Simulating Computer Networks

with Opnet

A Simple Tutorial

Objectives
1) This tutorial focuses on the use of Opnets
Project Editor
2) The Project Editor will allow you to quickly
create, simulate, and analyze the performance of
a computer network
3) By the end of this tutorial, you should be able to
1) Build a network quickly
2) Collect statistics about the networks performance
3) Analyze these statistics

Objectives
1) In this tutorial
1)
2)
3)
4)

We will build a small network

Choose statistics to collect
Run a simulation
Analyze the results

Projects and Scenarios

When creating a new network model, you must
first create a new project and scenario.
Project:
A project is a group of related scenarios that
each explore a different aspect of the network
design. Projects can contain multiple scenarios.
Once you have created a new project, you can
use the Startup Wizard to set up a new scenario

Creating a Project
! From the File menu, choose New
! Select Project and click OK
! Name the project <Sample_your initials>
and the scenario first_floor. (Include your
initials in the project name to distinguish it
from other students.) Click OK
! Click Next in the Startup Wizard

Scenario
The scenario Wizard dialog box is shown
Box

Value

Initial Topology

Create Empty
Scenario

Click Next

Network Scale

Office

Click Next

Specify Size

100 m x 100 m

Clicl Next

Model Family

Ethernet

Click Next

Review Check
values

Click OK

Creating Network Topologies

There are three ways to create network
topologies
1) Importing the topology
2) Placing each individual node from the object palette
into the workspace
3) Creating a new network topology is by using the
Rapid Configuration feature.

Creating Network Topologies

Rapid Configuration Feature
Rapid Configuration allows you to select a
network topology, the types of nodes within the
network, and the links connecting the nodes.
To create the first floor network using Rapid
Configuration:

Creating Network Topologies

Rapid Configuration Feature
1) From the Topology menu, choose the Rapid
Configuration menu item
2) Select Star from the list of available
configurations, then click OK..

Creating Network Topologies

Rapid Configuration Feature
Now that the network topology has been selected, you
must specify the nodes and links to use to construct the
network. Models follow this naming scheme:
Center Node Model ethernet_16_hub
Periphery Node
Model

ethernet_wkstn

Link Model

10BaseT

Number
Center
Radius

5
X = 25, Y = 25
20 Click OK

It should look like this

Adding Components
Now that the general network topology has been
constructed, you need to add a server. You can
now use the second method of creating network
objects, that is, dragging them from the object
palette into the workspace.

Adding Components
1) If it is not already open, open the object palette by
clicking on the Object Palette action button (first
button on the left)
2) Find the ethernet_server object in the palette and
drag it into the workspace
3) You dont need additional copies of this model, so
right-click to turn off node creation

Adding Components
You also need to connect the server to the star
network.
1) Find the 10BaseT link object in the palette, click
on it and drag it to the workspace
2) Click on the server object, then click on the switch
object in the center of the star. A link is drawn,
connecting the two objects.
3) Right-click to turn off link creation.

Adding Components
Finally, you need to add configuration objects to
specify the application traffic that will exist on
the network
1) Find the Application Config object in the palette
and drag it into the workspace
2) Right-click to indicate you are finished placing
this kind of object
3) Find the Profile Config object in the palette and
drag it into the workspace
4) Close the object palette

It should look something like this:

Editing Attributes
1) You can change the properties of objects
such as hubs, switches, work station, etc.
by editing the attributes
2) Right click on the object you want to edit
3) Choose Edit attributes

Adding Traffic to the Network

In order to add traffic in the network edit
the following objects:
1) Application Definition
2) Set the application definition attribute to
Default

Adding Traffic
1) Edit the Profile Configuration
2) Edit the Profile Configuration in the new
window
3) Put number 2 in rows
4) Set the values as shown in the following
slide

Statistics

Profile Configuration Cont

1) Click on applications for each Profile
name, and choose edit
2) Enter the values for Software
Development as shown in the following
slide

Statistics

Profile Configuration Cont..

Now do the same for profile telecom

Adding Traffic
1) Now that you are done with Application
and Profile, next you need to add traffic in
each work station
1) Select node_1
2) Edit attribute
3) Do this for all the workstations

2) It should look like the picture in the next

page

Adding Traffic
Then enter 2 for the number of row. It should be
on the the bottom left side. Then click on each
Profile name and choose Software Development
for row 1 and Telecom row row 2. It should look
similar to the next page. Hit ok for everything.

Connect the Server

You also need to make it connected with the
server also. Right click on the server then choose
edit attributes. On the the attribute field look for
Application: Supported Service and click ALL
for the value field. It should look like this

Statistics
1) Now that you added the traffic, you are
ready to collect some statistics
2) There are two ways to collect statistics
1) You can collect statistics from individual
nodes in your network (object statistics)
2) From the entire network as a whole (global
statistics)

Server Statistics
1) To collect statistics related to the servers
load:
1) Right-click on the server node and select
Choose Individual Statistics from the servers
Object pop-up menu
2) Click the plus sign next to Ethernet in the
Choose Results dialog box.

Server Statistics
1) Click the check box next to Load
(bits/sec) to turn collection on for that
statistic
2) Click OK to dismiss the dialog box

Network Statistics
1) To collect statistics related to the Ethernet
Hub:
1) Right-click on the hub node and select
Choose Individual Statistics from the hubs
Object pop-up menu
2) Click the plus sign next to Node Statistic in
the Choose Results dialog box
3) Then click the plus sign next to Ethernet in
the Choose Results dialog box

Network Statistics
1) Click the check box next to Collision
count and Utilization
2) Click OK to dismiss the dialog box

It should look like this

Global Statistics
1) Global statistics can be used to gather
information about the network as a whole. For
example, you can find out the delay for the
entire network by collecting the global Delay
statistic:
1) Right-click in the project workspace and select
Choose Individual Statistics from the Workspace
pop-up menu
2) Click the plus sign next to Global Statistics in the
Choose Results dialog box

Global Statistics
3) Click the plus sign next to Ethernet
4) Check the box next to Delay (sec) to turn on collection
5) Click OK to dismiss the Choose Results dialog box
Hit Save to save the project
Note: If you cant save your project, go to Edit/Preferences,
find the model_dirs row and click on the Value field. In
the new pop-up window, make sure the first directory of
the list is a place where the tool can save your project
(You can create a new directory on C:\your_name and
put that directory as the first entry in the list)

It should look like this

Run the Simulation

Now that you have specified the network, traffic,
statistics to collect and saved the project, you are
ready to run your simulation. To run a
simulation:
1) From the Simulation menu, choose Configure
Simulation. Note: You can also open the
Configure Simulation dialog box by clicking on
the Configure Simulation action button.
2) Type 10 min in the Duration

Run the Simulation

3) Click the Run button to begin the simulation.
While the simulation runs, a window appears
showing the simulations progress. The
simulation takes 1 minute to run on a 200MHz
Pentium. Your time will vary depending on your
computer. After 1,000,000 events, the Simulation
Sequence dialog box shows an estimated time to
completion and a progress bar
4) When the simulation is finished, click the Close
button in the Simulation Sequence dialog box

Simulation Results
Once your simulation has finished executing, you
will want to see the information collected for
each statistic
You can view results graphically in the Project
Editor by selecting View Results from the
Workspace pop-up menu.

View Results
To view the server Ethernet load for the simulation:
1) Right-click on the server node choose View Results from
the servers Object pop-up menu. The nodes View
Results dialog box opens.
2) Click on the arrow next to Ethernet under Office network.
3) Click on the box next to Load (bits/sec) to indicate that you
want to view that result.
4) Click the Show button in the View Results dialog box. The
graph of the server load appears in the Project Editor

View Results
To view the Ethernet Hub Collision count and Utilization:
1) Right-click on the Ethernet Hub choose View Results
from the servers Object pop-up menu. The nodes View
Results dialog box opens
2) Click on the arrow next to Ethernet under Office network
3) Click on the box next to collision count and utilization to
indicate that you want to view that result
4) Select average ant then click the Show button in the View
Results dialog box. The graph should look this:

View Results
When you are finished viewing the Ethernet Hub
graph, close this dialog box and the View Results
dialog box. You also should look at the Global
Ethernet Delay on the network. To view this
statistic:
1) Right-click in the workspace, then select View Results
from the pop-up menu
2) Check the box next to Global Statistics, Ethernet,
Delay, select average then click the Show button to
view the average delay of the packets on the Ethernet
network as a whole

Animation
View animation:
To view animation, click on Simulation and
select Record Animation For Subnet. You have
to do this before you run the program

Animation

Animation
Then run the simulation. After the simulation
finishes, click on Result and choose Play
Animation.

Animation

Debugging
1) A good debugging tool is the Simulation
Log. You can check for warnings and
errors
2) Click on Result
3) Then Click on Open Simulation Log