Introduction to ns-3 Simulation

Adil Alsuhaim

School of Computing
Clemson University

October 5, 2020

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Introduction

I ns-3 is an open-source network simulation tool

I Written in C++. Can write scripts in C++ & python.

I Can simulate simple and complex networking scenarios.

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Installation - Requirements

I Installation instructions can be found on

https://www.nsnam.org/wiki/Installation

I Installation Prerequisites. The minimal requirement for ns-3 is to have C++ &
python3 is installed in the system.

sudo apt-get install g++ python3

I ns-3 uses a python script to compile & run your C++ code
I It is also possible to use clang++ instead of g++

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Installation - Downloading sources
I ns-3 uses a python tool called bake to download & install ns-3
I Use git to obtain the bake tool.

git clone https://gitlab.com/nsnam/bake

I Change into the bake directory with cd bake

I Check if prerequisutes are met

./bake.py check

I If the python script fails due to missing python libraries, use pip to install them.
I pip is a python package-management system.
I Install pip with sudo apt-get install python3-pip

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Installation - Downloading sources
I To congure bake to download & install ns-3.31 run:

./bake.py configure -e ns-3.31

I Run ./bake.py show to see what bake will install & download.

I Download ns-3 along with other components

./bake.py download

I Build it

./bake.py build

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Installation - Run an example
I Once ns-3 download & build is nished, we need to run a configure option, then
build it.

cd source/ns-3.31 #change into ns-3 directory

make configure # runs './waf configure --enable-examples --enable-tests'
./waf build

I Run an example.

./waf --run examples/tutorial/first

I All ns-3 simulations must be run using ./waf from the ns-3 root directory.

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Somethings to know
I ns-3 C++ code must be stored in les with .cc extension. C++ header les must
have .h extension.

I ns-3 uses the g++ command to compile C++ code. You can congure ns-3 to use
another C++ compiler such as clang++. If you do that, the entire ns-3 code must
be compiled again.

CXX="clang++" ./waf configure

I Simulations run from the ns-3 root directory.

I Typically, it would be called ns-3.30 (for version 3.30) or ns-3-dev for the
development version.
I If your simulation writes to les, they would be stored relative to this directory.

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Before you start

I Choose an IDE to write your code.

I I recommend Visual Studio Code or Eclipse CDT (C++ support). Both are free, and
available for Windows, macOS and Ubuntu.

I You can download these IDEs from the internet for free.

I Those IDEs allows us to have syntax highlighting and auto-completion features if you
set them up properly with ns-3.

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IDE - Visual Studio Code
I Make sure your VS Code has the C++ plug-in. Install it from the extensions tool.
I Whenever you want to code something, open VS Code from the ns-3 root directory.

code .

I This creates a hidden directory called .vscode in the folder

I From VS Code, press Ctrl+Shift+P and edit C/C++ Conguration. You can chose
to use the UI, or edit a JSON le.
I Change includePath by adding the path to ns-3 build directory.

${workspaceFolder}/build/ns3/**
/home/adil/ns-3.30.1/build

I This will result in changes to the le ./.vscode/c_cpp_properties.json,

relative to ns-3 root directory.
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VS Code - c_cpp_properties.json
{
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Linux",
"includePath": [
"${workspaceFolder}/build/ns3/**",
"/home/adil/ns-3.30.1/build"
],
"defines": [],
"compilerPath": "/usr/bin/clang",
"cStandard": "c11",
"cppStandard": "c++17",
"intelliSenseMode": "clang-x64"
}
],
Introduction
"version": to ns-3 Simulation
4 Adil Alsuhaim 10 / 1
Eclipse CDT - Setup for Syntax Highlighting & Auto-Completion

I Create a new C++ project, and give it a name.

I Import File System" and import the bake/source directory that was created with
the bake tool.
I Navigate to the ns-3 folder. If you installed ns-3.31, then that's the ns-3 folder.
I Open the le scratch/scratch-simulator.cc
I Check if the C++ is highlighted with colors for keywords and class names.
I If you did not get syntax highlighting, try to re-import one directory higher or lower.

I To run ns-3, we typically want to use the terminal, navigate to ns-3 root folder,
and use ./waf

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Eclipse CDT - Setup for running from Eclipse (not
needed/recommended)
I You can run ns-3 scripts from within Eclipse.
I Right click on the Eclipse project, and click Properties".
I On the left side, choose C/C++ Build
I Uncheck Use default build command" and set the build command to

${workspace_loc:/EclipseProjectName}/ns-3.30/waf

I Change build directory to

${workspace_loc:/EclipseProjectName}/ns-3.30/build

I In the Behavior" tab, uncheck Build on resource save (Auto build)

I For Build (Incremental build)" leave it checked but without any text.
I Leave Clean intact because ns-3 have a ./waf clean option.

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 I ns-3 uses the waf tool, which is external to Eclipse. To set it up, go to the Run"
menu, then External Tools" > External Tools Conguration"
I Right-click on Program" on the left panel, and create a New Conguration"
I Give it a name, and set the location to the ns-3 waf le, which would look like this

${workspace_loc:/EclipseProjectName}/ns-3.30/waf

I Set the Working Directory" to

${workspace_loc:/EclipseProjectName}/ns-3.30/waf

I In Arguments", set it with the parameters:

--run ${string_prompt}

I Now when you click Run" with this tool, Eclipse prompt you to enter the ns-3
project name.

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Understanding ns-3 directory structure

I The root ns-3 directory for version 3.30 is called ns-3.30

I Under the directory, there are several important folders.
I src this is the ns-3 directory where source code for modules is stores.
I examples contains simple ns-3 simulation examples.
I contrib Contributed modules are stored here. You do not need to do anything here
unless you are creating libraries for use in ns-3
I build this is the build directory for ns-3
I scratch this is where user programs are stored.
I In most directories, there's a le named wscript, which is used by ./waf.
I Examine the le examples/tutorial/wscript. You can now see why we used
first and not first.cc when we ran the example.

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Understanding ns-3 directory structure
I Whenever you run ./waf to build or run programs, all projects under scratch are
compiled. The command fails if any project has errors.

I ns-3 comes with many examples. Relative to ns-3 root directory, there are
examples under the examples directory. In addition, every module under src also
contains its own examples directory.
I To run the example ./examples/udp/udp-echo.cc run the following command
from ns-3 root directory:

./waf --run examples/udp/udp-echo

I The example does not print anything to the terminal, but it will create output les of
type .pcap and .tr
I To examine .pcap les, open them with a packet analyzer like Wireshark.
I the resulting .tr le is an ASCII trace of the packets.
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ns-3 directory structure - Creating projects under scratch

I To create an ns-3 project, create a folder under scratch, let's say you called it
Project1.
I Under Project1, one .cc le must contain a main function

I To run Project1, you need to be at the ns-3 root directory, and run

./waf --run Project1

To pass arguments, use quotation marks as follows

./waf --run "Project1 --p1=10 --p2=20"

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Running ns-3 with a debugger
I If you need to run an ns-3 program with a debugger like gdb

./waf --run Project1 --command-template="gdb --args %s"

I If you need to run it with parameters in gdb

./waf --run Project1 --command-template="gdb --args %s --p1=10 --p2=5"

I If you're using lldb as a debugger, then run it as follows

./waf --run Project1 --command-template="lldb %s"

#with parameters
./waf --run Project1 --command-template="lldb %s -- --p1=5 --p2=30"

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Passing Command-Line Arguments
I ns-3 provides an interface (ns3::CommandLine) to handle command-line
arguments.
I It helps by setting default values if no arguments was passed.
I You do not need to pass arguments in order.

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

{
//default values
bool student = false;
uint32_t x = 38;
std::string name = "Adil";
CommandLine cmd;
cmd.AddValue ("student", "Whether the person is a student", student);
cmd.AddValue ("age", "Your age", x);
cmd.AddValue ("name", "Your name", name);
cmd.Parse (argc, argv);
std::cout << name << " is " << x << " years old." << std::endl;
if (student) std::cout << name << " is a student" << std::endl;
else std::cout << name << " is NOT a student" << std::endl;
return 0;
}

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 I We do not need to follow order of arguments

./waf --run "TestProject --name=Stephen --age=22 --student"

I We can supply some arguments, the rest will be their default values

./waf --run "TestProject --name=Stephen"

I We can also run it without any arguments. The default values will be used for all

./waf --run TestProject

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Major ns-3 components
Node NetDevice
MAC
DeviceList subclass of Implemented in device or separate class
dev0 ...

dev1 PHY
Implemented in device or separate class
... ...
Uses sub classes of ns3::Channel
ApplicationList
app0
app1 subclass of ns3::Application

... + m_node: Ptr<Node>

+ StartApplication(): void
+ StopApplication(): void

Extends

CustomApplication

+ StartApplication() : void

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Major ns-3 components
WifiMac
CsmaNetDevice CsmaChannel
Implements MAC & PHY
Uses
Extends

RegularWifiMac WaveNetDevice WifiPhy

+ PhyEntities: m_phyEntities
+ m_edca: EdcaQueues
+ MacEntities: m_macEntities

1 Physical Entity Extends

Extends 7 MAC entities

YansWifiPhy

OcbWifiMac Uses
+ m_edca: EdcaQueues

YansWifiChannel

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ns-3 components - Nodes
I Nodes. Nodes are the main components of ns-3 simulations.
I They represent a network host.
I Nodes are implemented in a C++ class ns3::Node
I We usually create multiple nodes using a NodeContainer

NodeContainer nodes;
nodes.Create (10); //create 10 nodes
//Get a pointer to the first node
Ptr<Node> n0 = nodes.Get (0);
//iterate over a NodeContainer
for (uint32_t i=0 ; i<nodes.GetN() ; i++)
{
Ptr<Node> ni = nodes.Get (i);
//...
}

I Nodes can contain lists of net devices (sub-classes of ns3::NetDevice), and

applications (sub-classes of ns3::Application).
I Those can be added according to what we need to implement.

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ns-3 components - Net Device
I Net devices. When you set up an ns-3 network simulation, you need to add net
devices to nodes.
I The class
ns3::NetDevice is the C++ base class. It's an abstract class.
I Sub-classes of
ns3::NetDevice include ns3::PointToPointNetDevice,
ns3::CsmaNetDevice and ns3::WifiNetDevice
I ns-3 has a type NetDeviceContainer that can contain a list of net device objects.
I Net device implements functionalities to send & receive data.
I We typically do not access these functionalities directly. We use sockets so that MAC &
IP headers are added automatically.
I A net device should have implementation of data-link layer (MAC) and physical layer
(PHY)
I For simple net devices like CsmaNetDevice & PointToPointNetDevice, MAC &
PHY are implemented within the same class.
I For more complex devices like
WifiNetDevice, MAC is implemented in several classes
such asWifiMac, RegularWifiMac, ApWifiMac, andAdhocWifiMac. PHY is
implemented in WifiPhy & YansWifiPhy.

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ns-3 components - Net Device

I A node can contain multiple devices. You can iterate through them in a loop.

//Get all devices from node n0

Ptr <Node> n0 = nodes.Get (0);
for (uint32_t i=0 ; i<GetNDevice(); i++)
{
Ptr<NetDevice> dev_i = n0->GetDevice (i);
//perform type cast, other operations
if (dev_i->GetInstanceTypeId() == CsmaNetDevice::GetTypeId())
{
//perform something...
}
else if (dev_i->GetInstanceTypeId() == WifiNetDevice::GetTypeId())
{
//perform something else
}
}

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ns-3 components - Channels

I Channels. dene a connection between a set of nodes. Nodes that are within the
same broadcast domain share one ns3::Channel object.
I ns3::Channel is an abstract class. Concrete sub-classes include
PointToPointChannel, CsmaChannel (for Ethernet), and YansWifiChannel for
WiFi.

I For example, all nodes in a LAN share a single CsmaChannel object.

I The CsmaChannel denes the propagation delay, and the data rate of the link.

I All WiFi nodes in a simulation should have the same YansWifiChannel

I This is because a broadcast message can be received by nodes within range.

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ns-3 components - Packets

I In ns-3, information are exchanged as packets, implemented in the class

Packet.
I A packet will have headers added to it. A header is of sub-class of ns3::Header.
Headers change a packet object.
I Common headers are Ipv4Header, ArpHeader, EthernetHeader
I You can dene your own headers, but that's not recommended.

I We can also add tags to a packet. A tag is a of a sub-class of ns3::Tag. Adding a

tag does not change the packet object. You can only add one tag of a given type to a
packet.
I Tags are used to exchange information in simulations.
I You may need to dene your own tags.

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ns-3 components - Packets
I Many applications that you may use in ns-3 create packets hidden from the users.
I To create a zero payload packet:

Ptr<Packet> packet = Create <Packet> ();

I You can create a packet with a payload of zeros (100 bytes)

Ptr<Packet> packet = Create <Packet> (100);

I You can create a packet with a specic payload data.

std::string word = "Some text as payload";

char const *cWord = word.c_str();
uint8_t *data = new uint8_t[word.size()];
std::memcpy( data , cWord, word.size());
Ptr<Packet> packet = Create<Packet> (data, word.size());

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ns-3 components - Packets
I When you run your simulation, you can obtain a string representation of a packet. To
do this, you need to rst enable printing on packets

Packet::EnablePrinting (); //Must be done before you start your simulation, or you'll get an error

I Then you can use ToString(), which only works if you enabled metadata. To get a
string representation of a Packet object named p

std::cout << p->ToString () << std::endl;

I You can examine & remove packet headers using PeekHeader and RemoveHeader.
This can be tricky if you want to get the expected results, as you need to
examine/remove headers in order.

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ns-3 components - Packets
I If packet p is received, and you are sure that it begins with an EthernetHeader,
you can examine it as follows:

EthernetHeader ethernet;
if (p->PeekHeader (ethernet)) //works if there's enough data to cover an EthernetHeader (14 bytes or more)
{
std::cout << "Src MAC: " << ethernet.GetSource () << " Dest MAC: " << ethernet.GetDestination () << std::endl;
}

I This is a packet without header. PeekHeader works, but doesn't give the expected
results.

Ptr<Packet> p = Create <Packet> (100); //packet of size 100 bytes, no headers.

EthernetHeader hdr;
if (p->PeekHeader(hdr))
{
std::cout << "Peeking worked, but it gives wrong results" << std::endl;
}

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ns-3 components - Packet Tags
I Tags are a convenient way to carry information in packets, without changing packets'
data or headers.
I A tag that can be added to a packet has to be a sub-class of ns3::Tag.
I Let us say we have create a tag in a class named MyDataTag that carries a single real
value, and two public function SetValue() and GetValue(). We will add a tag to
a packet p as follows:

MyDataTag t;
t.SetValue (22.5);
p->AddPacketTag (t);

I We can extract that information as follows:

MyDataTag t;
if (p->PeekPacketTag (t)){
std::cout << "Packet Info: " << t.GetValue () << std::endl;
}

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ns-3 components - Applications

I Applications. We can add applications to a node. An application must have a start

& stop time.
I Applications added are sub-classes of ns3::Application
I You can create your own application as a subclass of ns3::Application written in
C++.

I An application has a pointer to the node's pointer.

I This implies that it also has a pointer to the list of net device.

I A list of applications can be contained in a ApplicationContainer.

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ns-3 components - Mobility

I Mobility. species the mobility of a node. A node can be stationary, or moving

following dierent kinds of models.
I When we install mobility to a node, we aggregate a ns3::MobilityModel object to
it.
I MobilityModel is an abstract class. Some sub-classes of it are
ConstantPositionMobilityModel (for stationary nodes),
ConstantVelocityMobilityModel and RandomWayPointMobilityModel
I Nodes that use wireless communication must have a mobility model installed to them,
even if the node is stationary.
I This is because the wireless signal is inuenced by the distance between sender &
receiver.

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Object Factory & Helpers

I In Software Engineering, there is a design pattern known as factory or object factory

design pattern.
I It helps construct objects with initial and/or default values for the object's attributes.

I ns-3 uses a class called ns3::ObjectFactory to construct objects. Usually the

code is not used directly by users, as users would use Helper classes to construct
objects.

I Helpers are a convenient way to congure nodes. However, you can still congure
nodes manually if you want more control.

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Example - Using PointToPointHelper
I To create a point-to-point link between
two nodes, we use
PointToPointHelper
I This installs a
NodeContainer nodes;
PointToPointNetDevice to nodes.Create (2);
nodes. It sets the data rate to 5 Mbps.
PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;
I It also creates a pointToPoint.SetDeviceAttribute ("DataRate", StringValue
PointToPointChannel object. It ,→ ("5Mbps"));
pointToPoint.SetChannelAttribute ("Delay", StringValue
sets the propagation delay to 2ms.
,→ ("2ms"));

NetDeviceContainer devices;
devices = pointToPoint.Install (nodes);

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Example - Setup IP Networking

I We use InternetStackHelper to
InternetStackHelper stack;
setup IP networking for a set of nodes. stack.Install (nodes);

I We use Ipv4AddressHelper to set up Ipv4AddressHelper address;

address.SetBase ("10.1.1.0", "255.255.255.0");
IPv4 addressing.
Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign
I We store the IP interfaces in a ,→ (devices);
Ipv4InterfaceContainer

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Example - Using UdpEchoServerHelper

I TheUdpEchoServerHelper is used
to install a
UdpEchoServer, which is a
C++ sub-class of ns3::Application, UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer (9999);
to node 1
ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install
I it listens on port number 9999. ,→ (nodes.Get (1));
I The application starts after 1 second serverApps.Start (Seconds (1.0));
serverApps.Stop (Seconds (10.0));
from the start of simulation.
I It stops after 10 seconds of start of
simulation.

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Example - Using UdpEchoClientHelper

I The UdpEchoServerHelper is used

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient (interfaces.GetAddress (1),
to install a
UdpEchoClient to node 0. ,→ 9999);
echoClient.SetAttribute ("MaxPackets", UintegerValue (1));
I Notice how we set certain attributes, echoClient.SetAttribute ("Interval", TimeValue
such as MaxPackets, Interval and ,→ (MicroSeconds(100)));
echoClient.SetAttribute ("PacketSize", UintegerValue
PacketSize ,→ (1024));
I These are used internally by an
ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install
ObjectFactory. ,→ (nodes.Get (0));
clientApps.Start (Seconds (2.0));
I The echo client uses the IP address of clientApps.Stop (Seconds (10.0));
node 1, and targets port number 9999

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Example - Lan
CsmaNetDevice

CsmaChannel
CsmaNetDevice PointToPointNetDevice PointToPointNetDevice
CsmaNetDevice PointToPointChannel

CsmaNetDevice

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Code
Get the code
https://github.com/addola/NS3-HelperScripts/tree/master/
examples/ThreeRouters

//For the first network

NodeContainer lan1_nodes;
//For the second network
NodeContainer lan2_nodes;
//for the nodes in the middle.
NodeContainer router_nodes;

lan1_nodes.Create (n1);
lan2_nodes.Create (n2);
router_nodes.Create (3);
//Add router 1 to LAN 1
lan1_nodes.Add (router_nodes.Get (0));

CsmaHelper csma1; //LAN 1 attributes

csma1.SetChannelAttribute ("DataRate", StringValue ("100Mbps"));
csma1.SetChannelAttribute ("Delay", TimeValue (NanoSeconds (6560)));
//Actually attaching CsmaNetDevice (Ethernet) to all LAN 1 nodes, including Router 1
NetDeviceContainer lan1Devices;
lan1Devices = csma1.Install (lan1_nodes);

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Code

//Doing the same for LAN 2: Router 3 is on LAN 2, so we add it to the node container
lan2_nodes.Add (router_nodes.Get (1));
CsmaHelper csma2;
csma2.SetChannelAttribute ("DataRate", StringValue ("100Mbps"));
csma2.SetChannelAttribute ("Delay", TimeValue (NanoSeconds (6560)));
//Actually install CsmaNetDevice to LAN 2, including Router 3
NetDeviceContainer lan2Devices;
lan2Devices = csma2.Install (lan2_nodes);

//Let's connect R1<-->R2 and R2<-->R3

PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;
pointToPoint.SetDeviceAttribute ("DataRate", StringValue ("10Mbps"));
pointToPoint.SetChannelAttribute ("Delay", StringValue ("2ms"));
//Install PointToPointNetDevice for R1 & R2
NetDeviceContainer firstHopLinkDevs;
firstHopLinkDevs = pointToPoint.Install (router_nodes.Get(0), router_nodes.Get(2));
//Install PointToPointNetDevice for R2 & R3
NetDeviceContainer secondHopLinkDevs;
secondHopLinkDevs = pointToPoint.Install (router_nodes.Get(2), router_nodes.Get(1));

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Code - Internet stack, and IP addresses
//Setting IP addresses.
InternetStackHelper stack;
stack.Install (lan1_nodes);
stack.Install (lan2_nodes);
//R1 & R3 are in LAN1 & LAN2, so they already have internet stack. R3 doesn't yet, so we install it to it.
stack.Install (router_nodes.Get(2));
//Setting IPv4 For LAN 1
address.SetBase ("10.1.1.0", "255.255.255.0");
Ipv4InterfaceContainer lan1interfaces;
lan1interfaces = address.Assign (lan1Devices);
//Setting IPv4 For LAN 2
address.SetBase ("10.1.2.0", "255.255.255.0");
Ipv4InterfaceContainer lan2interfaces;
lan2interfaces = address.Assign (lan2Devices);
//For PointToPoint
address.SetBase ("10.1.100.0", "255.255.255.0");
Ipv4InterfaceContainer routerInterfaces;
routerInterfaces = address.Assign (firstHopLinkDevs);

address.SetBase ("10.1.200.0", "255.255.255.0");

Ipv4InterfaceContainer routerInterfaces2;
routerInterfaces = address.Assign (secondHopLinkDevs);

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Code - Install applications, Populate Routing Tables
UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer (9);
ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install (lan2_nodes);
serverApps.Start (Seconds (0));
serverApps.Stop (Seconds (10));

//Let's create UdpEchoClients in all LAN1 nodes.

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient (lan2interfaces.GetAddress (0), 9);
echoClient.SetAttribute ("MaxPackets", UintegerValue (100));
echoClient.SetAttribute ("Interval", TimeValue (MilliSeconds (200)));
echoClient.SetAttribute ("PacketSize", UintegerValue (1024));

//We'll install UdpEchoClient on two nodes in lan1 nodes

NodeContainer clientNodes (lan1_nodes.Get(0), lan1_nodes.Get(1));

ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install (clientNodes);

clientApps.Start (Seconds (1));
clientApps.Stop (Seconds (10));

//For routers to be able to forward packets, they need to have routing rules.
Ipv4GlobalRoutingHelper::PopulateRoutingTables ();

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Code - Using helpers to enable tracing

//Enable packet capture (*.pcap) files

//use lan1 as a prefix
csma1.EnablePcap("lan1", lan1Devices);
//use lan2 as a prefix
csma2.EnablePcap("lan2", lan2Devices);
//use routers as prefix
pointToPoint.EnablePcapAll("routers");
//Enable ASCII-based tracing
pointToPoint.EnableAscii("ascii-p2p", router_nodes);

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ns-3 Smart Pointers
I ns-3 dene numerous C++ classes, with ns3::Object &
ns3::SimpleRefCount being the base class of most of them.
I This allows ns-3 to implement smart pointer functionalities, using ns3::Ptr<T>
I For a class that is a sub-class of ns3::Object, we can create objects using
CreateObject<T> function.
I For example, to create an object of type ns3::Node using its default (parameterless)
constructor the code will be:

Ptr<Node> node = CreateObject <Node> ();

I The Packet class does not inherit from ns3::Object. To create a Packet with a
payload of size 200 bytes (all zeros), we will use Create<T> function as follows.

Ptr<Packet> packet = Create <Packet> (200);

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 44 / 1

ns-3 Type cast & Copy operations
I ns-3 provides a way to perform type casting as well. For example, to cast from
NetDevice named devObj to WifiNetDevice, we do:

Ptr <NetDevice> dev = node_ptr->GetDevice (0);

Ptr <WifiNetDevice> wifi_dev = DynamicCast <WifiNetDevice> (dev);

I To copy an object, we will use the functions Copy & CopyObject depending on
whether the object we want to copy is of a type that is a subclass of ns3::Object

//for a class that is a sub-class of ns3::Object

Ptr <Node> copy_node = CopyObject (original_node);

//for a class that is a sub-class of ns3::SimpleRefCount

Ptr <Packet> pkt = Create <Packet> (200);
Ptr <Packet> pkt_copy = pkt->Copy ();

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 45 / 1

Scheduling an Event
#include "ns3/core-module.h"
using namespace ns3;
void MyFunction ()
{
std::cout << "Time: " << Now () << std::endl;
}
void ParameterFunction (int x, int y)
{
std::cout << "Time: " << Now() << " Result: " << (x*y) << std::endl;
}
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
CommandLine cmd;
cmd.Parse(argc, argv);
Simulator::Schedule(MilliSeconds(200), &MyFunction);
Simulator::Schedule(Seconds (3.5), &ParameterFunction, 2, 13);
Simulator::Stop (Seconds (20));
Simulator::Run();
Simulator::Destroy();
return 0;
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 46 / 1

Scheduling an Event - In another class
If you have a C++ class called MyClass

class MyClass : public ns3::Object You schedule events in main by using an

{
public: object to the class.
void Fun1 ();
void Fun2 (double value);
}; int main (int argc, char **argv)
{
void MyClass::Fun1 () //...
{ Ptr <MyClass> obj = Create<MyClass> ();
std::cout << Now () << " Fun1" << std::endl; Simulator::Schedule (Seconds (1.5), &MyClass::Fun1,
} ,→ obj);
Simulator::Schedule (Seconds (3.5), &MyClass::Fun2, obj,
void MyClass::Fun2 (double value) ,→ 33.1);
{ //...
std::cout << Now () << " Fun2: value=" << value << }
,→ std::endl;
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 47 / 1

ns-3 Implementation of reections

I Most
ns-3 C++ classes implement the functions GetTypeId &
GetInstanceTypeId
I In GetTypeId, the type is registered as ns3::TypeId, along with:
I Attributes. which are attributes of a given class. Attributes are inherited by subclasses.
I TraceSources. which represent an event that is triggered during the simulation. You can
connect them to a callback function to handle what happens when the event occurs.

I GetInstanceTypeId is used to inspect the run-time type of an object.

(Polymorphism in Object-Oriented Programming )

I We can use the Attributes and TraceSources using the Config namespace

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 48 / 1

Cong namespace

I The helper constructs a UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient (interfaces.GetAddress (1),

,→ 9999);
UdpEchoClient application, sets its
echoClient.SetAttribute ("MaxPackets", UintegerValue (1));
attributes, and install it at a node. echoClient.SetAttribute ("Interval", TimeValue
,→ (MicroSeconds(100)));
I Notice that we used string values echoClient.SetAttribute ("PacketSize", UintegerValue
,→ (1024));
MaxPackets, Interval and
PacketSize. ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install
,→ (nodes.Get (0));
I These string values corresponds to clientApps.Start (Seconds (2.0));
clientApps.Stop (Seconds (10.0));
attributes of the UdpEchoClient class.

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 49 / 1

Cong namespace - Attributes

I Let us say we want to change the packet size after the UdpEchoClient application
was created. We do this, as one would expect

Ptr<Node> n0 = nodes.Get (0);

//iterate through all applications in node 0
for (uint32_t i=0 ; i < n0->GetNApplications(); i++)
{
Ptr<Application> app_i = n0->GetApplication (i);
//Check if it's safe to perform type cast
if (app_i->GetInstanceTypeId () == UdpEchoClient::GetTypeId())
{
Ptr<UdpEchoClient> udp_cli = DynamicCast <UdpEchoClient> (app_i); //type cast
udp_cli->SetDataSize (512); //actually set the value.
}
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 50 / 1

Cong namespace - Change Attributes
I Instead of using a loop, we may use the Config namespace provided by ns-3 to set
attributes in fewer lines of code

Config::Set("/NodeList/*/ApplicationList/*/$ns3::UdpEchoClient/PacketSize", UintegerValue(512));

I The string is called path to an attribute.

I The rst asterisk means it will match all nodes in the global list of nodes, NodeList.
I If you look at the documentation for ns3::Node and the code node.cc, you will
notice that the function GetTypeId() denes some attributes
I ApplicationList a vector of applications installed in a node.
I DeviceList a vector of all devices installed in a node.

I The second asterisk means match all applications in a node, and the following
$ns3::UdpEchoClient specify the matching type.

I Finally, PacketSize is an attribute of $ns3::UdpEchoClient

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 51 / 1
Cong namespace - More Examples

I Change the delay of all PointToPointChannel objects to three seconds.

Config::Set("/ChannelList/*/$ns3::PointToPointChannel/Delay", TimeValue (Seconds (3)));

I ns-3 maintains a global list of all Channel objects in the simulation.

I Delay is an attribute in PointToPointChannel
I Another example to GetAttribute from an object pointer (without full path):

Ptr<UdpEchoClient> udp_client = DyanmicCast<UdpEchoClient> (clientApps.Get(0));

UintegerValue val;
udp_client->GetAttribute ("PacketSize", val);
std::cout << val.Get() << std::endl;

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 52 / 1

List of attributes - Doxygen

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 53 / 1

Attribute denition in GetTypeId()

TypeId
UdpClient::GetTypeId (void)
{
static TypeId tid = TypeId ("ns3::UdpClient")
.SetParent<Application> ()
.SetGroupName("Applications")
.AddConstructor<UdpClient> ()
.AddAttribute ("MaxPackets",
"The maximum number of packets the application will send",
UintegerValue (100),
MakeUintegerAccessor (&UdpClient::m_count),
MakeUintegerChecker<uint32_t> ())
.AddAttribute ("Interval",
"The time to wait between packets", TimeValue (Seconds (1.0)),
MakeTimeAccessor (&UdpClient::m_interval),
MakeTimeChecker ())
...

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 54 / 1

Cong namespace - TraceSources
I TraceSources causes a function with a specic signature to be called. The user can
write code to handle this event.
I They are accessible with a path string, however, we need to create a callback function
to handle the event.
I To gure out the signature of this callback, look at the source code in which the
TraceSource is dene

void ClientTx (std::string context, Ptr<const Packet> packet)

{
//what happens when UdpEchoClient start Tx
}
int main (int argc, char *argv[])
{
//...
Config::Connect ("/NodeList/*/ApplicationList/*/$ns3::UdpEchoClient/Tx", MakeCallback(&ClientTx));
//...
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 55 / 1

More examples
I When we use Connect, we are not specifying a context, so it must be the rst
argument of the callback.
I context string is the match for the regular expression (i.e. the path string).
I /NodeList/3/ApplicationList/0/$ns3::UdpEchoClient/Tx means that
application id 0 in node id 3 matched the call.
I If you have an pointer to an object of a given type, you can connect without context
and without the full path.

void ClientTx (Ptr<const Packet> packet) //notice no context string

{
//code to handle the event
}
int main (int argc, char *argv[])
{
//...
Ptr<UdpEchoClient> udp_client = DynamicCast <UdpEchoClient> (clientApps.Get(0));
udp_client->TraceConnectWithoutContext ("Tx", MakeCallback(&ClientTx));
//...
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 56 / 1

Cong namespace - TraceSources

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 57 / 1

Cong namespace - TraceSources
I Here's a snippet of
GetTypeId() function's code in
point-to-point-net-device.cc.
I MacTx is a TraceSource we would like to connect to.

...
.AddAttribute ("TxQueue",
"A queue to use as the transmit queue in the device.",
PointerValue (),
MakePointerAccessor (&PointToPointNetDevice::m_queue),
MakePointerChecker<Queue<Packet> > ())
.AddTraceSource ("MacTx",
"Trace source indicating a packet has arrived "
"for transmission by this device",
MakeTraceSourceAccessor (&PointToPointNetDevice::m_macTxTrace),
"ns3::Packet::TracedCallback")
...

I The signature of the callback function is specied by

PointToPointNetDevice::m_macTxTrace
Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 58 / 1
TraceSource - Callback signature

I For PointToPointNetDevice, check the le point-to-point-net-device.h,

and nd the line:

TracedCallback<Ptr<const Packet> > m_macTxTrace;

I We can see that the required signature is Ptr<const Packet>.

void MyTrace (Ptr<const Packet> p) { /*Config::ConnectWithoutContext*/}

void MyTrace (std::string context, Ptr<const Packet> p) { /*Config::Connect*/}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 59 / 1

Another Example
I Let's say we want to access the RxWithAddresses TraceSource in
UdpEchoClient. Check the code in udp-echo-client.cc

.AddTraceSource ("RxWithAddresses", "A packet has been received",

MakeTraceSourceAccessor (&UdpEchoClient::m_rxTraceWithAddresses),
"ns3::Packet::TwoAddressTracedCallback")

I Check the declaration for m_rxTraceWithAddresses in udp-echo.client.h

TracedCallback<Ptr<const Packet>, const Address &, const Address &> m_rxTraceWithAddresses;

I Create a callback function with matching signature, adding std::string context

if connecting with context.

void MyTrace (Ptr<const Packet> p, const Address& a, const Address& b) { /*Config::ConnectWithoutContext*/}

void MyTrace (std::string context, Ptr<const Packet> p, const Address& a, const Address& b) {
,→ /*Config::Connect*/}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 60 / 1

TraceSource - MacTx in PointToPointNetDevice

// Trace source to handle MacTx event

void MacTxTrace(std::string context, Ptr<const Packet> pkt)
{
std::cout << context << std::endl;
std::cout << "\tMacTX Size=" << pkt->GetSize() << "\t" << Simulator::Now() << std::endl;
}
int main (int argc, char **argv)
{
//... After creating the devices, connect to the trace source
Config::Connect ("/NodeList/*/DeviceList/*/$ns3::PointToPointNetDevice/MacTx", MakeCallback(&MacTxTrace))
//...
}

I context is the matching the regular expression used in Config::Connect

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 61 / 1

Failsafe function

I When using Config to use Attributes and TraceSources, a run-time error may occur
if it was improper.
I Usually, when the signiture of the callback function does not match the required
signiture.

I You can use SetAttributeFailSafe & GetAttributeFailSafe functions,

which return false if it failed to set/get the attribute.
I If you have ns-3.31, you can use ConnectFailSafe to connect to a TraceSource.
It will return false if it fails.

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 62 / 1

Logging

I You might have developed the habit of printing out to the terminal to inspect how
your code is working.
I It helps investigate whether certain code is reached.
I It can be used to print intermediary values.

I However, if you want stop printing you either have to remove the printing statements,
or commenting them out.
I It takes time!

I ns-3 provides a way to enable/disable print statement with its Logging functionality.

I ns-3 components can be dened as a log component for which printing can be
enabled & disabled on multiple levels.

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 63 / 1

Example

I Check out the code in ./src/examples/tutorial/first.cc, notice the two

lines:

LogComponentEnable ("UdpEchoClientApplication", LOG_LEVEL_INFO);

LogComponentEnable ("UdpEchoServerApplication", LOG_LEVEL_INFO);

which enables logging at the INFO level on these two components.

I Try to change LOG_LEVEL_INFO to LOG_LEVEL_ALL, then run it again. You will

notice that you are logging function calls in the two components.

I Enabling LOG_LEVEL_INFO also enables levels of higher severity such as

LOG_LEVEL_WARN and LOG_LEVEL_ERROR

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 64 / 1

Log level severity

Level Meaning

LOG_LEVEL_ERROR Only log LOG_ERROR severity

LOG_LEVEL_WARN Only log LOG_WARN severity and above
LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG Only log LOG_DEBUG severity and above
LOG_LEVEL_INFO Only log LOG_INFO severity and above
LOG_LEVEL_FUNCTION Only log LOG_FUNCTION severity and above
LOG_LEVEL_LOGIC Only log LOG_LOGIC severity and above
LOG_LEVEL_ALL All severity class.

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 65 / 1

Logging example
I Another way to enable logging is through the command-line. The following command
enables all logging levels for UdpEchoClientApplication

NS_LOG=UdpEchoClientApplication ./waf --run examples/tutorials/first

I We can enable logging a single log-level from the command line.

I Let's enable ALL on UdpEchoClientApplication.
I Let's also enable only INFO on UdpEchoServerApplication

NS_LOG="UdpEchoClientApplication:UdpEchoServerApplication=info" ./waf
,→ --run examples/tutorial/first

I When you enable logging from the command-line, you only enable the specied level.

I When no level is specied, the default level is all

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 66 / 1
Logging in your programs
I Save this le under
#include "ns3/core-module.h"
./scratch/TestLogging/test.cc using namespace ns3;
I Run it ./waf -run TestLog //define this file as a logging component.
NS_LOG_COMPONENT_DEFINE ("MyBeautifulProgram");
I Notice that you get WARN & ERROR, void PrintMe (int x, int y)
{
but not INFO NS_LOG_FUNCTION (x << y);

I Now comment out the statement that

}
int main (int argc, char *argv[])
enable logging, and instead, use the {
CommandLine cmd;
command-line cmd.Parse (argc, argv);
LogComponentEnable ("MyBeautifulProgram",
,→ LOG_LEVEL_WARN);
NS_LOG=MyBeautifulProgram=warn ./waf --run NS_LOG_UNCOND ("Will always be printed");
,→ TestLog NS_LOG_INFO ("This is an info message!");
NS_LOG_WARN ("This is a Warning message");
NS_LOG_ERROR ("This is an error messages");
I notice how this way only enabled logging
PrintMe (10,22);
return 0;
on the WARN level and not the higher }

level.
Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 67 / 1
Log prex
I ns-3 can add prexes to log messages. For example, adding the function name before
the log message. Let us say we want to enable all levels for our components, but we
want the node name as a prex.

NS_LOG="MyBeautifulProgram=all|func" ./waf --run TestProject

I Let's try level INFO on our ./src/examples/tutorial/first.cc from the

command line with some prexes.

NS_LOG="UdpEchoClientApplication=info|func:UdpEchoServerApplication=info|time" ./waf --run

,→ examples/tutorial/first

I The prex can be node, time, level or all. The all prex is the default.
I all prints out a prex of current simulation time (in seconds), followed by the node id
(if possible, or -1), then the function in which the log statement is, then the log level
followed by the log message

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 68 / 1

Log prex
I Finally, to appreciate the work done by ns-3 try enabling logging on all components
with the asterisk.

NS_LOG="*=info|all" ./waf --run examples/tutorial/first

I And even more details

NS_LOG="*=debug|all" ./waf --run examples/tutorial/first

I or every single log message:

NS_LOG="*=all|all" ./waf --run examples/tutorial/first

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 69 / 1

Visualization
I There are two types of visualization in ns-3.
I netanim which works oine on an XML le generated from your simulation. netanim
is a stand-alone application.
I Pyviz which works online, and uses python.
I You need to make sure that when you run ./waf configure that PyViz visualizer
is enabled. Otherwise, install the required dependencies.

I To make your simulation generate an XML le for netanim, add the lines

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

//...
Packet::EnableMetadata();
AnimationInterface anim ("animation_output.xml");
//...
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 70 / 1

Visualization
I To run your simulation with PyViz, make sure your main function uses
CommandLine because running in PyViz involves passing an argument:

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

//define default command-line arguments
CommandLine cmd;
//add some command-line arguments with cmd.AddValue
cmd.Parse (argc, argv);
}

I To run in PyViz, we pass -vis

./waf --run "SomeProgram" --vis

I If you need to pass arguments, you run it as

./waf --run "SomeProgram --n1=3 --n2=10" --vis

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 71 / 1

Example : UDP Socket
void ReceiveHandler(Ptr<Socket> socket) {
Ptr<Packet> packet;
Address from;
while ((packet = socket->RecvFrom(from)))
NS_LOG_INFO(Now () << "Socket Recv: Content: " << packet->ToString());
}
int main (int args, char **argv) {
//...
TypeId tid = TypeId::LookupByName("ns3::UdpSocketFactory");
Ptr<Socket> send_socket = Socket::CreateSocket(nodes.Get(0), tid);
Ptr<Socket> recv_socket = Socket::CreateSocket(nodes.Get(1), tid);
InetSocketAddress local = InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::GetAny(), port);
if (recv_socket->Bind(local) == -1)
NS_FATAL_ERROR("Failed to bind socket");
Ipv4Address destination = interfaces.GetAddress(1); //IP of node 1.
send_socket->Connect(InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address::ConvertFrom(destination), port));
//Handle reception at socket-level (packet will have no headers)
recv_socket->SetRecvCallback(MakeCallback(&ReceiveHandler));
//...
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 72 / 1

UDP Socket
void SendPacket (Ptr<Socket> socket, Ptr<Packet> packet) {
socket->Send(packet);
//send another packet after 1 second.
Simulator::Schedule (Seconds (1), &SendPacket, socket, packet);
}
void MacRxTrace(std::string context, Ptr<const Packet> packet) {
NS_LOG_INFO("MacRxTrace : " << packet->ToString());
}
int main (int args, char **argv) {
//...
//Enables packet->ToString() to give details about content
Packet::EnablePrinting ();
//Create and send a packet
Ptr<Packet> packet = Create <Packet> (512);
Simulator::Schedule (Seconds (2.0), &SendPacket, send_socket, packet);
//Handle reception at MAC level using Config
Config::Connect ("/NodeList/*/DeviceList/*/$ns3::PointToPointNetDevice/MacRx", MakeCallback (&MacRxTrace));
Simulator::Stop (Seconds(10));
Simulator::Run ();
Simulator::Destroy ();
return 0;
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 73 / 1

Application Example
#ifndef MY_UDP_APPLICATION_H
#define MY_UDP_APPLICATION_H
#include "ns3/socket.h"
#include "ns3/application.h"
using namespace ns3;
I Create a C++ class as a sub-class of class SimpleUdpApplication : public ns3::Application
{
ns3::Application public:
SimpleUdpApplication ();
I Override the StartApplication () virtual ~SimpleUdpApplication ();
function. Provide code to run when an
void SendPacket (Ptr<Packet> packet, Ipv4Address
application starts. ,→ destination, uint16_t port);
void ReceivePacket (Ptr<Socket> socket);
I From within the class, you have access private:
virtual void StartApplication ();
to the node with GetNode() function
Ptr<Socket> m_socket;
uint16_t m_port;
};
#endif

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 74 / 1

Adding application to node

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

// ...
Ptr <SimpleUdpApplication> udp0 = CreateObject <SimpleUdpApplication> ();
Ptr <SimpleUdpApplication> udp1 = CreateObject <SimpleUdpApplication> ();
//Set the start & stop times
udp0->SetStartTime (Seconds(0));
udp0->SetStopTime (Seconds (10));
udp1->SetStartTime (Seconds(0));
udp1->SetStopTime (Seconds (10));
//install one application at node 0, and the other at node 1
nodes.Get(0)->AddApplication (udp0);
nodes.Get(1)->AddApplication (udp1);
//This is the IP address of node 1
Ipv4Address dest_ip ("10.1.1.2");
//Schedule an event to send a packet of size 400 using udp0 targeting IP of node 0, and port 7777
Ptr <Packet> packet1 = Create <Packet> (400);
Simulator::Schedule (Seconds (1), &SimpleUdpApplication::SendPacket, udp0, packet1, dest_ip, 7777);
//...
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 75 / 1

Application example

I You can nd the complete example code on my github

https://github.com/addola/NS3-HelperScripts/tree/master/
examples/SimpleUdpAppExample

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 76 / 1

Creating custom packet tags
I Let us create a packet tag that carries the following information (attributes )
I node id. (uint32_t) the id of the node from which this tag originates.
I Time. (ns3::Time) the timestamp when this tag was created.
I Position. (ns3::Vector3D) The x, y, z coordinates of the node when this tag was
created.
I When you create a sub-class of ns3::Tag you need to create the following functions:
I uint32_t GetSerializedSize (void) const which should return the serialized
size of your tag. For this example, the serialized size will be the number of bytes needed
to represent node id, timestamp and position, or:

sizeof (uint32_t) + sizeof(ns3::Time) + sizeof (Vector3D)

I void Serialize (TagBuffer i) const convert the attributes to binary.

I void Deserialize (TagBuffer i) convert from binary and set the value of the
attributes.
I void Print (std::ostream &os) const output a string representation to output
stream. Used in ASCII traces.
Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 77 / 1
Creating custom packet tags
class CustomDataTag : public Tag {
public:
CustomDataTag();
static TypeId GetTypeId(void);
virtual TypeId GetInstanceTypeId(void) const;
//Functions inherited from ns3::Tag that you have to implement.
virtual uint32_t GetSerializedSize(void) const;
virtual void Serialize (TagBuffer i) const;
virtual void Deserialize (TagBuffer i);
virtual void Print (std::ostream & os) const;
//These are custom accessor & mutator functions
Vector GetPosition(void);
uint32_t GetNodeId();
Time GetTimestamp ();
void SetPosition (Vector pos);
void SetNodeId (uint32_t node_id);
void SetTimestamp (Time t);
private:
uint32_t m_nodeId;
Vector m_currentPosition;
Time m_timestamp;
};

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 78 / 1

Creating custom packet tags
uint32_t CustomDataTag::GetSerializedSize (void) const {
return sizeof(Vector) + sizeof (ns3::Time) + sizeof(uint32_t);
}
/** The order of how you do Serialize() should match the order of Deserialize() */
void CustomDataTag::Serialize (TagBuffer i) const {
i.WriteDouble(m_timestamp.GetDouble());
i.WriteDouble (m_currentPosition.x);
i.WriteDouble (m_currentPosition.y);
i.WriteDouble (m_currentPosition.z);
i.WriteU32(m_nodeId);
}
/** This function reads data from a buffer and store it in class's instance variables. */
void CustomDataTag::Deserialize (TagBuffer i){
m_timestamp = Time::FromDouble (i.ReadDouble(), Time::NS);
m_currentPosition.x = i.ReadDouble();
m_currentPosition.y = i.ReadDouble();
m_currentPosition.z = i.ReadDouble();
m_nodeId = i.ReadU32();
}
void CustomDataTag::Print (std::ostream &os) const {
os << "Custom Data --- Node :" << m_nodeId << "\t(" << m_timestamp << ")" << " Pos (" << m_currentPosition << ")";
}

Introduction to ns-3 Simulation Adil Alsuhaim 79 / 1