Trying out OMNet++ (Installation)

OMNet++ is a simple simulation tools for network simulation. It is free for non-commercial usage and it is quite easy to setup as it runs on Windows XP.

To make life simple for myself and others, here is a short summary for the installations. Use Internet Explorer for the following downloads, as Microsoft will do the necessary WGA checks.

Visual C++ Express 2005	Platform SDK from Microsoft	Download OMNet++ version 3.3
Download GViewer version 4.8	Download Ghostscript 8.53	Download Visual C++ 2005 patch Lib for OMNet++
Download VIM version 7.1

Step 1) Install Visual C++
Just use the default setting would do.
I choose full installation which includes MSDN library as well as MS SQL database. It downloads both the MSDN library and MS SQL, hence it will take a while.

Step 2) Install Platform SDK
Create a temp folder at C:\ named TEMP-PSDK
Create a temp folder at C:\ named PSDK

Double click on PSDK-FULL.EXE,
It will create 2 files, <PSDK-FULL.bat and Extract.exe>

Opens Command Prompt and goes to TEMP-PSDK
Type the following:

C:\> PSDK-FULL.bat C:\PSDK
C:\> C:\PSDK\SETUP.EXE

Basically, what you have downloaded needs to be extracted before you can do the installation. The batch files and extract program will be extracted once you run PSDK-FULL.EXE. By the running the batch file extracts the actual installation files.

Step 3) Install OMNET++
First >> Install GhostScript, GViewer and VIM
Just use the default setting

Next >> Install OMNETPP-3.3-win32.exe
Uncheck the box that mentioned Visual C++ 6 integration
When it comes to the point for Ghostscript path use the following.
C:\Progra~1\gs\gs8.53\bin\gswin32c.exe
*Installer does not understand blank space

Next >> Unzip Visual C++ 2005 patch Lib for OMNet++
Overwrite the library file for vc80 with the unzip library file at
>> C:\Program Files\OMNeT++\lib

Next >> Edit configuser.vc using VIM
Append at the end of the file with the following:

# Patch begin
# default /ML will use LIBC.lib
!if "$(LIB_SUFFIX)"==".dll"
CFLAGS_DEBUG=$(CFLAGS_DEBUG) /MDd
CFLAGS_RELEASE=$(CFLAGS_RELEASE) /MD
!else
CFLAGS_DEBUG=$(CFLAGS_DEBUG) /MTd
CFLAGS_RELEASE=$(CFLAGS_RELEASE) /MT
!endif
# Patch end

Step 4) Setup OMNet Environment
First >> Create a batch file at C:\omnetenv.bat using VIM with the following code.
call "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\vcvarsall.bat"

SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\Program Files\Microsoft Platform SDK\Bin
SET INCLUDE=%INCLUDE%;C:\Program Files\Microsoft Platform SDK\Include
SET LIB=%LIB%;C:\Program Files\Microsoft Platform SDK\Lib

Next >> Create a shortcut - OMNeT++ Development
Target: %comspec% /k C:\omnetenv.bat
This points to the batch file previous created.