How to Start ISP Protocols Projects Using NS3

To start an Internet Service Provider (ISP) Protocol project using NS3 (Network Simulator 3) has contains to replicate how ISPs manage the networking protocols like routing, bandwidth allocation, Quality of Service (QoS), or traffic shaping. Below is a simple approach on how to start and simulate the ISP Protocols Projects in NS3:

Steps to Start ISP Protocols Projects in NS3

  1. Understand the Scope of Your Project
  • Define the ISP-related protocol:
    • Routing protocols: The routing protocols are BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), OSPF, and so on.
    • Bandwidth allocation: We assign the traffic shaping, QoS mechanisms, or congestion management.
    • Service-specific protocols: DNS, DHCP, etcetera.
  • Decide the objective:
    • Performance analysis: The performance parameters like latency, throughput, and packet loss.
    • Optimization: We optimize the bandwidth allocation or routing efficiency.
    • Security: DDoS protection and firewall executions.
  1. Set Up NS3
  • Download and install NS3:
    • We follow the installation instruction to download and install the NS3 environment.
    • Make sure we can execute the example scripts:

./waf –run scratch/test-example

  • Install additional modules if needed:
    • We can install the modules such as internet, point-to-point, and traffic-control are related for ISP-related projects.
  1. Plan Your ISP Network Topology
  • Choose the network structure:
    • Backbone routers, edge routers, and client devices.
    • It contains crucial metrics such as core routers, access points, or switches.
  • We need to find the type of traffic such as:
    • Real-time (VoIP, video streaming) vs. non-real-time (web browsing, file downloads).
  • To replicate the behaviour of ISP like:
    • Traffic shaping, load balancing, congestion control.
  1. Write the Simulation Script
  • Make ISP network to utilize routing and traffic control features of NS3.
  • Example Script: Simple ISP Setup

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/point-to-point-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

using namespace ns3;

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

// Create core and edge nodes

NodeContainer coreNodes, edgeNodes, clientNodes;

coreNodes.Create(2);  // Core network

edgeNodes.Create(2);  // Edge routers

clientNodes.Create(2); // Client devices

// Install internet stack

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install(coreNodes);

stack.Install(edgeNodes);

stack.Install(clientNodes);

// Create point-to-point links

PointToPointHelper p2p;

p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“1Gbps”));

p2p.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“10ms”));

// Connect core to edge nodes

NetDeviceContainer coreToEdge1 = p2p.Install(coreNodes.Get(0), edgeNodes.Get(0));

NetDeviceContainer coreToEdge2 = p2p.Install(coreNodes.Get(1), edgeNodes.Get(1));

// Connect edge nodes to clients

NetDeviceContainer edgeToClient1 = p2p.Install(edgeNodes.Get(0), clientNodes.Get(0));

NetDeviceContainer edgeToClient2 = p2p.Install(edgeNodes.Get(1), clientNodes.Get(1));

// Assign IP addresses

Ipv4AddressHelper ipv4;

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(coreToEdge1);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.2.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(coreToEdge2);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.3.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(edgeToClient1);

ipv4.SetBase(“10.1.4.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

ipv4.Assign(edgeToClient2);

// Create traffic (client to server)

uint16_t port = 9; // Discard port

Address serverAddress(InetSocketAddress(Ipv4Address(“10.1.1.1”), port));

UdpEchoServerHelper server(port);

ApplicationContainer serverApps = server.Install(coreNodes.Get(1));

serverApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper client(serverAddress, port);

client.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(1));

client.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(1.0)));

client.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));

ApplicationContainer clientApps = client.Install(clientNodes.Get(0));

clientApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));

clientApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

// Enable packet tracing

AsciiTraceHelper ascii;

p2p.EnableAsciiAll(ascii.CreateFileStream(“isp-simulation.tr”));

Simulator::Run();

Simulator::Destroy();

return 0;

}

  1. Implement ISP-Specific Protocol Logic
  • Prolong the replication to manage:
    • Routing: We execute the BGP, OSPF, or custom routing protocols.
    • QoS and traffic shaping: Execute queuing disciplines such as FIFO, RED, or DRR to utilize TrafficControlHelper module.
    • Load balancing: Deliver the traffic over several links.
  1. Performance Metrics
  • What to measure:
    • Throughput: We estimate how much information is sent.
    • Latency: Compute the end-to-end delay of packets.
    • Packet loss: Assess the reliability of network.
    • Bandwidth utilization: We need to measure ISP efficiency.
  • Tools to use:
    • Accumulate performance information to utilize the FlowMonitor or custom trace callbacks.
  1. Debugging and Testing
  • Enable logging:

export NS_LOG=UdpEchoClientApplication=level_all

./waf –run scratch/isp-simulation

  • Visualize traffic: Examine topology and traffic flows to utilize NetAnim or PyViz.
  1. Validate Results
  • We want to equate the performance of execution including real-world data or standard benchmarks.
  • Confirm versus existing protocols such as BGP or OSPF.

We had shown the simplified approach including relevant example snippets to start and simulate the ISP Protocols Projects in NS3 environment. We are ready to offer more innovative insights on this topic in upcoming guide.

If you want to get  an Internet Service Provider (ISP) Protocol project with the NS3 (Network Simulator 3) tool, you can count on the phdprojects.org team to help you every step of the way. We provide personalized support to make sure you get the best results and that everything is delivered on time. Our team is skilled in networking protocols such as routing, bandwidth allocation, Quality of Service (QoS), and traffic shaping, all customized to fit your research needs. We take a careful approach to ensure you understand everything clearly as we go along.