How to Begin Implement a WAN Protocols in NS3

To start executing Wide Area Network (WAN) protocols utilising ns3 has needs to replicate protocols and sets up which is normally utilized within WANs. WANs geographically associate distant nodes or networks and frequently leverage technologies such as MPLS, BGP, OSPF, and TCP/IP. The execution addresses launching scalable, effective interaction that usually through point-to-point or shared medium links.

Below is a sequentially methodology to execute WAN protocols in NS3:

Steps to Begin Implement WAN Protocols in NS3

1. Set Up ns3 Environment

1. Install ns3:
   • We should download and set up NS3 on the system.
   • Make sure that we have installation with a simple example script as ./waf –run hello-simulator.
2. Include Required Modules:
   • Confirm that all necessary modules such as internet, point-to-point, csma, applications, and mpls (if available) are contained.

2. Define Network Objectives

1. Protocols:
   • Decide on protocols that are generally utilized within WANs:
     • Routing Protocols: BGP, OSPF, or static routing.
     • Transport Protocols: TCP or UDP.
     • Traffic Engineering: MPLS or QoS policies.
2. Performance Metrics:
   • Measure the performance indicators such as latency, throughput, and packet delivery ratio.

3. Set Up the WAN Topology

1. Create Nodes:
   • Make a WAN topology with nodes denoting routers and end devices.

NodeContainer routers, hosts;

routers.Create(5); // 5 routers in the WAN

hosts.Create(2);   // 2 end devices

1. Configure Links:
   • Make use of PointToPointHelper for direct connections or utilise CsmaHelper for shared links.

PointToPointHelper p2p;

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

p2p.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“50ms”));

// Connect routers

NetDeviceContainer link1 = p2p.Install(routers.Get(0), routers.Get(1));

NetDeviceContainer link2 = p2p.Install(routers.Get(1), routers.Get(2));

NetDeviceContainer link3 = p2p.Install(routers.Get(2), routers.Get(3));

NetDeviceContainer link4 = p2p.Install(routers.Get(3), routers.Get(4));

// Connect hosts to edge routers

NetDeviceContainer host1Link = p2p.Install(hosts.Get(0), routers.Get(0));

NetDeviceContainer host2Link = p2p.Install(hosts.Get(1), routers.Get(4));

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

InternetStackHelper internet;

internet.Install(routers);

internet.Install(hosts);

1. Assign IP Addresses:
   • Allocate unique IP addresses subnets to every connection.

Ipv4AddressHelper ipv4;

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

ipv4.Assign(link1);

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

ipv4.Assign(link2);

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

ipv4.Assign(link3);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.4.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(link4);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.5.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(host1Link);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.6.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(host2Link);

4. Enable Routing Protocols

1. Static Routing:
   • Set up routes manually for a small WAN.

Ipv4StaticRoutingHelper staticRouting;

Ptr<Ipv4StaticRouting> router1Static = staticRouting.GetStaticRouting(routers.Get(0)->GetObject<Ipv4>());

router1Static->AddHostRouteTo(Ipv4Address(“10.1.6.1”), Ipv4Address(“10.1.1.2”), 1);

1. Dynamic Routing (OSPF or BGP):
   • Leverage OSPF or BGP for larger and modifying networks dynamically.
   • Execute the OSPF to utilize extensions or replicate their behavior including static routes.
2. Routing Helper:
   • Apply RipHelper or add custom logic for routing protocols like OSPF or BGP.

RipHelper rip;

Ipv4ListRoutingHelper list;

list.Add(rip, 10);

internet.SetRoutingHelper(list);

internet.Install(routers);

5. Simulate Traffic

1. Install Applications:
   • Set up traffic to utilize applications such as UdpEchoServer and UdpEchoClient.

UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(9);

ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install(hosts.Get(1)); // Server at Host 2

serverApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(Ipv4Address(“10.1.6.1”), 9);

echoClient.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(20));

echoClient.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0)));

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

ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install(hosts.Get(0)); // Client at Host 1

clientApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));

clientApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

1. Monitor Traffic:
   • Accumulate and examine received packets with PacketSink.

PacketSinkHelper sinkHelper(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”,

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

ApplicationContainer sinkApps = sinkHelper.Install(hosts.Get(1));

sinkApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

sinkApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

6. Enable Tracing and Logging

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

p2p.EnablePcapAll(“wan-protocol”);

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

AsciiTraceHelper ascii;

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

1. FlowMonitor:
   • Gather performance parameters using FlowMonitor.

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

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

7. Run the Simulation

1. Start the Simulator:

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

1. Export Results:
   • We must store outcomes for analysis.

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

8. Analyze and Visualize Results

1. Traffic Analysis:
   • Estimate the performance of WAN to apply PCAP or FlowMonitor data.
2. NetAnim Visualization:
   • Make use of NetAnim tools for envisioning the WAN topology and packet flow.

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

9. Extend and Optimize

1. MPLS Integration:
   • Replicate MPLS for traffic engineering.
2. QoS and Bandwidth Management:
   • Integrate QoS strategies to give precedence traffic.
3. Scalability:
   • Maximize nodes for replicating larger WANs scalability.
4. Dynamic Topologies:
   • Mimic WANs including node/link failures to experiment the robustness of protocol.

Example Use Cases

• ISP Networks:
  • Replicate WANs for Internet Service Providers networks including dynamic routing protocols.
• Enterprise Networks:
  • Assess the performance of WAN within enterprise multi-site networks.
• Disaster Recovery:
  • Experiment WAN protocols for resilient and large-scale networks to retrieve failure.

By employing NS3 tool, we successfully completed comprehensive implementation mechanism for WAN Protocols that were executed and analysed. We are ready to offer additional details and advance approach as needed.