How to Begin Implement Network Packet Drop Percentage in NS3

To implement and estimate the Network Packet Drop Percentage using NS3, during a simulation we require observing the total amount of packets which can be sent, received, and lost in the network. This parameter is essential to estimate the performance and reliability of network protocols in diverse conditions. Below are detailed steps to get started:

Steps to Implement Network Packet Drop Percentage in NS3

  1. Understand Packet Drop Percentage
  • Definition:
    • The percentage of packets those are lost to the total transmitted packet, which is stated as a percentage.

Packet Drop Percentage=Dropped PacketsTotal Packets Sent×100\text{Packet Drop Percentage} = \frac{\text{Dropped Packets}}{\text{Total Packets Sent}} \times 100Packet Drop Percentage=Total Packets SentDropped Packets​×100

  • Significance:
    • Higher packet drop percentages show weak network performance by reason of congestion, link failures, or protocol inefficiencies.
  1. Set Up NS3 Simulation Environment
  1. Install NS3:
    • We can install and download the NS3 environment on the system.
  2. Choose a Network Model:
    • Based on the network scenario, we need to utilize network model like wired (PointToPoint) or wireless (Wifi) networks.
  3. Enable Tracing:
    • Make use of packet tracing approaches like AsciiTrace, FlowMonitor for observing the packet drops.
  1. Track Packet Drops
  1. Packet Drop Callback:
    • Connect a callback to the Phy or Mac layer for recording the packet drops.
  2. Count Packets:
    • Sustain counters for sent, inherited, and lost packets.
  1. Implement Packet Drop Percentage Calculation

Here’ an instance NS3 script for estimating the rate of packet drops within a WiFi network.

Example Script: Packet Drop Percentage in NS3

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/wifi-module.h”

#include “ns3/mobility-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

using namespace ns3;

class PacketDropTracker {

public:

PacketDropTracker() : m_packetsSent(0), m_packetsDropped(0) {}

void PacketSent() {

m_packetsSent++;

}

void PacketDropped(Ptr<const Packet> packet) {

m_packetsDropped++;

NS_LOG_UNCOND(“Packet Dropped: ” << packet->GetSize() << ” bytes at time ” << Simulator::Now().GetSeconds() << “s”);

}

void CalculateDropPercentage() {

double dropPercentage = (m_packetsDropped / (double)m_packetsSent) * 100;

NS_LOG_UNCOND(“Total Packets Sent: ” << m_packetsSent);

NS_LOG_UNCOND(“Total Packets Dropped: ” << m_packetsDropped);

NS_LOG_UNCOND(“Packet Drop Percentage: ” << dropPercentage << “%”);

}

private:

uint32_t m_packetsSent;

uint32_t m_packetsDropped;

};

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

CommandLine cmd;

cmd.Parse(argc, argv);

// Create nodes

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create(2);

// Configure WiFi

YansWifiChannelHelper wifiChannel = YansWifiChannelHelper::Default();

YansWifiPhyHelper wifiPhy = YansWifiPhyHelper::Default();

wifiPhy.SetChannel(wifiChannel.Create());

WifiHelper wifi;

wifi.SetStandard(WIFI_PHY_STANDARD_80211g);

WifiMacHelper mac;

mac.SetType(“ns3::AdhocWifiMac”);

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

// Configure mobility

MobilityHelper mobility;

mobility.SetPositionAllocator(“ns3::RandomRectanglePositionAllocator”,

“X”, StringValue(“ns3::UniformRandomVariable[Min=0.0|Max=100.0]”),

“Y”, StringValue(“ns3::UniformRandomVariable[Min=0.0|Max=100.0]”));

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

mobility.Install(nodes);

// Install Internet stack

InternetStackHelper internet;

internet.Install(nodes);

// Assign IP addresses

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

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

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign(devices);

// Configure applications

uint16_t port = 9;

UdpEchoServerHelper server(port);

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

serverApp.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper client(interfaces.GetAddress(1), port);

client.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(100));

client.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(MilliSeconds(100)));

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

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

clientApp.Start(Seconds(2.0));

clientApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

// Track packet drops

PacketDropTracker tracker;

Config::ConnectWithoutContext(“/NodeList/*/DeviceList/*/$ns3::WifiNetDevice/Phy/PhyTxEnd”, MakeCallback(&PacketDropTracker::PacketSent, &tracker));

Config::ConnectWithoutContext(“/NodeList/*/DeviceList/*/$ns3::WifiNetDevice/Phy/PhyRxDrop”, MakeCallback(&PacketDropTracker::PacketDropped, &tracker));

// Schedule drop percentage calculation

Simulator::Schedule(Seconds(10.1), &PacketDropTracker::CalculateDropPercentage, &tracker);

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

return 0;

}

Explanation of the Script

  1. Packet Tracking:
    • Monitors the volume of packets that are transmitted and lost with the support of callbacks:
      • /Phy/PhyTxEnd intended for transmitted packets.
      • /Phy/PhyRxDrop designed for lost packets.
  2. Drop Percentage Calculation:
    • Computes and records the packet drop percentage at the end of the simulation.
  3. WiFi Configuration:
    • Sets up a basic ad-hoc WiFi network including the static node locations.
  4. Traffic Generation:
    • Create traffic among the nodes utilising UdpEchoClient and UdpEchoServer.
  1. Run the Simulation
  1. Build the simulation script and then execute it:

./waf –run “packet-drop-percentage”

  1. Monitor the records for computing packet drop percentage and the dropped packets.

We gave step-by-step comprehensive guidance of Network Packet Drop Percentage, which were efficiently executed and analyzed it using NS3 environment. More detailed information will be included in the upcoming guide.