Abstract: Traffic flows through an administered network from an off-network source and/or to an off-network destination are simulated and analyzed by selecting an ingress and/or egress node within the administered network, the ingress node capable of collecting traffic from an off-network source, and the egress node capable of routing traffic to an off-network destination. Traffic flow is mapped from the source or ingress node through the administered network to the egress node. The traffic flow may be simulated and analyzed. The ingress and/or egress nodes may be selected in a variety of ways.

Abstract: In a network simulation system, a compiler is provided to support incremental updates to the configuration data associated with the modeled network. Each incremental change is identified and logged, to facilitate configuration management and select roll-backs to prior configurations. Because each update is processed and managed individually, and integrated automatically into the overall system configuration, the overhead associated with keeping a configuration database up-to-date is substantially reduced, thereby increasing the likelihood that all configuration changes will be reflected in the modeled network. In a preferred embodiment, the same data is used to incrementally update the configuration model and to execute the change in the actual system, thereby further reducing the overhead and assuring a correspondence between the modeled network and the actual network.

Abstract: A user interface to a network simulator facilitates the use of application layer parameters and application layer logic. The user interface is configured to allow the user to define the input in a graphic form, or a text/programming form, or a combination of both. Preferably, the user interface provides common graphic forms for both inputting the data to the simulator as well as for displaying the resultant data from the simulator, thereby easing the progression from the analysis of output from one simulation to the generation of new input for a subsequent simulation.