Performance of conservative synchronization methods for complex interconnected campus networks in ns-3

Distributed simulations provide a powerful framework for utilizing a greater amount of computing resources, but require that consideration be taken to ensure that the results of these simulations match results that would have been produced by a single sequential resource. Also, synchronization among the multiple nodes must also occur to ensure that events processed in the simulation maintain a timestamped order across all nodes. This work uses the popular network simulator ns-3. The ns-3 simulator is a discrete event network simulator used for educational and research-oriented purposes which provides two implementation options for distributed simulations based on the null message and granted time window algorithms. We examine the performance of both distributed schedulers available in ns-3 in an effort to gauge specific features of an overall distributed network topology that warrant the use of one synchronization method over the other.