DEVS-M: A discrete event simulation framework for MANETs

•Developed simulation framework was developed by adapting DEVS-Suite simulator tool using DEVS formalism.•DEVS-M simulator provides close findings to expected results in the real life.•DEVS-M simulator was found to produce lower results than ns-2 simulator in terms of “memory consumption for per connection” but higher than other simulators.•The simulator kept its stability in terms of “memory consumption for all connections” and the increase in the number of nodes did not affect memory consumption.

The infrastructure required for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) should be continuously improved because of the increasing number of wireless devices in the world. Therefore, modelling and simulation is important for MANETs in order to detect problems that may arise when developing infrastructure solutions. Studies in literature show that simulation tools developed for cable networks have been transformed into MANET tools instead of developing MANET-specific simulation tools. In this paper, a simulation framework for MANETs is designed using the DEVS-Suite simulator tool, which is based on discrete event system specification (DEVS) formalism, and is used for the simulation of cable networks. A specific wireless node architecture for the nodes that form MANETs is developed for a simulation framework. In addition, the new framework includes a topography model to check the velocity and movements of the nodes, packet models roaming in MANET, and visualisation area to observe simulation events. A coupled model is generated by combining these two models. In addition, an ant colony-based load-balancing scheme is developed to test the model. As a result, the simulation tool developed for MANETs aims to keep memory consumption steady even when traffic and node intensity increases in simulators. The study also aims to undertake load-balancing tests to obtain results compatible with the values in literature.