Introduction

NetSim is an easy-to-use network simulator that enables a number of different network types, protocols and technologies to be studied. The network topology and the behavior of different layers in a networked system ranging from the application, transport, network, data link, and physical layers can be easily configured. In this assignment, we will use NetSim to simulate a wireless network scenario and study the effect of varying the topology and/or configuration parameters in the model.

A NetSim simulation generates results such as throughput plots, packet statistics, energy consumption, and a detailed packet trace which can be analyzed in Excel using pivot tables. The network events in the simulation can also be viewed as an animation. Refer to the NetSim documentation and examples for more information.

Objective
The objective of this assignment is to design a wireless network scenario and study the effects of varying the topology, protocol, and/or other wireless network settings on network performance metrics such as throughput, delay, and loss.

You will work in a group* of 5 students, to perform a literature survey, design and simulation of several related configurations that can be compared, results generation with graph plotting and/or data tabulation, analysis and explanation of results, and comparison with findings in other published works.

*Note: you are encouraged to have regular group meetings so that all members are clear about what the others are working on and their contributions to the final assignment deliverables. The key aspects of each member’s contributions are to be briefly reported in the Statement of Contributions (separate Word document).