Network coding is a technique used to increase the capacity of a network by combining messages
sent over the network. The combined messages could be separated by using sufficient original
messages which were used to combine the messages. Network coding can be implemented in
different layers of the 051 stack, but to date a complete comparison between different
implementations of network coding has not been done.
The goal of this dissertation is to implement a wireless node model with network coding in the MAC
layer and evaluate the performance characteristics of reference networks that implement the new
node model. This will serve as the first step of a greater goal, namely finding the most favourable
position in the 051 stack to implement network coding. The characteristics of the different
implementations of network coding are presented in this dissertation. Simulations were done in
OPNET® to find further attributes concerning the implementation of network coding in the MAC
layer.
The simulation process used is presented and explained, and the results from the simulations are
analysed. Network coding in the simulations was implemented opportunistically. The results show
that the more often different nodes send frames to the coding node, the better network coding
performs.
The work contributes to finding the best layer for implementing network coding for its increased
throughput. A benchmark network was created so that network coding could be implemented in all
the layers of the 051 stack, and then be compared to each other. An implementation of network
coding in the MAC layer was simulated and analyzed.
We conclude that, because there are so many different purposes for which networks are used, a
single instance of network coding is unlikely to be similarly beneficial to all purposes. There still
remains work to find the most favourable position for network coding in the 051 stack for all the
different types of network coding. / Thesis (M. Ing. (Computer and Electronical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/8430 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Van Wyk, Jacobus Leendert |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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