How to Start Network Function Virtualization Projects using NS2

To stimulate a Network Function Virtualization (NFV) projects using NS2 has includes the replicating virtualized network functions (VNFs) and their orchestration in a networking environment. Though NS2 is not specifically created for NFV, its extensibility permits us to design and replicate the NFV concepts by certain alterations.

Here’s how you can start an NFV project using NS2:

Steps to Start Network Function Virtualization Projects using NS2

  1. Understand NFV Concepts

Before executing the NFV in NS2, enable you are familiar through:

  • Virtual Network Functions (VNFs): It includes the Firewalls, load balancers, intrusion detection systems, etc., which process as the software rather than hardware.
  • NFV Infrastructure (NFVI): The NFV infrastructure such as Servers, storage, and networking resources for VNFs.
  • NFV Orchestration: Organization and orchestration (MANO) of VNFs to improve the resource consumption and performance.
  1. Set up NS2
  • Install NS2 on your system:
    • Linux: Preferred for compatibility and performance.
    • Windows: Use the windows in Cygwin for running NS2.
    • Download NS2: NS2 Official Website.
  • Validate the installation through process for simple replication to assure the environment is functional.
  1. Define Your NFV Project

Classify the objectives and scope:

  • Focus Area: The NFV concentrate the resource allocation, service chaining, orchestration, or performance estimation.
  • VNFs to Simulate: Firewall, NAT, caching, or any custom VNF for replicate the VNF.
  • Performance Metrics: It includes the performance of parameter metrices Latency, throughput, resource utilization, etc.
  1. Extend NS2 for NFV

NS2 does not natively help NFV, so we will require extending its abilities:

  1. Virtualization Layer:
    • Virtualization Layer replicates the VNFs as application-layer entities or nodes.
    • Allocate the resource constraints to VNFs such as CPU, memory, bandwidth.
  2. Service Chaining:
    • Express the sequence for VNFs which packets required are passing through.
    • Adjust the NS2’s routing mechanism to execute the service chaining logic.
  3. Orchestration:
    • Apply the orchestrator to dynamically assign the VNFs and handle the resources.
  1. Design the Simulation

Enhance the topology and parameters for the replication of model:

  • Network Topology:
    • State the physical nodes such as servers and virtual nodes (VNFs).
    • Setting the connection among VNFs for service chaining.
  • Traffic Pattern:
    • The congestion is replicate which needs the precise VNFs such as HTTP traffic needing load balancing.
  1. Write TCL Script

Improve the TCL script we replicate the NFV environment:

  • Create Nodes:
    • The Physical nodes and virtual nodes are classifying the VNFs.
  • Configure Links:
    • Describe the connection among nodes by bandwidth and delay constraints.
  • Traffic Flows:
    • The congestion creates which necessary the specific VNFs.

Example:

# Create simulator

set ns [new Simulator]

set nf [open out.nam w]

$ns namtrace-all $nf

# Create physical nodes

set server1 [$ns node]

set server2 [$ns node]

# Create VNFs as virtual nodes

set vnf1 [$ns node]

set vnf2 [$ns node]

# Define links

$ns duplex-link $server1 $vnf1 100Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $vnf1 $vnf2 50Mb 5ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $vnf2 $server2 100Mb 10ms DropTail

# Generate traffic

set tcp [new Agent/TCP]

$ns attach-agent $server1 $tcp

set sink [new Agent/TCPSink]

$ns attach-agent $server2 $sink

$ns connect $tcp $sink

# Start simulation

$ns at 0.1 “$tcp send”

$ns at 5.0 “finish”

  1. Implement NFV-Specific Features
  1. Dynamic Resource Allocation:
    • Adjust the VNFs’ resource consumption during the replication for implement to the resource scaling.
    • Load balancing are replicate through the redirecting congestion among VNFs.
  2. Service Function Chaining (SFC):
    • Generate a sequence for VNFs for sample firewall → load balancer → IDS.
    • Modify the routing to enforce the congestion path by these VNFs.
  3. Orchestration:
    • Improve the logic to dynamically deploy or VNFs are terminating terms on the congestion designs.
  1. Run the Simulation
  • Process the TCL script:

ns your_script.tcl

  • Examine the replication using trace files and NAM (Network Animator) for envision.
  1. Analyze Performance

Focus on performance metrics such as:

  • Latency: The Time taken for packets we traverse the VNFs.
  • Throughput: Data successfully processed through VNFs.
  • Resource Utilization: They utilized their resource calculate the CPU, memory, and bandwidth consumption.
  1. Extend and Optimize
  • Custom VNFs: Apply the VNFs by precise behaviors in NS2’s C++ core.
  • Dynamic Scaling: Replicate the auto-scaling VNFs according to the traffic loads.
  • Energy Efficiency: The energy contains the design and study the energy usage of VNFs.

Example Use Cases

  1. Dynamic VNF Placement: Examine the effect of employ the VNFs in various places for latency and throughput.
  2. Service Chaining Optimization: Enhance the path for congestion through VNFs to decrease the delays.
  3. Resource Allocation Algorithms: Execute the procedure for dynamic resource allocation in NFVI.
  4. QoS-Aware NFV: QoS-aware replicates the scheduling and resource management for VNFs.

Through this procedure, we had successfully delivered the complete procedure to simulate the network function virtualization with the help of ns2 tool. If more queries arise, we will explain the using another manual.