-dev

./ns3 configure –enable-examples –enable-tests

./ns3 build

1. Verify Installation: It process for the sample script:

./ns3 run examples/tutorial/first

Step 3: Design Your Network Automation Framework

1. Key Components:
   • Controller Node: For automation select the centralized or distributed logic.
   • Agents: Organized on individual nodes for collect the metrics and implement the commands.
   • Communication Protocol: Device for controllers and agents for change the information.
2. Automation Workflow:
   • Monitoring: It gathers the metrics such as congestion flow, connection utilization, and latency.
   • Analysis: Develop the data and choose the movement’s for instance rerouting traffic.
   • Execution: Implement the settings are exchanges dynamically.

Step 4: Implement Network Automation in NS-3

Step 4.1: Create Monitoring Agents

Describe the application for collecting the metrics on every node:

#include “ns3/application.h”

#include “ns3/node.h”

#include “ns3/socket.h”

using namespace ns3;

class MonitoringAgent : public Application {

public:

static TypeId GetTypeId(void);

MonitoringAgent();

virtual ~MonitoringAgent();

void ReportMetrics();

void SetControllerAddress(Ipv4Address controllerAddress);

private:

virtual void StartApplication() override;

virtual void StopApplication() override;

void SendMetrics();

Ipv4Address m_controllerAddress;

Ptr<Socket> m_socket;

};

TypeId MonitoringAgent::GetTypeId(void) {

static TypeId tid = TypeId(“ns3::MonitoringAgent”)

.SetParent<Application>()

.SetGroupName(“Applications”)

.AddConstructor<MonitoringAgent>();

return tid;

}

void MonitoringAgent::StartApplication() {

m_socket = Socket::CreateSocket(GetNode(), TypeId::LookupByName(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”));

Simulator::Schedule(Seconds(1.0), &MonitoringAgent::ReportMetrics, this);

}

void MonitoringAgent::StopApplication() {

m_socket->Close();

}

void MonitoringAgent::ReportMetrics() {

// Collect metrics (e.g., packet loss, throughput)

SendMetrics();

Simulator::Schedule(Seconds(1.0), &MonitoringAgent::ReportMetrics, this);

}

void MonitoringAgent::SendMetrics() {

// Send metrics to the controller node

Ptr<Packet> packet = Create<Packet>();

m_socket->SendTo(packet, 0, InetSocketAddress(m_controllerAddress, 8080));

}

Step 4.2: Create the Controller

Express the centralized controller to receive metrics and implement the automation logic:

#include “ns3/application.h”

#include “ns3/socket.h”

class NetworkController : public Application {

public:

static TypeId GetTypeId(void);

NetworkController();

virtual ~NetworkController();

void ReceiveMetrics();

void ExecuteAutomationLogic();

private:

virtual void StartApplication() override;

virtual void StopApplication() override;

Ptr<Socket> m_socket;

};

void NetworkController::StartApplication() {

m_socket = Socket::CreateSocket(GetNode(), TypeId::LookupByName(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”));

m_socket->Bind(InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::GetAny(), 8080));

m_socket->SetRecvCallback(MakeCallback(&NetworkController::ReceiveMetrics, this));

}

void NetworkController::StopApplication() {

m_socket->Close();

}

void NetworkController::ReceiveMetrics() {

// Process received metrics

ExecuteAutomationLogic();

}

void NetworkController::ExecuteAutomationLogic() {

// Implement automation logic, e.g., rerouting, load balancing

}

Step 4.3: Integrate the Components

Setting a network topology by a controller and monitoring agents:

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

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create(5); // 4 monitored nodes, 1 controller

PointToPointHelper p2p;

p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“1Gbps”));

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

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install(nodes);

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

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

NetDeviceContainer devices = p2p.Install(nodes);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign(devices);

// Set up monitoring agents

for (uint32_t i = 0; i < nodes.GetN() – 1; ++i) {

Ptr<MonitoringAgent> agent = CreateObject<MonitoringAgent>();

agent->SetControllerAddress(interfaces.GetAddress(4)); // Controller’s IP

nodes.Get(i)->AddApplication(agent);

agent->SetStartTime(Seconds(1.0));

}

// Set up the controller

Ptr<NetworkController> controller = CreateObject<NetworkController>();

nodes.Get(4)->AddApplication(controller);

controller->SetStartTime(Seconds(1.0));

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

return 0;

}

Step 5: Test and Debug

1. Enable Logging:
   • NS-3’s use the logging system for debug and automation modules:

export NS_LOG=”MonitoringAgent=level_all|prefix_time,NetworkController=level_all|prefix_time”

./ns3 run my-simulation

1. Analyze Results:
   • Authorise the automation behavior using performance of metrics such as latency, throughput, and load balancing.
   • For use in-depth congestion analysis FlowMonitor.

Step 6: Extend and Optimize

1. Advanced Features:
   • Execute the dynamic congestion rerouting according to their traffic metrics.
   • Incorporate AI/ML components for predictive analysis.
   • It helps for self-healing devices to recover from connection or node failures.
2. Scalability:
   • Investigate by larger topologies and changing workloads.
   • Improve the communication among agents and the controller.

This project idea deliver a wide range of implementations using the network automation projects in network using ns3, helping you explore numerous contexts of the network automation projects. For questions about the project, consult the additional manual we will provide.