Modeling and Simulation of IEEE 802.11 WLANS: A Case Study of a Network Simulator

摘要

Stochastic discrete event simulation methodology is becoming increasingly popular among network researchers worldwide in recent years. This popularity is due to the availability of various sophisticated and powerful simulation software packages, and also because of the flexibility in model construction and validation offered by simulation. This paper describes our experience in using the ns-2 network simulator, a discrete event simulation package, as an aid to modeling and simulation of the IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs). The paper concludes by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of simulation methodology in general, and the ns-2 in particular.