How to Begin Implement a Switching Protocol in NS3

To start executing a switching protocol within NS3 involves replicating switching technologies which is frequently utilized in network data transfer like circuit switching, packet switching, and virtual circuit switching. While NS3 is mainly a packet-based simulator, to execute switching protocols frequently encompasses to make custom logic for the preferred switching behavior or using existing models such as point-to-point connections, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi.

Below are simple steps to execute switching protocols in ns3:

Steps to Begin Implement a Switching Protocol in NS3

1. Set Up ns3 Environment

1. Install ns3:
   • We should download and install NS3 on the system.
   • Confirm the installation including a simple instance script as./waf –run hello-simulator.
2. Enable Required Modules:
   • Make sure that we have contained necessary modules such as internet, bridge, point-to-point, csma, and wifi.

2. Understand the Switching Protocol

Discover the kind of switching to execute:

1. Circuit Switching:
   • Before data transfer like telephony, launch a dedicated path for interaction.
2. Packet Switching:
   • Split data into packets and individually transmit them.
3. Virtual Circuit Switching:
   • Make use of pre-established logical routes for packet transmission.

3. Set Up Network Topology

1. Create Nodes:
   • Make a network topology that contains nodes for the network.

NodeContainer switches, hosts;

switches.Create(2); // Two switches

hosts.Create(4);    // Four hosts

1. Configure Links:
   • We can leverage PointToPointHelper for direct links or utilise CsmaHelper for Ethernet-like shared connections.

PointToPointHelper p2p;

p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“10Mbps”));

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

// Connect switches and hosts

NetDeviceContainer switch1Devices = p2p.Install(switches.Get(0), switches.Get(1));

NetDeviceContainer host1Devices = p2p.Install(hosts.Get(0), switches.Get(0));

NetDeviceContainer host2Devices = p2p.Install(hosts.Get(1), switches.Get(0));

NetDeviceContainer host3Devices = p2p.Install(hosts.Get(2), switches.Get(1));

NetDeviceContainer host4Devices = p2p.Install(hosts.Get(3), switches.Get(1));

1. Install Network Stack:
   • Integrate the network stack to the nodes.

InternetStackHelper internet;

internet.Install(switches);

internet.Install(hosts);

1. Assign IP Addresses:
   • Allocate an IP addresses to every single connections.

Ipv4AddressHelper ipv4;

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

ipv4.Assign(switch1Devices);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.2.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(host1Devices);

ipv4.Assign(host2Devices);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.3.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(host3Devices);

ipv4.Assign(host4Devices);

4. Implement Switching Protocol Logic
5. Circuit Switching

1. Establish a Circuit:
   • Mimic the configuration phase by way of making a dedicated route among the nodes.
   • We will need to use static routing for direct paths.
2. Data Transfer:
   • Make certain that data flows only alongside the pre-established path.

Ipv4StaticRoutingHelper staticRouting;

Ptr<Ipv4StaticRouting> routing = staticRouting.GetStaticRouting(hosts.Get(0)->GetObject<Ipv4>());

routing->AddHostRouteTo(Ipv4Address(“10.1.3.2”), Ipv4Address(“10.1.1.1”), 1);

1. Packet Switching

1. Dynamic Routing:
   • We want to utilize a dynamic routing protocol such as RIP or OLSR.
   • Packets are individually transmitted according to the destination.

RipHelper rip;

Ipv4ListRoutingHelper list;

list.Add(rip, 10);

internet.SetRoutingHelper(list);

internet.Install(switches);

1. Handle Queues:
   • Leverage the QueueDisc feature to execute FIFO or priority queues at switches.

TrafficControlHelper tch;

tch.SetRootQueueDisc(“ns3::FifoQueueDisc”);

tch.Install(switch1Devices);

1. Virtual Circuit Switching

1. Establish Virtual Circuits:
   • Predefine logical paths among the nodes and allocate identifiers.
   • Simulate circuits to utilize VLANs or same approaches.
2. Route Packets via Virtual Circuits:
   • Fine-tune packet headers with virtual circuit identifiers.
   • Transmit the packets according to these identifiers.

5. Install Applications

1. Simulate Traffic:
   • Make and estimate the traffic utilising UDP or TCP applications.

UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(9);

ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install(hosts.Get(3)); // Server at Host 4

serverApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(Ipv4Address(“10.1.3.2”), 9); // Client at Host 1

echoClient.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(10));

echoClient.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0))); // Send every second

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

ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install(hosts.Get(0));

clientApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));

clientApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

1. Monitor Traffic:
   • Observe received packets with PacketSink.

PacketSinkHelper sinkHelper(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”,

InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::GetAny(), 9));

ApplicationContainer sinkApps = sinkHelper.Install(hosts.Get(3));

sinkApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

sinkApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

6. Enable Tracing and Logging

1. Enable PCAP Tracing:
   • Seize packets for detailed analysis.

p2p.EnablePcapAll(“switching-protocol”);

1. Enable ASCII Tracing:
   • Record routing and all packet events.

AsciiTraceHelper ascii;

p2p.EnableAsciiAll(ascii.CreateFileStream(“switching-protocol.tr”));

1. Enable FlowMonitor:
   • Accumulate performance parameters to use FlowMonitor.

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();

7. Run the Simulation

1. Start the Simulator:
   • Compile and execute the simulation script.

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

1. Export Results:
   • We can store FlowMonitor outcomes for in-depth analysis.

monitor->SerializeToXmlFile(“switching-results.xml”, true, true);

8. Analyze and Visualize Results

1. Traffic Analysis:
   • Measure traffic flow and switching performance to use tools such as Wireshark or FlowMonitor.
2. NetAnim Visualization:
   • Transfer simulation information using NetAnim tools for envision.

AnimationInterface anim(“switching-protocol.xml”);

9. Extend and Optimize

1. Dynamic Topology:
   • Replicate node failures and movement to experiment the robustness of switching protocol.
2. Scalability:
   • Assess the performance within large networks by maximizing the amount of switches and hosts.
3. Advanced Queuing:
   • For packet handling, test with custom queueing mechanisms.

Example Use Cases

• Data Centers:
  • Mimic Ethernet switching within high-performance situations.
• Telecommunication Networks:
  • Analyze circuit switching in telecommunication networks for voice interaction.
• IoT Networks:
  • For resource-constrained networks, execute the virtual circuit switching.

Through this manual, you can get to know more about the Switching Protocol on how to approach and implement it using the above brief methods using the tool NS3. We plan to distribute entire demonstration of projects for future use.