Exploring Simulation of Software-Defined Underwater Wireless Networks

Multi-modal communication methods have been proposed for underwater wireless networks (UWNs) to tackle the challenging physical characteristics of underwater wireless channels. These include the use of acoustic and optic technology for range-dependent transmissions. Software-defined networking (SDN) is an appealing choice for managing these networks with multi-modal communication capabilities, allowing for increased adaptability in the UWN design. In this work, we develop a simulation platform for software-defined underwater wireless networks (SDUWNs). Similarto OpenNet, this platform integrates Mininet with ns-3 via TapBridge modules. The multi-modal communication is implemented by equipping each ns-3 node with multiple net devices. Multiple channel modules connecting corresponding net devices are configured to reflect the channel characteristics. The proposed simulation platform is validated in a case study for oceanographic data collection.