What is ns?

• Network simulator
• a discrete event simulator
15-744: Computer Networking
• focused on modeling network protocols
• wired, wireless, satellite
The network simulator ns-2 • TCP, UDP, multicast, unicast
Amit Manjhi
Slides loosely based on tutorials by Polly Huang (ETH), John Heidemann (USC/ICSI) and
• Web, telnet, ftp
Bianca (CMU).
• Ad hoc routing; sensor networks
• Infrastructure: stats, tracing, error models etc.

ns -- goals ns --- what is it good for?

• Allow collaboration
Used to:
• Freely distributed, open source
• Results can be verified • Evaluate performance of existing
• Protocols can be compared network protocols.
• Support networking research and education • Prototyping and evaluation of new protocols.
• Large-scale simulations not possible
in real experiments.

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ns ns - software structure

How does it work: • Object oriented (C++, OTcl) – code reuse

• Event-driven simulator • Scalability + Extensibility
• Model world as events • Control/”data” separation
• Simulator has list of events • Split C++/OTcl object
• Process: take next one, run it, until done
• C++ for packet-processing (fast to run)
• Each event happens in instant of virtual time, but
takes arbitrary real time • OTcl for control - (fast to write)
• Single thread of control • Simulation setup and configuration
• Packet level

otcl and C++: The Duality Development Status

Otcl / Tcl
Pure OTcl Pure C++
Current status:
objects objects • 100K lines of C++ code tclcl
Your ns-script • 70K lines of otcl code
• 20K lines of documentation
• User base about 1K institutions, 10K C++
C++/OTcl split users.
OTcl objects C++
ns

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Outline Tcl basics

• Overview proc fact {x} {

set ret 1
• Tcl, OTcl basics if {$x > 2} {
• ns basics for {set i 1} {$i <= $x} {incr i} {
• Extending ns set ret [expr $i * $ret]
}
• ns internals }
puts “factorial of $x is $ret”
}
fact 5 à factorial of 5 is 120

Tcl basics Basic otcl

proc fact {x} {

• $ for de-referencing Class mom set a [new mom 45]
set ret 1 $a greet
if {$x > 2} { • Spaces - important mom instproc init {age} {
for {set i 1} {$i <= $x} {incr i} { •{} defines a block $self instvar age_
• instead of single class declaration
set ret [expr $i * $ret] • set, puts set age_ $age
multiple definitions
• proc definition: }
} • instproc adds class methods
proc name args body
} mom instproc greet {} { • instvar adds instance variable, and
$self instvar age_ brings them to the local scope
puts “factorial of $x is $ret”
puts “$age_ years old mom:
} How are you doing?” • $self : this in Java, C++
} • all methods virtual (as in Java)
fact 5 à factorial of 5 is 120

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Basic otcl - inheritance Outline

Class kid -superclass mom • Overview

kid instproc greet {} {
• Tcl, OTcl basics
$self instvar age_ • ns basics
puts “$age_ years old kid:
What’s up, dude?” • Extending ns
}
• ns internals

set b [new kid 15]

$b greet

Basic structure of ns-scripts Creating Event Scheduler

• Create scheduler
• Creating the event scheduler • set ns [new Simulator]
• [Tracing]
• Schedule event
• Creating network topology
• $ns at <time> <event>
• Creating Transport Layer - Agents • <event>: any legitimate ns/tcl commands
• Creating Applications - Applications
• Start scheduler
• Events! • $ns run

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“Hello World” in ns Creating Network

simple.tcl • Nodes
set ns [new Simulator] • set n0 [$ns node]
$ns at 1 “puts \“Hello World!\”” • set n1 [$ns node]
$ns at 1.5 “exit”
$ns run
• Links & Queuing
bovik@gs19% ns simple.tcl • $ns duplex-link $n0 $n1 <bandwidth>
<delay> <queue_type>
Hello World!
• Queue type: DropTail, RED, CBQ, FQ,
bovik@gs19%
SFQ, DRR

Routing + traffic Transport Layer

• Unicast
• $ns rtproto <type> Class Agent
• <type>: Static, Session, DV
• Multicast support also.
• Traffic
Agent/UDP Agent/TCP (=Tahoe)
• Simple two layers: transport and application.
• Transport: TCP, UDP etc.
• Applications: web, ftp, telnet etc. …
Other TCP flavors

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The transport layer: UDP The transport layer: TCP

• UDP • TCP
• set udp [new Agent/UDP] • set tcp [new Agent/TCP]
• set null [new Agent/NULL] • set tcpsink [new Agent/TCPSink]

• $ns attach-agent $n0 $udp • $ns attach-agent $n0 $tcp

• $ns attach-agent $n1 $null • $ns attach-agent $n1 $tcpsink

• $ns connect $udp $null

• $ns connect $tcp $tcpsink

Transport Layer Application Layer

Class Application
Class Agent

{Simulated Applications} {Traffic generators}

Agent/UDP Agent/TCP (=Tahoe) (on top of TCP) (on top of UDP)

…
Agent/TCP/FullTCP
Other TCP flavors

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Creating Traffic: On Top of TCP Creating Traffic: On Top of UDP

FTP • CBR
• set ftp [new Application/FTP] • set src [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

• $ftp attach-agent $tcp • Exponential or Pareto on-off

• $ns at <time> “$ftp start” • set src [new Application/Traffic/Exponential]
• set src [new Application/Traffic/Pareto]

Telnet • Trace driven traffic

• set telnet [new Application/Telnet] • Inter-packet time and packet-size

• $telnet attach-agent $tcp

Attaching a traffic source Tracing

Trace packets on all links:
• set f[open out.tr w]
• set cbr [new Application/Traffic/CBR] • $ns trace-all $f

• $cbr attach-agent $udp • $ns flush-trace

• close $f
• $ns at <time> “$cbr start”
<event><time><from><to><type><size>--<flags>--<flow id><src><dst><seqno> <pckt id>
+ 1 0 2 cbr 210 ------- 0 0.0 3.1 0 0
- 1 0 2 cbr 210 ------- 0 0.0 3.1 0 0
r 1.00234 0 2 cbr 210 ------- 0 0.0 3.1 0 0

Is tracing all links always the best thing to do?

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More Tracing Controlling object parameters

• Tracing specific links • Almost all ns objects have parameters

• $ns trace-queue $n0 $n1 $f • ex. Application/Traffic/Exponential has rate and
packetSize
• set parameters in OTcl
• Tracing variables • set etraf [new Application/Traffic/Exponential]
• set cwnd_chan_ [open all.cwnd w] • $etraf set rate_ 1Mb
• $tcp trace cwnd_ • $etraf set packetSize_ 1024

• $tcp attach $cwnd_chan_

Putting it all together nam – the network animator

set ns [new Simulator]
set n0 [$ns node] set nf [open out.nam w]
set n1 [$ns node]
Creating Topology $ns namtrace-all $nf
$ns duplex-link $n0 $n1 1.5Mb …
10ms DropTail
exec nam out.nam &
$ns trace-queue $n0 $n1 $f
set tcp [$ns create-connection TCP Creating Transport layer
$n0 TCPSink $n1 0]

set ftp [new Application/FTP] n0 n1

Creating Applications
$ftp attach-agent $tcp

$ns at 0.2 "$ftp start“ Schedule Events

$ns at 1.2 ”exit“
$ns run

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ns “components” Network Dynamics: Link failures

• ns, the simulator itself

• $ns rtmodel-at <time> <up|down> $n0 $n1
• nam
nam, the Network AniMator
• Visualize ns output
• $ns rtmodel Trace <config_file> $n0 $n1
• GUI input simple ns scenarios
• Pre-processing:
• Traffic and topology generators • $ns rtmodel <model> <params> $n0 $n1
• Post-processing: <model>: Deterministic, Exponential
• Simple trace analysis, often in Awk, Perl, or Tcl

Issues in Simulations Another practical issue: Memory

• Suppose you want to study the way TCP sources
~ns/tcl/ex/cmcast-150.tcl:
share a bottleneck link…
Agent/FTP 150 nodes, 2200 links => 53MB
Agent/FTP Which topology? 2420 nodes, 2465 links => 800MB
Agent/FTP
Agent/FTP

Which traffic sources? Background Traffic?

• Avoid trace
trace--all
When to start sources? • Use arrays for a sequence of variables
What else affects results? • Instead of n$i
n$i, say n($i)

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Basic ns-2: Not Covered Outline

• Overview
• mobile IP • Tcl, OTcl basics
• multicasting • ns basics
• satellite • Extending ns
• emulation • ns internals

Making changes to ns – where??? ns directory structure

ns-allinone
Pure OTcl Pure C++
objects objects
Tcl8.0 TK8.0 OTcl tclcl ns-2 nam-1

C++/OTcl split tcl Makefile.in ... C++ code

OTcl objects C++
ns
ex test lib mcast ...
Where would you implement
• one-time configuration variables examples
validation tests OTcl code
• complex procedures
• per packet action

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New component purely in Otcl New component in C++

ns-allinone
• Create C++ class, fill in methods
Tcl8.0 TK8.0 OTcl tclcl ns-2 nam-1
• Define otcl linkage
tcl Makefile.in... C++ code • Write otcl code (if any)
ex test mysrc lib mcast ... • Build (and debug)
examples validation tests msg.tcl nslib.tcl
OTcl code

source tcl/mysrc/msg.tcl

Outline How does linkage work?

• Overview
• Tcl, OTcl basics Pure C++ Pure OTcl
objects objects
• ns basics
• Extending ns
C++/OTcl split
• ns internals C++ objects
OTcl
ns

• how to access Tcl variables from C++

• how is C++ object created from interpreter
• ……

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TclObject: Hierarchy and Shadowing TclObject

• Example
C++ class
TclObject otcl class TclObject
hierarchy hierarchy set tcp [new Agent/TCP]
=> how is corresponding C++ object created?
Agent Agent
$tcp set window_ 500
=> how is corresponding C++ variable set?
Agent/TCP TcpAgent
$tcp advance 5000
_o123 *tcp => how is C++ procedure called?
Agent/TCP otcl Agent/TCP C++
shadow object object

TclObject: Hierarchy and Shadowing TclObject::bind()

C++ class • Link C++ member variables to otcl object

TclObject otcl class TclObject
variables
hierarchy hierarchy
• C++
TcpAgent::TcpAgent() {
Agent Agent
bind(“window_”, &wnd_);
… …
}
Agent/TCP TcpAgent • bind_time(), bind_bool(), bind_bw()
_o123 *tcp • otcl
Agent/TCP otcl Agent/TCP C++ $tcp set window_ 200
shadow object object

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TclObject::command() TclObject::command()

OTcl space
no such
$tcp advance TclObject::unknown{} $tcp cmd advance
procedure
• Implement otcl methods in C++
• Trap point: otcl method cmd{} C++ space
TcpAgent::command()
• Send all arguments after cmd{} call to
TclObject::command() Yes match No
“advance”?

process and return Invoke parent:

return Agent::command()

TclObject::command() TclObject

• otcl • Example
set tcp [new Agent/TCP]
$tcp advance 10
set tcp [new Agent/TCP]
=> how is corresponding C++ object created?
?
• C++
int TcpAgent::command(int argc,
const char*const* argv) {
$tcp set window_ 500
if (argc == 3) { => how is corresponding C++ variable set?
if (strcmp(argv[1], “advance”) == 0) {
int newseq = atoi(argv[2]);
…… $tcp advance 5000
return(TCL_OK); => how is C++ procedure called?
}
}
return (Agent::command(argc, argv);
}

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TclObject: Creation and Deletion TclClass

Agent/TCP parent TclObject

constructor constructor constructor
invoke parent which C++
invoke parent create C++
Static
Staticclass
classTcpClass
TcpClass::public
publicTclClass
TclClass{{
constructor constructor
object to create? object public:
public:
complete – TclClass
complete create OTcl TcpClass()
TcpClass()::TclClass(“Agent/TCP”)
TclClass(“Agent/TCP”){}{}
initialization initialization shadow object TclObject*
OTcl TclObject* create(int,const
create(int, constchar*const*)
char*const*){{
return
return (new
(newTcpAgent());
TcpAgent());
C++ }}
TclObject (C++) parent (Agent) AgentTCP
constructor constructor constructor }}class_tcp;
class_tcp;
invoke parent invoke parent
do nothing, constructor constructor
return bind variables bind variables
and return and return

Class Tcl Class Tcl

Tcl& tcl = Tcl::instance();

• Singleton class with a handle to Tcl
interpreter Passing results if (strcmp(argv[1], “now”) == 0) {
• While writing C++ code to the interpreter: tcl.resultf(“%g”, clock());
return TCL_OK;
• Usage }
• Invoke otcl procedure
• Obtain otcl evaluation results
Executing Otcl if (strcmp(argv[1], “helloworld”) {
• Pass a result string to otcl commands from tcl.evalc(“puts stdout Hello World”);
• Return success/failure code to otcl C++ return TCL_OK;
}

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Class TclCommand Summary

Root of ns-2 object hierarchy

• C++ implementation of global otcl commands
bind(): link variable values between
class RandomCommand : public TclCommand {
TclObject C++ and OTcl
public:
RandomCommand() : TclCommand("ns -random") {}
command(): link OTcl methods to C++
virtual int command(int argc, const char*const* argv) ;
}; implementations
int RandomCommand::command(int argc, const char*const* argv) TclClass Create and initialize TclObject’s
{
Tcl& tcl = Tcl::instance(); Tcl C++ methods to access Tcl interpreter
if ( argc == 1) {
sprintf(tcl.buffer(), "%u", Random::random()); TclCommand Standalone global commands
tcl.result(tcl.buffer());

EmbeddedTcl ns script initialization

}

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