Abstract
The ns-2 network simulator is one of the most widely used packet network simulators. Since version 2.1b9, it uses the MRG32k3a random number generator (RNG) proposed by L’Ecuyer, replacing the previous minimal standard multiplicative linear congruential generator by Park and Miller to remedy the problems of sensitivity to seeds and short-period length. Unfortunately, due to bad documentation and re-use of old scripts many people still wrongly use the old API functions to explicitly set seeds. While the old RNG required this, in the current MRG32k3 implementation the same approach leads to overriding the automatic seed generation of the new generator which can result in correlation between the generated random values. Using a wired and a wireless scenario we illustrate possible effects on simulation results. As the ns-2 community relies heavily on exchanging hints and scripts, which keep re-infecting the knowledge-base even years after the introduction of the new RNG we believe that this might affect the majority of all ns-2 simulation results currently published.
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Umlauft, M., Reichl, P. (2009). Getting Network Simulation Basics Right – A Note on Seed Setting Effects for the ns-2 Random Number Generator. In: Powell, S., Shim, J. (eds) Wireless Technology. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 44. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71787-6_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71787-6_14
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