Platform-Independent Performance Validation of NS-2.35: A Comparative Study of Native and Virtualized Environments

Abstract: The paper presents a comprehensive experimental study that evaluates the Network Simulator 2 (NS-2.35) on both native Linux systems and VMware-based virtualised environments. Researchers use NS-2.35 as a standard tool for testing Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). The researchers face challenges because they must install their software to achieve functionality across multiple operating systems. The research study provides a complete installation guide and troubleshooting instructions, and tests whether different execution environments affect simulation results. The researchers create a MANET scenario using the Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol to conduct identical tests in both environments. The assessment uses Throughput, End-to-End Delay, Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), and Packet Loss Ratio (PLR) as performance indicators to evaluate node densities of 20, 30, and 50. The researchers conduct multiple experiments and analyse them using the mean and standard deviation (Mean ± SD) to obtain statistically reliable results. The testing results show that all performance measurements remain the same across both native systems and virtualised environments, proving that NS-2.35 delivers platform-independent performance that remains constant under the same system conditions. The test runs produce stable simulation results because two tests show extremely low standard deviation values. The simulation results remain accurate because execution efficiency and system performance differences between the two systems result in only minor discrepancies in the test results. The study concludes that researchers can use both native Linux and virtualised environments for NS-2.35 simulations, as virtualisation preserves simulation fidelity. This work validates the cross-platform performance of NS-2.35, thereby building trust in simulation research findings.