Use OPNET IT Guru to analyse the performance of IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs under different conditions. Write a report describing your simulations, results and conclusions, and explaining the results using your knowledge of IEEE 802.11 DCF.
Note that OPNET IT Guru only supports the older IEEE 802.11b standard, and also has a limitation on the size of simulations. These are your only limits. You need to choose the conditions to analyse, for example, they could include different: packet sizes, load (traffic sent), applications, access modes, number of clients, fragmentation, etc. You also need to choose the performance metrics (statistics) to present.
The report should demonstrate the main factors that impact on the performance of wireless LANs. Hence choosing the conditions, statistics, and the sets of values of parameters is important. Example: simulating and presenting results for the cases of packet size of 1, 2, 3, 4, ... , 998, 999, 1000 bytes is NOT a good choice (instead you should consider what values from 1 to 1000 are good representative values to simulate).
The report should be self-contained, giving a brief introduction, explaining the scenarios you simulated (including all important parameter values you selected), explaining the statistics, presenting the results and giving conclusions. The results and conclusions must be supported by discussion of why the results are as they are. You must intelligently choose the results to present, and how to present them. The default output from OPNET (performance vs time) is normally NOT in a form to be included in report. Considering reporting plots of performance vs parameter value. There is no upper or lower limit on the number of pages for the report. Excluding figures/plots, a report of 4 to 6 pages of text is probably reasonable length.
Basic instructions for using OPNET IT Guru are here. Use me for support in using OPNET IT Guru. I am happy to help. If you have questions about OPNET come and see me, or send me an email (and then I can send a response to all students).
Scenario Selection: 30%. The scenarios you selected to simulate and present, as well as the parameter values chosen, must be appropriate and well justified. They should demonstrate that you chose the values based on your understanding of WLANs (as opposed to randomly trying values or trying every possible combination).
Understanding of results: 40%. Your discussion and explanation of results should demonstrate you know the factors that impact on WLAN performance, and you know why/how they impact on performance. Also, your conclusions should be backed up by evidence (i.e. results).
Presentation: 30%. A professional report should be delivered. Clear and consistent formatting. Good English. Clear and appropriately labelled figures. Use of sections/subsections/appendices where appropriate. Clear description of parameter values and scenarios.
The assignment is group work. Each member of the group should contribute equally to the work. This includes providing both intellectual input (e.g. thinking about the design of scenarios, understanding the results) and editing input (e.g. writing the text, formatting the figures). Preferably all students will also contribute to data collection (e.g. running simulations).
Sharing information (with other groups) on how to use OPNET (as well as general understanding of WLANs) is allowed and encouraged. Sharing information on what parameter values to use, what the results mean and what the conclusions are is NOT allowed. Copying text, results, OPNET files, figures etc. from other groups or external sources (e.g. web sites) is NOT allowed unless properly acknowledged.
May be provided via mailing list and posted here during the assignment.
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