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{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2023}}
In [[computer network]] research, '''network simulation''' is a technique whereby a software program replicates the behavior of a real network. This is achieved by calculating the interactions between the different network entities such as routers, switches, nodes, access points, links, etc. Most simulators use discrete event simulation in which the modeling of systems in which state variables change at discrete points in time. The behavior of the network and the various applications and services it supports can then be observed in a test lab; various attributes of the environment can also be modified in a controlled manner to assess how the network/protocols would behave under different conditions.▼
▲In [[computer network]] research, '''network simulation''' is a technique whereby a software program replicates the behavior of a real network. This is achieved by calculating the interactions between the different network entities such as routers, switches, nodes, access points, links, etc.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wehrle |first1=Klaus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CvUvxpSe8NoC&dq=%22Network+simulation%22&pg=PA49 |title=Modeling and Tools for Network Simulation |last2=Günes |first2=Mesut |last3=Gross |first3=James |date=2010-09-22 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-642-12331-3 |language=en}}</ref> Most simulators use discrete event simulation in which the modeling of systems in which state variables change at discrete points in time. The behavior of the network and the various applications and services it supports can then be observed in a test lab; various attributes of the environment can also be modified in a controlled manner to assess how the network/protocols would behave under different conditions.
==Network simulator==
A '''network simulator''' is a [[software]] program that can predict the performance of a computer network or a wireless communication network. Since communication networks have become too complex for traditional analytical methods to provide an accurate understanding of system behavior, network simulators are used. In simulators, the computer network is modeled with devices, links, applications, etc., and the network performance is reported. Simulators come with support for the most popular technologies and networks in use today such as [[5G]], [[Internet of Things]] (IoT), [[Wireless LAN]]s, [[mobile ad hoc network]]s, [[wireless sensor network]]s, [[vehicular ad hoc network]]s, [[Cognitive Radio Networks|cognitive radio networks]], [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]]
==Simulations==
Most of the commercial [[Simulation|simulators]] are [[GUI]] driven, while some network simulators are [[Command-line interface|CLI]] driven. The network model/configuration describes the network (nodes, routers, switches, links) and the events (data transmissions, packet error, etc.). Output results would include network-level metrics, link metrics, device metrics etc. Further, drill down in terms of simulations [[tracing (software)|trace]] files would also be available. Trace files log every packet, every event that occurred in the simulation and is used for analysis. Most network simulators use [[discrete event simulation]], in which a list of pending "events" is stored, and those events are processed in order, with some events triggering future events—such as the event of the arrival of a packet at one node triggering the event
==Network emulation==
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==List of network simulators==
There are both free/open-source and proprietary network simulators available. Examples of notable open source network simulators / emulators include:
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* [[ns (simulator)|ns Simulator]]
* [[GloMoSim]]
There are also some notable commercial network simulators.
==Uses of network simulators ==
Network simulators provide a cost-effective method for
* 5G, 6G, NTN coverage, capacity, throughput and latency analysis
* Network R & D (More than 70% of all Network [[Academic paper|Research paper]] reference a network simulator)
* Defense applications such as
* [[Internet of things|IOT]], [[VANET]] simulations
* [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|UAV]] network/[[wikt:drone|drone]] swarm communication simulation
* [[Machine Learning]] for communication networks
* Education: Online courses, Lab experimentation, and R & D. Most universities use a network simulator for teaching / R & D since it is too expensive to buy hardware equipment
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* Model the [[network topology]] specifying the nodes on the network and the links between those nodes
* Model the application flow (traffic) between the nodes
* Providing network performance metrics such as throughput, latency, error, etc., as output
▲* Technology/protocol evaluation and device designs
▲* Logging of packet/events for drill-down analyses / debugging
==See also==
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==References==
{{reflist}}
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