How to Start 5G Network Slicing Projects Using NS2

To start a 5G Network Slicing project in NS2 that requires designing the network slicing concept within a 5G environment in which the network is splitted to several logical networks (slices), which can be offered customized services individually to various use cases like ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC).

While NS2 doesn’t inherently support 5G networks slicing then we can execute this aspect or adjust existing tools for replicating the core concepts of 5G. Following is a sequential method to getting start with a 5G Network Slicing project in NS2.

Key Concepts of Network Slicing in 5G:

  • Network Slice: A logical, virtualized network customized for a certain service or application.
  • Slicing Requirements: Every single slice contains various characteristics like bandwidth, latency, reliability, and so on.
  • Orchestration: 5G network slicing needs a mechanism for handling and assigning network resources depends on the user needs for each slice.

Steps to Start a 5G Network Slicing Project in NS2

  1. Install NS2 and Prerequisites

Make sure that we have installed the NS2 on the machine. Unless, we adhere to the instructions below:

For Linux:

sudo apt-get install ns2

For Windows or macOS, we could utilise Cygwin (on Windows) or package managers such as Homebrew for macOS.

When NS2 is installed then confirm the installation by executing a basic NS2 simulation script.

  1. Understand Network Slicing and its Components

We must know the basic architecture of 5G and network slicing before executing the network slicing in NS2:

  • Core Network: It includes a collection of virtualized slices.
  • RAN (Radio Access Network): The radio network, which associates the users to the core network. We can replicate several RAN sets up based on the needs of slice.
  • Orchestration: To manage the resources and slices through the network. It normally contains to handle data flow and quality of service (QoS) within the slices.
  1. Extend NS2 to Simulate Network Slicing

While NS2 doesn’t directly support for 5G or network slicing, we will need to replicate the slices by means of making many logical networks including diverse configurations and characteristics for each slice. We can design the following modules:

  1. Network Slices: Make virtual networks for various slices.
  2. Slice-specific Resources: Every single slice will contain their individual bandwidth, latency, and QoS metrics.
  3. Controller/Orchestrator: We can make a mechanism for handling the allocation of resources through slices. It might be done with the support of a centralized control model within NS2.

Example:

We will want to describe three slices for eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC including various features for a basic 5G network slice simulation.

# Create the simulator

set ns [new Simulator]

# Create network nodes (representing slices)

set node1 [$ns node]   ;# eMBB slice

set node2 [$ns node]   ;# URLLC slice

set node3 [$ns node]   ;# mMTC slice

# Define different QoS characteristics for each slice

# eMBB slice – high bandwidth

$ns duplex-link $node1 $node2 50Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $node1 $node3 50Mb 10ms DropTail

# URLLC slice – low latency, high reliability

$ns duplex-link $node2 $node1 10Mb 1ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $node2 $node3 10Mb 1ms DropTail

# mMTC slice – low bandwidth, massive connectivity

$ns duplex-link $node3 $node1 1Mb 100ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $node3 $node2 1Mb 100ms DropTail

In this case:

  • Node 1 denotes the eMBB slice that contains a high bandwidth requirement.
  • Node 2 specifies the URLLC slice, which requires the low latency.
  • Node 3 acts for mMTC slice that has a massive amount of connections however at low bandwidth.

Every single slice contains diverse link characteristics such as bandwidth and latency that are crucial for replicating the 5G network slicing.

  1. Define Traffic and QoS for Each Slice

When the slices are made then we can design the features of traffic for each slice:

  • eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) normally have high bandwidth and medium latency.
  • URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications) needs very low latency including high reliability.
  • mMTC (Massive Machine-Type Communications) requires low bandwidth however it can support a massive amount of connections.

Example: Traffic for eMBB

# Create CBR traffic for eMBB slice

set cbr1 [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$cbr1 attach-agent $node1

$ns at 1.0 “$cbr1 start”

$ns at 5.0 “$cbr1 stop”

Example: Traffic for URLLC

# Create FTP traffic for URLLC slice with low delay

set ftp1 [new Application/FTP]

$ftp1 attach-agent $node2

$ns at 1.0 “$ftp1 start”

$ns at 5.0 “$ftp1 stop”

Example: Traffic for mMTC

# Create Constant Bit Rate (CBR) traffic for mMTC slice with low bandwidth

set cbr2 [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$cbr2 attach-agent $node3

$ns at 1.0 “$cbr2 start”

$ns at 5.0 “$cbr2 stop”

This method, we can replicate the various traffic models depends on the corresponding slice’s service requirements for each slice.

  1. Simulating Orchestration and Dynamic Resource Allocation

Network slicing orchestration is an essential module to handle the resources in a 5G network. It can be replicated to utilise a centralized controller, which handles the flow among slices and dynamically assigns network resources depends on the traffic conditions and user requirements in NS2.

  • Execute a controller, which handles the flow among slices by way of modifying the metrics such as bandwidth, latency, and quality of service.
  • The controller can be modified routing or give precedence to traffic according to the slice-specific requirements.

Example of a basic controller logic:

# Simulate network slicing controller behavior

proc orchestrate {} {

# Allocate resources dynamically

global ns node1 node2 node3

# Dynamically adjust slice bandwidth based on demand

$ns duplex-link $node1 $node2 40Mb 10ms DropTail  ;# Adjust bandwidth for eMBB

$ns duplex-link $node2 $node1 10Mb 2ms DropTail    ;# Adjust latency for URLLC

}

# Call the orchestrate function at a given time

$ns at 3.0 “orchestrate”

  1. Simulate Mobility and Network Slice Management

Mobility is essential in a 5G network. When users transfer then the resources is assigned to slices could modify. To replicate the mobility making mobile nodes, which need to transfer among the slices.

We will want to execute the mobility to utilise a mobility model, which modifies the users’ position and dynamically modernizes its slice allocation depends on their movement.

Example of simple mobility:

# Create mobile node for the user

set mobileNode [$ns node]

$mobileNode random-motion

  1. Monitor and Collect Results

When the simulation is configured then we execute the simulation and collect the performance parameters like:

  • Throughput per slice
  • Latency for each slice
  • Packet loss and QoS metrics
  • Resource allocation efficiency for each slice

We can examine these parameters to utilise NS2’s built-in tools such as trace files and AWK scripts to analyse the output.

awk ‘{if ($1 == “r”) print $0}’ 5g_network_slicing.tr | awk ‘{total+=1} END {print total}’

  1. Extend and Optimize the Simulation

When basic simulation executing then we need to prolong it by:

  • Replicating additional slices including various configurations.
  • Executing dynamic orchestration that adjusts to modifying the traffic and network conditions.
  • Launching network failures and load balancing through the slices.
  • According to the various algorithms or strategies (e.g., maximizing throughput or minimizing latency), enhancing the resource allocation Conclusion

Starting a 5G network slicing project in NS2:

  1. Make network slices by means of replicating several logical networks including diverse features like bandwidth, latency for each slice.
  2. Describe the traffic depends on their needs such as eMBB, URLLC, mMTC for each slice.
  3. Execute a centralized controller for dynamically handling resources and arrange the allocation of resources through slices.
  4. Replicate mobility and modernize the slice assignment actively depends on the movement of users.
  5. Observe and examine the performance parameters like throughput, latency, and QoS for each slice.

Since NS2 doesn’t have direct support for 5G network slicing, by tailoring their modules then we need to construct the simulation, which designs 5G slicing including diverse stages of complexity.

Through this manual, you comprehend the comprehensive simulation strategy for replicating and analysing the 5G Network Slicing Projects using NS2 simulation environment. Also, we will deliver the elaborated details regarding this topic in upcoming manual.