Trying out OMNet++ (tictoc tutorial part 1)

Following up with the previous post.
To check whether OMNET is successfully installed, just follow the TICTOC tutorial and run it. If it is successfully it should look something like the following picture.

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.