Hardware-in-the-loop simulation of communication networks

To enhance the fidelity and accuracy of the simulation of communication networks, hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation was employed. HITL simulation methods was classified into three categories, of which the merits and shortages were compared. Combing system-in-the-loop (SITL) simulation principle with high level architecture (HLA), an HITL simulation model of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network was constructed. The throughput and end-to-end delay of all-digital simulation and HITL simulation was analyzed, which showed that HITL simulation was more reliable and effectively improved the simulation credibility of communication network. Meanwhile, HLA-SITL method was fast and easy to achieve and low-cost during design lifecycle. Thus, it was a feasible way to research and analyze the large-scale network.