CEG's Linux User Group

Step 1: Download the source for NS2 all in one (I used this version ns-allinone-2.34.tar.gz ) from the link http://sourceforge.net/projects/nsnam/files/

Step 2: Extract the tar.gz file downloaded into your home folder by right-clicking the tag.gz file

Step 3: Open terminal (Applications-->Accessories-->Terminal) and change the directory (using cd command) to the extracted folder and execute the following:

sudo apt-get install build-essential autoconf automake libxmu-dev

This will install the dependencies required to compile NS2 from the source.

The following command is used to compile the source.

./install

It will take long time to compile all the required packages for ns to work...

Step 4: Setting Environmental Variables

Type in terminal:

gedit ~/.bashrc

and append the following text to the opened file (Please note that the path contains the path in my system, replace "venkat" in path with your username)

# LD_LIBRARY_PATH
OTCL_LIB=/home/venkat/ns-allinone-2.34/otcl-1.13
NS2_LIB=/home/venkat/ns-allinone-2.34/lib
X11_LIB=/usr/X11R6/lib
USR_LOCAL_LIB=/usr/local/lib
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$OTCL_LIB:$NS2_LIB:$X11_LIB:$USR_LOCAL_LIB

# TCL_LIBRARY
TCL_LIB=/home/venkat/ns-allinone-2.34/tcl8.4.18/library
USR_LIB=/usr/lib
export TCL_LIBRARY=$TCL_LIB:$USR_LIB

# PATH
XGRAPH=/home/venkat/ns-allinone-2.34/bin:/home/venkat/ns-allinone-2.34/tcl8.4.18/unix:/home/venkat/ns-allinone-2.34/tk8.4.18/unix
NS=/home/venkat/ns-allinone-2.34/ns-2.34/
NAM=/home/venkat/ns-allinone-2.34/nam-1.14/
PATH=$PATH:$XGRAPH:$NS:$NAM

Step 5: Now, after editing the file, save and close it. Then in terminal type:

source ~/.bashrc

Try "ns" command, it shud go to the "%" prompt then it just means the installation was successful! Enjoy :D

Note: These steps have been tested and worked like breeze in Ubuntu and is expected work in all the debian based linux.

Reference:

1.) http://nsnam.isi.edu/nsnam/index.php/Installing_ns2.31_on_Ubuntu7.04
2.) http://alkautsarpens.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/install-ns231-for-ubuntu-gutsy-710/
3.) http://www.isi.edu/nsnam/ns/ns-build.html (Might not be needing this, but just in case)