AODV Simulator Performance: Comparing NS3, OMNeT++, and MATLAB

Setting up an Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing simulator allows you to analyze and test wireless mesh and mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). This guide walks you through installing and configuring NS-3 (Network Simulator 3), the industry standard for simulating AODV protocols. Prerequisites and System Preparation

Before installing the simulator, you need a compatible environment. Linux distributions like Ubuntu are highly recommended for network simulation tools.

Update Your System: Open your terminal and update your package lists. sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y Use code with caution.

Install Core Dependencies: Download the necessary compilers, Python libraries, and build tools required by NS-3.

sudo apt install g++ python3 cmake ninja-build git checkinstall focal -y Use code with caution. Downloading and Building NS-3

NS-3 contains built-in modules for the AODV routing protocol, making it the most reliable environment for your simulation. Download NS-3: Clone the latest stable release repository. git clone https://gitlab.com cd ns-3-dev Use code with caution.

Configure the Build: Use CMake to configure the build workspace with examples and tests enabled. ./ns3 configure –enable-examples –enable-tests Use code with caution.

Compile the Framework: Build the simulator using the Ninja build system. ./ns3 build Use code with caution. Writing Your First AODV Simulation Script

Now that the simulator framework is ready, you need to create a script that defines your network nodes, mobility models, and the AODV routing protocol.

Create a Script File: Create a new C++ file inside the scratch directory. nano scratch/aodv-sim.cc Use code with caution.

Include Necessary Headers: Paste the required NS-3 modules at the top of your file.

#include “ns3/core-module.h” #include “ns3/network-module.h” #include “ns3/mobility-module.h” #include “ns3/aodv-module.h” #include “ns3/internet-module.h” #include “ns3/yans-wifi-helper.h” Use code with caution.

Define Node Topology: Inside your main function, create a container for your network nodes.

using namespace ns3; int main (int argc, charargv[]) { NodeContainer nodes; nodes.Create (10); // Creates 10 mobile nodes Use code with caution.

Configure Wireless Physical Layer: Set up the Wi-Fi standard and channel types for ad-hoc communication.

YansWifiChannelHelper channel = YansWifiChannelHelper::Default (); YansWifiPhyHelper phy; phy.SetChannel (channel.Create ()); WifiMacHelper mac; mac.SetType (“ns3::AdhocWifiMac”); NetDeviceContainer devices = WifiHelper::Default ().Install (phy, mac, nodes); Use code with caution.

Install AODV and Internet Stack: Bind the AODV routing protocol to your network nodes.

AodvHelper aodv; InternetStackHelper stack; stack.SetRoutingHelper (aodv); stack.Install (nodes); Ipv4AddressHelper address; address.SetBase (“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”); Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign (devices); Use code with caution.

Set Node Mobility: Assign a mobility model so nodes move dynamically during the simulation.

MobilityHelper mobility; mobility.SetPositionAllocator (“ns3::GridPositionAllocator”, “MinX”, DoubleValue (0.0), “MinY”, DoubleValue (0.0), “DeltaX”, DoubleValue (5.0), “DeltaY”, DoubleValue (5.0), “GridWidth”, UintegerValue (3), “LayoutType”, StringValue (“RowFirst”)); mobility.SetMobilityModel (“ns3::ConstantVelocityMobilityModel”); mobility.Install (nodes); Use code with caution.

Run the Simulation: Stop the simulation execution after 10 seconds.

Simulator::Stop (Seconds (10.0)); Simulator::Run (); Simulator::Destroy (); return 0; } Use code with caution. Running and Analyzing the Simulation

Execute the Code: Run your scratch script using the native NS-3 interface. ./ns3 run scratch/aodv-sim Use code with caution.

Enable PCAP Tracing: To analyze network packets, add this line right before Simulator::Run() in your script: phy.EnablePcapAll (“aodv-packets”); Use code with caution.

Analyze Results: Open the newly generated .pcap files in Wireshark to observe AODV Route Requests (RREQ) and Route Replies (RREP). If you want to tailor this environment, please let me know:

What specific network metric do you want to measure (e.g., throughput, delay, packet delivery ratio)?

Do you prefer to visualize the nodes using a GUI like NetAnim?