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Physical (PHY) layer abstraction is an effective method to reduce the runtimes compared with link simulations but still accurately characterize the link performance. As a result, PHY layer abstraction for IEEE 802.11 WLAN and 3GPP LTE/5G has been widely configured in the network simulators such as ns-3, which achieve faster system-level simulations quantifying the network performance. Since the first publicly accessible 5G NR Sidelink (SL) link simulator has been recently developed, it provides a possibility of implementing the first PHY layer abstraction on 5G NR SL. This work deploys an efficient PHY layer abstraction method (i.e., EESM-log-SGN) for 5G NR SL based on the offline NR SL link simulation. The obtained layer abstraction which is further stored in ns-3 for use aims at the common 5G NR SL scenario of OFDM unicast single layer mapping in the context of Independent and Identically Distributed (i.i.d.) frequency-selective channels. We provide details about implementation, performance, and validation. 

The performance of Wi-Fi networks depends on the ability of devices to adapt their transmissions to dynamic channel/network conditions. Hence, “Rate Adaptation Algorithms (RAAs)” have been devised to allow nodes to select appropriate modulation and coding schemes (and other parameters) in response to varying channel/network conditions. These algorithms are neither standardized nor typically divulged by vendors, and devising a ‘performance-optimal’ RAA for specific scenario remains an active topic that necessitates a complex, multi-parameter cross-layer (PHY/MAC) approach. The ns-3 network simulator offers detailed models of the Wi-Fi medium access control (MAC) layer, including three reference RAA implementations; however testing and validation of these RAA models has been very limited to date. This paper reports on initial test and validation for ns-3 RAA models via 802.11n/ac/ax simulations. After describing the RAA scope and implementations, we explore and summarize insights from test results as to a) whether the ns-3 RAAs are able to achieve the correct rates as configuration is varied and b) how they respond to step changes in the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as a means for exploring their convergence properties. 

Packet-level network simulators such as ns-3 require accurate physical (PHY) layer models for packet error rate (PER) for wideband transmission over fading wireless channels. To manage complexity and achieve practical runtimes, suitable link-to-system mappings can convert high fidelity PHY layer models for use by packet-level simulators. This work reports on two new contributions to the ns-3 Wi-Fi module, which presently only contains error models for Single Input Single Output (SISO), additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels. To improve this, a complete implementation of a link-to-system mapping technique for IEEE 802.11 TGn fading channels is presented that involves a method for efficient generation of channel realizations within ns-3. The runtimes for the prior method suffers from scalability issues with increasing dimensionality of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems. We next propose a novel method to directly characterize the probability distribution of the"effective SNR" in link-to-system mapping. This approach is shown to require modest storage and not only reduces ns-3 runtime, it is also insensitive to growth of MIMO dimensionality. We describe the principles of this new method and provide details about its implementation, performance, and validation in ns-3. 

Results are presented from an extensive campaign of link simulations for multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) scenarios of 802.11ac wireless local area networks (WLAN) for use within a link-to-system mapping framework for ns-3 network simulation. As in [2], Exponential Effective SNR Mapping (EESM) is used inclusive of the impact of channel estimation, but this works extends beyond SISO to MU-MIMO. MATLAB® link simulation results using the WLAN Toolbox™ are used to generate an error rate table lookup for EESM to produce a corresponding packet error rate (PER) for use by ns-3. The simulation programs are made available to allow reproduction and extending of the baseline results.