Simulation tool to test future networks

In recent times, simulation has emerged as the best way to test, analyse and predict performance of everything from automobile to aircrafts. High-performance computing has even enabled scientists to create simulated models of climate change and the big bang. Little wonder then that simulation plays an important role in testing and analysing performances of networks to be deployed in organisations and institutions. QualNet remains a frequently heard name in the network simulation space.

Developed by the US-based Scalable Network Technology, QualNet predicts performance of network devices, transmitters, antennas, terrestrial characteristics, and human interactions at real-time speed.   The tool is necessary when an organisation’s network goes through drastic change and the impact such a change would have on network functionalities such as handling existing loads and traffic patterns. This is particularly relevant in today's environment when organisations deploy wireless network over the wired ones.

Rather than being just an analytical tool, the software can even be a test bed of the performance of future network. Using Qualnet is easier since it has a discrete simulation capability developed on OSI layer structure, a standard structure adopted by organisations across the world. 

The wireless libraries QualNet has such as 802.16 WiMAX platform, 804.15.4 ZigBee sensor networks, and 802.11 Wi-Fi models provided in both physical and MAC layers makes it the ideal testing tool for all kinds of wireless standards. Users in the telecom sector can interface existing technology with the future ones since it has models of almost all telecom networks starting from UMTS (3-G) standards, GSM etc. Telecom companies will be able to analyse performance of future technologies such as LTE.

The performance of QualNet would depend on hardware configurations, which needs to be better, given the amount of compute power simulators require. For instance, if a user wants to process 199 nodes, the basic configuration will have to be 256 MB RAM, unicore processor and the hard disk space of about 300 to 500 MB. The software can be scaled and run on any platform. It can run on both unicore and multicore processors, cluster-based environments and rack processors. It can run on Windows, Linux, MAC OSX, Solaris and Unix.

In India, QualNet has been deployed in defence establishments for their future combat systems. But on a larger scale, commercial organisations deploying future networks use them.