This simulator is designed for network research and focuses on discrete events.
Having first been developed as a variation of the REAL network simulator in 1989, Ns has undergone significant evolutions and improvements in recent years. Ns development has been financially supported by DARPA through various bodies such as VINT, involving the collaboration of LBL, Xerox PARC, UCB and USC/ISI. More recently, Ns development has been supported by DARPA using SAMAN and NSF with CONSER, both through joint partnerships with ACIRI.
Ns incorporates contributions from a range of researchers. In particular, the wireless code used in Ns is a product of a collaborative effort between UCB Daedelus, CMU Monarch projects and Sun Microsystems.
Overall, Network Simulator (Ns) is a highly capable software that has been created with networking researchers in mind. With its simulation abilities across various networks, Ns is a valuable tool for those researching TCP, routing and multicast protocols. It has been supported by some of the top institutions in the field and incorporates contributions from a range of researchers with knowledge across the field.
Version 3.5: N/A