Open Source Network Simulation Software

Network simulation is a virtual representation of a network, it is a technical method in which programs model the behavior of a network by calculating the interaction between the different network entities. There are two types of network simulation one is used before the construction of the network and another one is used on the existing network. It is also called network simulation a network emulator.

A network simulator software is used to predicts the behavior of a computer network. Let's see some of the open-source network simulator software.

Cloonix
Cloonix is an open-source Linux router and host simulation platform. It comes with easy to use graphical user interface(GUI). It enables us to configure per link network delay and loss characteristics. It provides support in complex network configurations. It suggests KVM to create the virtual machine. It supported Linux (32 and 64 bit) operating system and it has been released under GPLv3 license. No need for the root password to install and use cloonix. It runs on Linux Cloonix can be host on UML Linux, KVMable ora. It can handle simulate situations that are dangerous and possible in a functional clone of a production environment.

GNS3
Graphical Network Simulator-3 is open-source software for network simulators. It is used to simulate complex networks. It consists of real devices and virtual devices. It comes with a graphical user interface and mostly used by students for preparing for network professional certification exams. It can be used to design complex computer network topologies and to launch simulations on them. Many of the well-known organizations are utilizing GNS3 like NASA, AT&T, Exxon, and Walmart, etc. It is written in Python language and supported cross platforms. It is released under the GNU GPL license. It had been downloaded 11 million times.

Netkit
Netkit is an open-source lightweight network emulator software. It used user-mode Linux to create virtual machines. It comes with easy to use interface and anyone can create networking at a low cost and with little effort. By using Netkit you can create a number of virtual network devices and it can be easily interconnected in order to form a network on a single PC. It enables us to share preconfigured virtual labs with others. Netkit makes use of User-mode Linux (UML), a port of the Linux kernel that is designed to run as a user-space process. It has been written in C language and released under the GNU General Public License.