Scalability evaluation of two network simulation tools for Vehicular Ad hoc Networks

Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) are becoming very important since they bring many new features to road transportation (e.g., safety, entertainment, location-based advertisements) and can significantly assist passengers and drivers in their journey. Due to the high cost of experimentation, simulation is a crucial, alternative approach to validate new algorithms and protocols for VANETs. Some analytical comparisons of simulation tools have been proposed, but are mainly focused on: learning curve, configuration, supported protocols, type of license, documentation, graphical support, intended area of use, etc. That is, not much research has been done on performance and scalability in VANETs, which is rapidly gaining importance due to the increasing number of vehicles on our roads. In this paper we present a comparative study of two well-known simulation tools, JiST/SWANS and OMNet++/INETMANET, with an emphasis in scalability (overall time for simulation and memory consumption) with the aim of guiding researchers in their selection of an adequate tool for large simulation scenarios in VANETs.