Birla Institute of Technology &Science, Pilani

Computer Networks (CS C 461 / IS C 461)

Second Semester 2012-2013
Lab Sheet (OPNET Network Simulator)









Network Simulation:
Computer networks are complex and intricate by nature; there are many complicated components
that need to be configured precisely for a network to function and enable successful
communication between devices.

When it comes to learning about network connectivity or planning to make changes on an
existing network, it is simply not feasible to experiment on the live devices which are running a
production network. Instead, tools such as network simulators or emulators need to be utilized.
A network simulator can create a virtual environment that mimics an actual network, complete
with servers, routers, switches and nodes, without having to buy expensive equipment to practice
and hone skills on.

A network emulator or simulator is usually a software program installed on a PC, although there
are some hardware versions as well. The program contains a variety of topological and device
options for the user to choose from, and using the program they can construct a network which
resides entirely within the program itself, yet mirrors what a real, functional network would
contain.

From the program, the user can then configure and virtually connect all the devices, creating a
functional virtual network. The devices within the program are designed to act exactly like their
real-world counterparts and these programs effectively behave the same way as real networks.
The simulation programs are designed to predict real network behavior and interactions between
the virtual devices.

Examples: OPNET, NS-2, GNS-3, OMNET++, NetSim etc..,


OPNET Network Simulator:
This lab teaches you the basics of using OPNET IT Guru Academic Edition. OPNET IT Guru
Academic Edition enables students to better understand the core concepts of networking and
Equips them to effectively troubleshoot and manage real-world network infrastructures.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to Network Simulation
OPNET Network Simulator
Download OPNET
Activate OPNET
Shared Ethernet Example
OPNETs IT Guru provides a virtual network environment that models the behavior of your
entire network, including its routers, switches, protocols, servers, and individual applications.
By working in the virtual network environment, IT managers, network and system planners,
and operations staffs are empowered to diagnose difficult problems more effectively, validate
changes before they are implemented, and plan for future scenarios.


How to register and download OPNET
1. Go to http://www.opnet.com/university_program/itguru_academic_edition/
You have to download a new version even if youve downloaded it before.)

2. If youve already had an account, go to 4.

3. If you dont have an account yet, please click. Fill up the form and submit. You will get your
account and password through your email address.

4. If youve already had an account, please click on the right side of the page
http://www.opnet.com/university_program/itguru_academic_edition/
Or you can go to the download page directly by entering
http://www.opnet.com/itguru-academic/download.html

5. Enter the username and password youve already got. Read the system requirement carefully
and click the button below. Click I agree on the next page.
Start to download and wait a few minutes.


Step-by-step process for activating IT Guru Academic Edition
When you run IT Guru Academic Edition for the first time, its license needs to be activated. By
following these steps you should be able to complete the activation process.
In the following process you will need to switch between your web browser and IT Guru
Academic Edition.
Step 1.
Start IT Guru Academic
Edition


Step 2.
Click on License
Management


Step 3.
Click on Next





Step 4.
Enter User Name and
Password into the prompt
dialog displayed by your
web browser, and click OK





Step 5.
In IT Guru Academic
Edition, click on Copy to
Clipboard

Step 6.
In your web browser, paste
the License Request Code
Step 7.
Click on Submit





Step 8.
In your web browser, copy
the Approval Code to the
clipboard



Step 9.
In IT Guru Academic
Edition, click on Next





Step 10.
In IT Guru Academic
Edition, click on Paste
from Clipboard
Step 11.
Click on Next





Step 12.
Click on Close




Step 13.
Restart IT Guru Academic
Edition








Shared Ethernet Network
In a shared Ethernet network, end systems are typically connected together using a hub. The hub
retransmits any incoming frames on all outgoing lines creating a single broadcast domain for all
the devices. Within this domain, the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
(CSMA/CD) MAC protocol is used to determine which node may transmit at any given time and
to resolve collisions if two or more nodes transmit at the same time.

Objective
To determine the throughput of a shared Ethernet network under load.

Build the Simulation Model
Start up OPNET IT Guru Academic Edition.

Select the File tab => New...
Choose Project and click on OK.
Change the Project Name to Shared_Ethernet. Change the Scenario Name to Low_Load, and
click on OK.
In the Initial Topology window, select Create Empty Scenario and click on Next.
In the Choose Network Scale window, select Office and click on Next.
In the Specify Size window, leave the parameters unchanged and click on Next.
In the Select Technologies window, scroll down and include the ethernet and links model
families, and click on Next.
In the Review window, click on OK.



First, we will build a LAN in which the workstations are connected together with an Ethernet
hub. An easy way to create a network with a large number of nodes in OPNET is to use the
Rapid Configuration tool.

Select the Topology tab => Rapid Configuration. Set the Configuration to Star and click on
OK. Set the Center Node Model to ethernet16_hub. Set the Periphery Node Model to
ethernet_station. Set the Link Model to 10BaseT. Set the Number to 12, and click on OK to
create the LAN.





Right click on the hub (the device at the center of the star) and choose View Node Description.
This device can support up to 16 Ethernet links at 10, 100, or 1000 Mbps. Note that the
processing time within the dev ice is considered to be zero, and that the hub retransmits
incoming frames on all outgoing lines. Click on the close window icon to close the window.
Right click on the hub and select Set Name. Set the Name to Hub. Click on OK to close the
window.

Right click on one of the Ethernet stations and choose View Node Description. This device
generates and receives Ethernet frames at configurable rates. Note that collision detection and
resolution is handled by the hub. Click on the close window icon to close the window.

Now we need to set up the traffic patterns for the Ethernet stations. Right click on any of the
stations and choose Select Similar Nodes. Next, right click on one of the stations and choose
Edit Attributes. Put a check in the checkbox next to Apply Changes to Selected Objects.
Expand the Traffic Generation Parameters and Packet Generation Arguments attributes. Set
the ON State Time to constant(1000), and the OFF State Time to constant(0). This will ensure
that the stations are always sending.

Set the Interarrival Time (seconds) to exponential(0.004) and the Packet Size (bytes) to
constant(100). Click on OK to apply the changes and close the window. Each station will now
generate traffic at an average rate of one 100-byte packet every 4 milliseconds.

You can calculate the average traffic that each node will generate from the interarrival time and
the packet size.

For instance
100 bytes/packet * 8 bits/byte * 1 packet/0.004 sec = 200 Kbps






We are now done building the LAN model.






Configure the Simulation
Select the Simulation tab => Choose Individual Statistics
Expand the Global Statistics item and the Ethernet item, and select the Delay (sec) statistic.
Expand the Traffic Sink item and select the Traffic Received (bits/sec) statistic. Expand the
Traffic Source item and select the Traffic Sent (bits/sec) statistic.
Expand the Node Statistics item and the Ethernet item, and select the Collision Count, Load
(bits/sec), Traffic Forwarded (bits/sec), Traffic Received (bits/sec), and Utilization statistics.
Click on OK to close the window.






Select Simulation => Configure Discrete Event Simulation
Under the Common tab, modify the Duration to 20 and the unit to second(s).
Click on OK to close the window.






Duplicate the Scenario
Let us build another scenario in which each Ethernet station generates much more traffic. This
will allow us to compare the performance of the LAN under different conditions.

Choose Scenarios => Duplicate Scenario and name the new scenario High_Load. Click on OK
to create the scenario.

Right click on any of the stations and choose Select Similar Nodes. Next, right click on one of
the stations and choose Edit Attributes. Put a check in the checkbox next to Apply Changes to
Selected Objects. Expand the Traffic Generation Parameters and Packet Generation
Arguments attributes. Set the Interarrival Time (seconds) to exponential(0.001). Click on OK
to apply the changes and close the window. Note that a shorter interarrival time means that
packets will be generated more frequently.

Run the Simulation
Select the Scenarios tab => Manage Scenarios
Edit the Results field in both rows and set the values to <collect> or <recollect>.
Click on OK to run both scenarios (one after the other).
When the simulation has completed, click on Close to close the window.





Inspect and Analyze Results
Select the Scenarios tab => Switch to Scenario and choose the Low_Load scenario.
Select the Results tab => View Results

Select and expand the Global Statistics item and the Traffic Source item. Next, select the
Traffic Sent (bits/sec) statistic. Also, expand the Traffic Sink item and select the Traffic
Received (bits/sec) statistic. View all statistics in this lab exercise using As Is mode. For this
level of load, the received bit rate is approximately equal to the sent bit rate. Click on the Traffic
Sent (bits/sec) and Traffic Received (bits/sec) statistics again to disable the preview. Note that
you may always click on Show for a more detailed graph than the preview provides. Click on
Close to close the View Results window.






We will now examine the same statistics for the High_Load scenario. Repeat the previous steps
including switching to the High_Load scenario, viewing results, and selecting statistics to view.
In this case, you can see that much more traffic was sent than was received. The hub has become
overloaded and cannot deliver all the traffic that it receives. Click on Close to close the View
Results window.





Let us compare results generated by the two scenarios.

Select the Results tab => Compare Results

Select and expand the Object Statistics item, the Office Network item, the node_0 item, and
the Ethernet item. Select the Load (bits/sec) statistic and view in As Is mode. Click on Show
for a more detailed graph. This statistic shows how much traffic was generated by this device.
The measured values should approximately match the calculations we made earlier using the
configuration parameters. Again, for the Low_Load scenario, 100 bytes/packet * 8 bits/byte * 1
packet/0.004 sec = 200 Kbps load per station. You may do a similar calculation for the
High_Load scenario. Click on the close window icon and choose to Delete the panel to close the
window. Click on the Load (bits/sec) statistic again to disable the preview.






Discrepancies between the send and receive rates can be accounted for by inspecting the
Collision Count statistic. Expand the Hub and the Ethernet items. Select the Collision Count
statistic. Click on Show for a more detailed graph. Some of the packets that were sent collided
and required retransmissions, reducing the throughput. This is true of both scenarios, but the
High_Load scenario generated far more collisions. Click on the close window icon and Delete
the panel. Click on the statistic again to disable the preview.







The hubs utilization can be viewed by selecting the Utilization statistic. Click on Show for a
more detailed graph. The utilization essentially describes what percentage of the networks
capacity is being used. Since 10BaseT links were used to connect the hub to the Ethernet
stations, the capacity is 10 Mbps. You can see that the High_Load scenario traffic utilized a
great deal more of the hubs capacity than the Low_Load scenario traffic. Click on the close
window icon and Delete the panel. Click on the Utilization statistic again to disable the preview.






Lastly, expand the Global Statistics item and the Ethernet item, and select the Delay (sec)
statistic. Click on Show for a more detailed graph. This statistic shows the delay experienced by
all packets which have been successfully delivered. You can see that the delay is fairly consistent
in the Low-Load scenario, but that the high level of traffic causes growing delays in the
High_Load scenario. Click on the close window icon and Delete the panel. Click on Close to
close the Compare Results window.





Save your model and close all windows.

Questions
1. Create several duplicate scenarios and modify the interarrival times for all the Ethernet
stations to 0.0008, 0.002, 0.003, 0.005, and 0.006, respectively. Rerun the simulation, and
record the Traffic Received (bits/sec) statistic for each scenario. Using a spreadsheet, plot
the values, (together with the results you found in the preceding scenarios using interarrival
times of 0.001 and 0.004). Find the interarrival time for which the maximum throughput is
achieved. Calculate the offered load that corresponds to this interarrival time. Why does the
throughput stop increasing even when the load is increased further?

2. Rerun the simulation using the same interarrival times in Question 1. For each run, record the
utilization and Traffic Received (bits/sec). Plot the values using a spreadsheet. How are the
two statistics related? Why cant the system reach 100% utilization?

3. Some interactive applications require very short delay. Excessive load and resulting
collisions can increase delay significantly. Modify the interarrival time and rerun the
simulation to determine the minimum interarrival time and corresponding per-node load if
the delay must be 0.005 second or less.

4. Modify the interarrival time and rerun the simulation to determine how large the interarrival
time must be in order for the number of collisions per second to become negligible (less than
10 per second). What is the pernode load that corresponds to the interarrival time you found?

5. Under high loads, shared Ethernet LANs tend to perform poorly. Examine the Delay statistic
for the High_Load scenario again. How does the delay experienced by packets change over
the run of the simulation? Why does this behavior occur? What will happen to the delay if
the load continues at the same level?