WiMAX-RBDS-Sim: an OPNET simulation framework for IEEE 802.16 mesh networks

In this paper, a simulation model for IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) wireless mesh networks with distributed scheduling is developed. It provides a framework for the evaluation of reservation-based distributed scheduling (RBDS) policies at the medium access control (MAC) layer. The simulation model, called WiMAX-RBDS-Sim, is developed under the OPNET event-driven simulation environment. It provides interfaces for the integration of RBDS policies and link-establishment algorithms. As an example of the use of WiMAX-RBDS-Sim, a new RBDS policy called Sliced-GM-RBDS is proposed and evaluated. This policy is based on the GM-RBDS policy proposed in [27]. The WiMAX-RBDS-Sim simulation results show that Sliced-GM-RBDS outperforms GM-RBDS in terms of network stability. A link-establishment algorithm is also evaluated with WiMAX-RBDS-Sim to determine the time required for the completion of link establishments across the network. Finally, the performance of WiMAX-RBDS-Sim is evaluated in terms of simulation speed and memory usage.