Research Of OPNET-Based Tactical Communication Network And System-In-The-Loop Simulation Integration Technique

Network simulation is kind of method which has usually been used in validating and testing of the design of network protocol. However, the-loop network simulation is a kind of new technology which can more accurately verify hardware and software of the network. The-loop simulation is a key technology in the field of simulation. The technology is used widely. The paper describes the basic theory of the-loop network simulation, and then further studies the module of OPNET's SITL. Finally, the-loop network simulation of military communications could be built based on the SITL module.In this paper, according to the surveys and researches on the military communication network's architecture, the practical military communications network can be mapped to the OPNET simulation platform, through abstraction compression. The new technology will discard the irrelevant information reserving the key technology. In addition, the most specific two-layer network topology will be extracted, which will be mapped in the OPNET simulation platform in order to achieve the transform between the simulation environment's the frame and the physical environment's frame by using OPNET's SITL modules. This paper mainly studies the following contents:Firstly, the paper describes the-loop simulation theory in detail. In the OPNET simulation platform, the physical device and OPNET simulation of network can interconnect by using OPNET's SITL module.Secondly, the-loop simulation model is built according to the OPNET's SITL modules. At the same time, a data packet capture tool called Winpcap API has been used to capture the data packets in the simulation environment, and then capture and analyze the data packet by the Microsoft Network Monitor to achieve the transform between the data frame and logic frame. This kind of technology has been used in a military network effectively.The paper points out the problems of the network according to analysis of the performance parameters of a military communications network, which provides the technical references for the design and optimizing of the network. Finally, the paper draws a conclusion, and provides the suggestions for further studies to give the technical supports for the application of OPNET software in military communications network simulation.