INetworkNode¶

module interface INetworkNode

INetworkNode defines the common interface for all network node types in INET. It serves as the base interface that all node modules must implement to be recognized and treated as network nodes within the simulation.

This interface provides no specific functionality itself but establishes the common ground for different node types such as hosts, routers, switches, and access points.

Inheritance diagram¶

Implemented by¶

Name	Type	Description
GptpBridge	compound module	Implements a gPTP bridge network node.
GptpEndstation	compound module	Implements a gPTP end station that contains a clock module and a gPTP protocol.
GptpMaster	compound module	Provides a gPTP master network node.
GptpSlave	compound module	Provides a gPTP slave network node.
AodvRouter	compound module	A mobile node with the Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol. Extends AdhocHost by adding the AODV routing protocol module.
ApplicationLayerNodeBase	compound module	An extension of the transport layer node base that adds support for applications. Provides the highest level of abstraction for network nodes, completing the full network stack from physical to application layer.
LinkLayerNodeBase	compound module	An extension of the basic node infrastructure with link layer functionality. Provides support for various network interfaces and link layer protocols, forming the foundation for network connectivity.
NetworkLayerNodeBase	compound module	An extension of the link layer node base with network layer functionality. Provides support for multiple network protocols, including IPv4 and IPv6.
NodeBase	compound module	The fundamental infrastructure for all network nodes focusing on non-communication aspects of network nodes.
TransportLayerNodeBase	compound module	An extension of the network layer node base with transport layer protocols. Provides support for UDP, TCP, and SCTP, enabling end-to-end communication services for applications.
BgpRouter	compound module	A router that supports Border Gateway Protocol version 4 (BGPv4) along with Open Shortest Path First version 4 (OSPFv4). It extends the standard Router module with BGP and OSPF functionality enabled.
DsdvRouter	compound module	A mobile node with the Destination-Sequenced Distance Vector (DSDV) routing protocol. Extends AdhocHost by adding the DSDV routing protocol module.
DymoRouter	compound module	A mobile node with the Dynamic MANET On-demand (DYMO) routing protocol. Extends AdhocHost by adding the DYMO routing protocol module.
EigrpRouter	compound module	A router that uses the Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP). It extends the standard Router module with EIGRP functionality and dual-stack (IPv4/IPv6) support.
EthernetPlcaHost	compound module	A network node designed specifically for Ethernet 10BASE-T1S multidrop networks. It extends StandardHost with specialized Ethernet interfaces that support the Physical Layer Collision Avoidance (PLCA) protocol.
EthernetSwitch	compound module	EthernetSwitch models a Layer 2 Ethernet switch with support for various IEEE 802.1 protocols and features. It provides frame forwarding based on MAC addresses and implements multiple switching technologies.
GpsrRouter	compound module	A mobile node with the Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing (GPSR) protocol. It extends AdhocHost by adding the GPSR routing protocol module.
AdhocHost	compound module	A mobile wireless node that participates in ad hoc networks without centralized infrastructure. Extends WirelessHost by configuring the wireless interface for ad hoc mode operation and enabling packet forwarding.
ManetRouter	compound module	A mobile node with ad hoc routing capabilities intended for Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). Extends AdhocHost by adding support for MANET routing protocols.
MulticastRouter	compound module	A router with multicast routing capabilities that can forward multicast traffic between different network segments.
Router	compound module	A network router device with support for multiple routing protocols and network interfaces. Provides the foundation for simulating various types of routers in both wired and wireless networks.
SensorNode	compound module	A wireless sensor network (WSN) node with low-power communication capabilities. Provides a specialized node type for simulating resource-constrained devices commonly used in environmental monitoring, industrial automation, and IoT applications.
StandardHost	compound module	A comprehensive model of an IPv4/IPv6 host that provides a complete network stack with configurable application, transport, network, and link layers. It supports multiple network interfaces, protocols, and applications that can be customized through parameters.
WirelessHost	compound module	A mobile device with wireless connectivity operating in infrastructure mode. Extends StandardHost by adding a preconfigured IEEE 802.11 wireless interface, making it suitable for simulating devices in WiFi networks.
InternetCloud	compound module	InternetCloud models a large network such as part of the Internet or a corporate backbone network with realistic delay, packet loss, and datarate characteristics. It abstracts away the internal structure of the network while preserving the end-to-end behavior that applications would experience.
MulticastRouter6	compound module	An IPv6 router with multicast routing capabilities. It is the IPv6 counterpart of ~MulticastRouter: it extends the IPv6 Router6 node (no IPv4 stack; routingTableModule already points at the IPv6 routing table), enables Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) and multicast forwarding, and binds the whole PIM compound (both PIM-DM and PIM-SM) to the IPv6 stack via pim.addressFamily = “ipv6”.
Router6	compound module	An IPv6 router for next-generation Internet Protocol networks. It extends the standard Router module by configuring it to use IPv6 as the network layer protocol while disabling IPv4 by default.
StandardHost6	compound module	An IPv6 host with TCP, UDP, and SCTP transport layer protocols. It extends the standard host model by configuring it to use IPv6 as the network layer protocol while disabling IPv4 by default.
CorrespondentNode6	compound module	An IPv6 host that can communicate directly with mobile nodes in a Mobile IPv6 network. Extends the standard IPv6 host with Mobile IPv6 support for route optimization.
HomeAgent6	compound module	An IPv6 router that functions as a Home Agent in Mobile IPv6 networks. Extends the standard IPv6 router (Router6) with Mobile IPv6 support.
MobileHost6	compound module	A host with Mobile IPv6 support. Extends the standard IPv6 host (StandardHost6) with mobility management capabilities.
WirelessHost6	compound module	A wireless mobile node with IPv6 and Mobile IPv6 support. Combines wireless connectivity with mobility management capabilities, allowing it to maintain network connections while moving between different wireless networks.
LdpMplsRouter	compound module	An LDP-capable MPLS router.
MplsRouterBase	compound module	Base module for MPLS-capable routers. Extends the standard Router with the MPLS data plane (Mpls, LibTable) and the Traffic Engineering Database (Ted, LinkStateRouting) common to all MPLS signaling protocols.
RsvpMplsRouter	compound module	An RSVP-TE capable MPLS router.
MrpSwitch	compound module	An Ethernet switch with Media Redundancy Protocol (MRP) support. It extends the standard EthernetSwitch by enabling the MRP functionality.
OspfRouter	compound module	A router that uses the Open Shortest Path First version 2 (OSPFv2) routing protocol. It extends the standard Router module with OSPF functionality enabled.
Ospfv3Router	compound module	A router that uses the Open Shortest Path First version 3 (OSPFv3) routing protocol. It extends the standard Router module with OSPFv3 functionality and IPv6 support.
LocalMobilityAnchor	compound module	An IPv6 router that acts as the Local Mobility Anchor (LMA) in a Proxy Mobile IPv6 (RFC 5213) domain. It is the topological anchor for the mobile nodes’ home network prefixes: it holds the binding cache, terminates the bidirectional tunnels to the Mobile Access Gateways, and routes each mobile node’s home network prefix into the tunnel toward its currently serving gateway.
MobileAccessGateway	compound module	An IPv6 access router that acts as a Mobile Access Gateway (MAG) in a Proxy Mobile IPv6 (RFC 5213) domain. It detects mobile nodes attaching to and detaching from its access links, sends Proxy Binding Updates to the Local Mobility Anchor on their behalf, sets up the tunnel to the anchor, and advertises each mobile node’s home network prefix on the access link so the (unmodified) mobile node keeps its address as it roams between gateways.
RipRouter	compound module	A router that uses the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) version 2. Extends the standard Router module with RIP functionality enabled.
RtpHost	compound module	A network node with Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) support. Extends StandardHost by adding RTP-specific components for real-time multimedia streaming applications.
TsnClock	compound module	A specialized network device that serves as the master clock for Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) simulations.
TsnDevice	compound module	An end device with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) capabilities. It extends the StandardHost with various TSN features defined in the IEEE 802.1 standards suite for deterministic, low-latency communication over Ethernet networks.
TsnSwitch	compound module	An Ethernet switch with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) capabilities. It extends the standard EthernetSwitch with various TSN features defined in the IEEE 802.1 standards suite for deterministic, low-latency communication over Ethernet networks.
AccessPoint	compound module	A wireless access point device that connects wireless stations (like WirelessHost) to a wired network. Supports multiple wireless radios and multiple Ethernet ports.
Probe	compound module	A minimal wireless network node that consists only of an antenna and mobility model. Designed for monitoring wireless signals without actively participating in network communication.
SctpNatRouter	compound module	SCTP NAT router

Known subclasses¶

Name	Type	Description
IEthernetNetworkNode	module interface	Interface for all network nodes that have Ethernet connectivity. Extends the base INetworkNode interface by adding Ethernet-specific gates and parameters.

Properties¶

Name	Value	Description
display	i=device/pc
labels	node,ethernet-node,wireless-node
networkNode

Source code¶

//
// INetworkNode defines the common interface for all network node types in INET.
// It serves as the base interface that all node modules must implement to be
// recognized and treated as network nodes within the simulation.
//
// This interface provides no specific functionality itself but establishes
// the common ground for different node types such as hosts, routers, switches,
// and access points.
//
moduleinterface INetworkNode
{
    parameters:
        @display("i=device/pc");
        @networkNode;
        @labels(node,ethernet-node,wireless-node);
}

File: src/inet/node/contract/INetworkNode.ned