Laboratory Assignment ETC022

Internetworking with TCP/IP

INTRODUCTION TO
OPNET

Department of Telecommunication Systems

School of Engineering
Blekinge Institute of Technology
ETC022 – Internetworking with TCP/IP INTRODUCTION TO OPNET

INTRODUCTION TO OPNET
THE OPNET SIMULATOR

The Optimized Network Engineering Tools (OPNET) is a very powerful network

simulator. Its main purposes are to optimize cost, performance and availability. The
goal of this laboratory exercise is to learn the basics of how to use the OPNET Mod-
eler interface, as well as some basic modeling theory. The following tasks are con-
sidered:
• Build and analyze models.
• Configure the object palette with the needed models.
• Set up application and profile configurations.
• Model a LAN as a single node.
• Specify background utilization that changes over a time on a link.
• Simulate multiple scenarios simultaneously.
• Apply filters to result graphs and analyze the results.

GOAL

The goal of the laboratory is to model a WAN composed of several LANs. The
main task is to model the BTH’s WAN. BTH stretches over three locations in
Blekinge, namely: Karlskrona, Ronneby and Karlshamn.
Because there is no interest in modeling the details of each LAN you will use
available LAN models to model the individual LANs as single nodes. The first step in
setting up the WAN is to specify the overall context for the network with the Startup
Wizard.

METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS

NOTE: Some menu entries in the OPNET version you are going to use may not
be the same as the ones described in this manual. However, these entries are often
available in other menus or under other names. Ask the laboratory assistant if you
have any troubles.
The task that will be emphasized through this exercise is to determine how the
background traffic is affecting FTP traffic on the BTH network. To do this the FTP
performance of the network will be modeled, first without background traffic and then
with background traffic.
The student should follow the following steps in the order described in this labora-
tory manual in order to complete the laboratory exercise:

1. Begin by starting up OPNET Modeler and create a new project. Select File Æ
New.
2. Name the new project acronym_LAN_Mod and the scenario no_back_util.
Here, acronym must be substituted with the student’s own acronym!
3. Create an empty scenario for the initial topology.
4. Specify a map to use as a background for your network. Click Choose From
Maps for Network Scale. Choose Europe or World from the list.

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5. Select Lan_Mod_Model_List to be included in your network topology by

clicking on the Include cell and changing the value from No to Yes.
6. Review your settings and finish the startup wizard.

The workspace should now contain the specified map and the object palette.

7. Zoom in Sweden from the chosen map (until you are satisfied).

To work with Modeler’s full set of node and link models would be overwhelming,
so the object palette can be configured to show only a specific subset, or model list.
Furthermore, you can use the standard model list, adapt it for your own needs, or
make your own list. For this laboratory LAN_Mod_Model_List was created. Now you
will adapt that model list by adding the LAN node model to it. Open the configure pal-
ette dialog box by clicking the Configure Palette button in the object palette. The dia-
log box lets you change the object palette according to your needs.

8. Click the Node Models button in the configure palette dialog box. A select in-
cluded entries dialog box appears.
9. Find 10BaseT_LAN in the list and include it in your object palette.

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ETC022 – Internetworking with TCP/IP INTRODUCTION TO OPNET

You will now configure the Application Configuration Object and the Profile
Configuration Object. Before you begin constructing the network you must prede-
fine the profiles and applications that will be used by the LAN.
To configure the application configuration object, open the object palette in the
case it is not already open and

10. Drag an Application Config object to the project workspace.

11. Right click on the object and select Edit Attributes from the pop-up menu.

By clicking on the question mark next to an attribute you will see a brief description of
that attribute.

12. Set the name attribute to Application Configuration.

13. Change the Application Definitions attribute to Default by clicking in the at-
tribute’s Value column and selecting Default from the pop-up list.

By selecting Default, OPNET configures the application definition object to have

eight standard applications, namely: Database Access, E-mail, File Transfer, File
Print, Telnet Session, Video Conferencing, Voice over IP Call and Web Browsing.
Close the Attributes dialog box. Now you must configure the Profile Configuration
Object.

14. Drag a Profile Config object from the object palette to the workspace.
15. Right-click on the object and select Edit Attributes.
16. Set the name attribute to Profile Configuration.
17. Change now the Profile Configuration attribute by clicking in its Value col-
umn and selecting Edit from the drop down menu.

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The profile configuration table box appears. You must define a new profile and
add it to the table.

18. Change the number of Rows to 1.

19. Name the new profile LAN Client.
20. Click in the profile’s Start Time (seconds) cell to open the Start Time Speci-
fication dialog box.
21. Select a constant distribution with a mean outcome of 100.

You will be modeling FTP performance, thus that application should be included in
the profile.

22. Click in the LAN Client’s Applications column and choose Edit from the pop-
up menu.
23. Change the number of Rows to 1.
24. Select File Transfer (Heavy) by clicking in the appropriate cell and selecting
this type of application from the pop-up menu.

By selecting Default as the value for the application definition attribute in this ob-
ject, you enable a list of applications. The list includes 16 entries, a heavy and a light
version for each of the eight standard applications we mentioned earlier.

25. Set the start time offset to uniform (0, 300).

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The completed dialog box should look something like the picture below. Verify it
and then close the applications table dialog box as well as all the other dialog boxes
you may still have open.

You are now ready to begin the construction of the BTH WAN. In this laboratory
scenario the network will contain three identical subnets placed over Karlskrona,
Ronneby and Karlshamn.
You can create the first subnet in Karlskrona, with its nodes inside it, and then
copy the whole subnet to Karlshamn and Ronneby and then modify it further when
needed.
Subnets are useful when organizing your network model. Subnets can be nested
within subnets to an unlimited degree. Now, open the object palette if not already
open.

26. Place a subnet node over Karlskrona (in the workspace) and right-click to
turn off duplication.
27. Set the name of the subnet to Karlskrona.

The extent of the subnet needs to be modified. The subnet extent is the geo-
graphic area covered by the subnet, which may be much larger than the actual area
you wish to model.

28. Right-click on the Karlskrona subnet and select Advanced Edit Attributes.
29. Change the x span and y span attributes to 0,25.

The unit of measure of these attributes is determined by the unit of measure of the
top-level area, i.e., degrees in this case. In order to see what’s inside subnets just
double-click on that subnet icon and the Modeler will change the view.
By default a subnet’s grid properties is based on its parent subnet. You can
change them to fit your network.

30. Open the Karlskrona subnet by double clicking on it and change its properties
such that the units are set to Meters and resolution is 10 pixels/m. Uncheck
the Visible checkbox for Satellite Orbits and verify that Drawing is set to
Dashed and Division is set to 10.

The dialog box should resemble the picture below.

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The BTH network does not require modeling the precise nature of each node in
each subnet, so you can represent the subnets with a LAN model.

31. Place a 10BaseT_LAN in the workspace.

32. Right-click on the 10BaseT_LAN and choose Edit Attribute.

You can change the attributes so that it represents a network with a certain num-
ber of workstations and a particular traffic profile.

33. Set the name to Office_LAN.

34. Choose Edit for the Application: Supported Profiles attribute.
35. Change the number of Rows to 1.
36. Change the profile name to LAN Client.

This LAN will now use the LAN Client profile you just created. This profile in-
cludes the file transfer application. The LAN will send traffic that models heavy FTP
use. Verify that the Number of workstations attribute is set to 10 and close the attrib-
utes box. You have now modeled a ten workstations LAN inside the Karlskrona sub-
net. Furthermore, because this LAN model is composed of workstations and links
only, it must be connected to a router. This router can then be connected to other
routers in the network.

37. Drag a BN_BLN_4s_e4_f_sl8_tr4 node from the object palette to the work-
station near the Office_LAN node.
38. Name the new node router and connect it to the Office_LAN nodes with a
10BaseT link.

The Karlskrona subnet is now fully configured. Because the subnets in Karlshamn
and Ronneby are identical, you can now copy the Karlskrona subnet and place it
over the appropriate geographic position.
In order to copy the subnet you must first return to the parent subnet. This is done
either by clicking on the Go to Parent Subnetwork button in the toolbar or by right

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clicking in the workspace and choosing Go to Parent subnetwork from the pop-up
menu. After returning to the parent subnet, select the subnet and copy it either by
Edit Æ Copy or by pressing <CTRL> + C. Paste the subnet over Karlshamn and
Ronneby by selecting Edit Æ Paste or by pressing <CTRL> + V. Rename the sub-
nets accordingly, i.e., Karlshamn and Ronneby respectively. Next you should con-
nect the Karlshamn and the Karlskrona subnets to Ronneby. To do so, select a
LAN_Mod_PPP_DS0 link in the object palette.

39. Draw a LAN_Mod_PPP_DS0 link from Karlskrona to Ronneby. A dialog box

appears asking which nodes in each subnet are to be endpoints of the link.
40. For node a choose the Karlskrona.router node and for node b choose the
Ronneby.router node.

Repeat this process, drawing a similar link between the Karlshamn and Ronneby
subnets as well. Specify correctly the link endpoints. Your network should now
closely resemble the one shown in the picture below.

To complete the network configuration, the main office in Ronneby needs to have
a switch and a server added to it. In order to configure the network in Ronneby dou-
ble-click on the Ronneby subnet to enter its subnet view.

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41. Place a Bay Network Accelar1050 node and one ethernet_server node in
the workspace and rename them to switch and FTP respectively.
42. Connect the router and the server to the switch with 10BaseT links and close
the object palette.

The FTP server needs to be configured to support the FTP application. Open the
attributes dialog box for the FTP server.

43. Choose Edit for the Application: Supported Services

44. Change number of Rows to 1.
45. Select File Transfer (Heavy) from the Name column pop-up menu.
46. Close the supported services dialog box, and the FTP attributes dialog box.

Return to the parent subnet view and save the project. You have now created a
model to act as a baseline for the performance of the network. Background traffic will
now be added to the links connecting the cities. The results from the two scenarios
will be later simulated and compared.
We begin by duplicating the current scenario in order to be able to compare the
simulation results later.

47. Select Scenarios Æ Duplicate Scenario

48. Name the new scenario to back_util.

Network studies show that traffic rises gradually over the course of the day as
employees and students arrive and start using the network. In order to model the
background utilization, you need to know link type and time period for a particular

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utilization. Moreover, remember to have the same values for the background utiliza-
tion for both directions of the link, i.e., we have duplex links.

49. Select the link between Karlskrona and Ronneby. Right-click on it and choose
Similar Links from the pop-up menu.
50. Display the Edit Attributes dialog box for the link between Karlskrona and
Ronneby and change the background utilization of the link according to the
following:
9 From 0 to 300 seconds: 30% background utilization.
9 From 300 to 500 seconds: 40% background utilization.
9 Over 500 seconds: 50% background utilization.
51. Check the Apply Changes to Selected objects check box in the attributes
dialog box.

Save the project. Now you have configured two different scenarios for the same
network topology, i.e., one without background utilization and one with background
utilization. You are now ready to collect data and analyze it.
The relevant statistics for this laboratory exercise are the following:
• Utilization statistics for the network links.
• Global FTP downloads time for the network.
As you are still configuring the back_util scenario you will now collect the neces-
sary statistics for this scenario.

52. Right-click in the workspace and select Choose Individual Statistics.

53. Select the Global Statistics Æ Ftp Æ Download Response Time (sec) sta-
tistic.

54. Select the Link Statistics Æ point-to-point Æ utilization --> statistic.

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In order to compare the statistics in the back_util scenario with the no_back_util
scenario, the same statistics must be collected in the no_back_util scenario as well.
Change scenario and select the correct statistics by selecting Scenarios Æ Switch
To Scenario, and then choose no_back_util.

55. Collect the same statistics as in the back_util scenario.

Save the project. The statistics are now ready to be collected by running the simu-
lations.
Instead of running each simulation separately, you can batch them together to run
consecutively. To do so, select Scenarios Æ Manage Scenarios.

56. Click on the Results value for the no_back_util and back_util scenarios and
change the value to collect from the pop-up menu.
57. Set the simulation duration for each scenario to 30 minutes.

OPNET Modeler will now run simulations for both scenarios. A simulation se-
quence dialog box shows the simulation progress. Shut down the dialog box when
the simulations are done. Now, if everything went all right you are now ready to view
and compare the results of the two simulated scenarios.
To view the results from two or more different scenarios against each other, you
can use the Compare Results feature. With this topic you can also apply different
built-in filters to the graphs.

58. In the Compare Results dialog box, select Object Statistics Æ Choose
From Maps Network Æ Karlshamn <-> Ronneby[0] Æ point to point Æ
utilization -->.

Furthermore, you will also have to change the filter menu from As Is to
time_average. This must be done because as utilization varies over the course of a
simulation and it is therefore helpful to look at time average for this statistic.

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59. Display the graphs. The graphs should resemble the ones below, though it
will not match exactly.

You may want to look at the utilization of other links to determine the maximum
utilization of any link. Look also at the global FTP response time.
The simulation exercise is now completed. Try to explain the results obtained in
the simulation. Why do the graphs look like they do? What are the most important
parameters that influence network traffic as you use them in this simulation study?
What is the influence of the application simulated in these results?

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SUBMISSIONS

The student must submit an individual report with name, e-mail and class in order
to pass this assignment. The report must be in plain text format (.txt) or portable
document format (.pdf) and must contain:
• A short summary of the laboratory, including an explanation of the simulation
results obtained and the answers for the above questions. Tips: Think about
the input characteristics of the simulation parameters, i.e., type of application
simulated, distribution selected, etc.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

• Read this laboratory manual before coming to the laboratory!

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