Getting Started with Network Simulation Using NS2 and Nam

Introduction

Network simulation is a powerful tool for modeling and evaluating network protocols and architectures. NS2 is a popular open-source network simulator that has been widely used for research and education. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to install NS2 and its network animation tool, Nam, on your system.

Installing NS2

To install NS2, you can use the NS-allinone-2.35 package that includes all necessary components. Follow these steps:

1. Download the NS-allinone-2.35 package from the NS2 website.

2. Extract the package contents to a directory on your system.

3. Open a terminal window and navigate to the extracted directory.

4. Run the following command:

./install

This will install NS2 and its dependencies.

Installing Nam

Nam is a network animation tool that provides a graphical representation of packet flows in NS2 simulations. To install Nam, follow these steps:

1. Download the latest version of Nam from the Nam website.

2. Extract the package contents to a directory on your system.

3. Open a terminal window and navigate to the extracted directory.

4. Run the following command:

./configure && make && sudo make install

This will install Nam and add it to your system's path.

Configuring NS2 to Use Nam

To configure NS2 to use Nam, add the following line to your ~/.nsrc file:

setenv PATH $PATH:$NS2_DIR/nam-1.22/bin

Replace $NS2_DIR with the path to your NS2 installation directory.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can successfully install NS2 and the Nam network animation tool. With these tools, you can simulate and visualize network protocols and architectures, aiding in your research and education endeavors.