OMNeT++ doesn't recognize nodes created by VACaMobil - omnet++

Question

I am starting to use VACaMobil in a project. However, I am having a problem.
I don't know if I am wrong, but I understand that TraCIScenarioManagerLaunchd
(ant therefore, VACaMobil) creates dynamically the nodes representing each vehicle, i. e.
the car module isn't defined in the network file, but it's declared in the omnetpp.ini file, in
parameters ".manager.moduleType" and ".manager.moduleName". In my case, the module
type is a custom car module based in the Car module of inet/examples/VACaMobil/Cars, and
the module name is "coche".
Here is the omnetpp.ini file:
[General]
network = Cars
cmdenv-express-mode = true
cmdenv-autoflush = true
cmdenv-status-frequency = 10000000s
repeat = 10
tkenv-plugin-path = ../../../etc/plugins
tkenv-image-path = bitmaps
#sim-time-limit = 6000s
check-signals = true
**.manager.**.scalar-recording = true
**.manager.**.vector-recording = true
**.manetrouting.**.scalar-recording = true
**.movStats.**.scalar-recording = true
**.movStats.**.vector-recording = true
**.mac.**.scalar-recording = true
**.mac.**.vector-recording = true
**.scalar-recording = true
**.vector-recording = true
*.channelControl.carrierFrequency = 2.4GHz
*.channelControl.pMax = 2mW
*.channelControl.sat = -110dBm
*.channelControl.alpha = 2
*.channelControl.numChannels = 1
# TraCIScenarioManagerLaunchd
*.manager.updateInterval = 1s
*.manager.host = "localhost"
*.manager.port = 9999
*.manager.moduleType = "rcdp9.TAdhocHost"
*.manager.moduleName = "coche"
*.manager.moduleDisplayString = ""
*.manager.autoShutdown = true
*.manager.margin = 25
*.manager.doNothing = false
# nic settings
**.wlan.bitrate = 24Mbps
**.wlan.opMode = "g"
**.wlan.mgmt.frameCapacity = 10
**.wlan.mgmtType = "Ieee80211MgmtAdhoc"
**.wlan.mac.basicBitrate = 24Mbps
**.wlan.mac.controlBitrate = 24Mbps
**.wlan.mac.address = "auto"
**.wlan.mac.maxQueueSize = 14
**.wlan.mac.rtsThresholdBytes = 3000B
**.wlan.mac.retryLimit = 7
**.wlan.mac.cwMinData = 7
**.wlan.radio.transmitterPower = 2mW
**.wlan.radio.thermalNoise = -110dBm
**.wlan.radio.sensitivity = -85dBm
**.wlan.radio.pathLossAlpha = 2
**.wlan.radio.snirThreshold = 4dB
**.getStatistics = true
**.statFiles = "${resultdir}/${configname}-${runnumber}-"
**.channelNumber = 0
[Config RCDP]
**.coche[0..49].app1.localPort = 1000
**.coche[0..49].app1.destPort = 1000
**.coche[0..49].app1.messageLength = ${50000000B ! length}
**.coche[0..49].app1.burstSize = 10
**.coche[0..49].app1.bandWidth = 147200bps
**.coche[0..49].app1.alpha = 0.5
**.coche[0..49].app1.beta = 0.8
**.coche[0..49].app1.destAddresses = moduleListByPath("**.coche[50..99]")
**.coche[0..49].networkLayer.configurator.networkConfiguratorModule = "configurator"
**.coche[50..99].app2.localPort = 1000
**.coche[50..99].app2.messageLength = ${length = 50000000B}
**.coche[50..99].app2.bandWidth = 147200bps
**.coche[50..99].app2.maxBandWidth = 24Mbps
#**.meanNumberOfCars = ${100, 200, 300, 400}
**.meanNumberOfCars = 100
**.warmUpSeconds = 0s
**.autoShutdown = false
*.manager.launchConfig = xmldoc("VACaMobil/Milan/downtown.launch.xml")
# manet routing
**.routingProtocol = ${"AODVUU", "DYMO", "OLSR"}
[Config TCP]
**.coche[0..49].app3.localPort = 1000
**.coche[0..49].app3.startTime = 0s
**.coche[0..49].app3.stopTime = 100s
**.coche[0..49].app3.thinkTime = 1s
**.coche[0..49].app3.idleInterval =3s
**.coche[0..49].app3.requestLength = 50000000B
**.coche[0..49].app3.numRequestsPerSession = 100
**.coche[0..49].app3.connectAddress = moduleListByPath("**.coche[50..99]")
**.coche[0..49].networkLayer.configurator.networkConfiguratorModule = "configurator"
**.coche[50..99].app4.dataTransferMode = "object"
#carGRCnator
**.getStatistics = true
**.statFiles = "${resultdir}/${configname}-${runnumber}-"
#**.meanNumberOfCars = ${100, 200, 300, 400}
**.meanNumberOfCars = 100
**.warmUpSeconds = 0s
**.autoShutdown = false
*.manager.launchConfig = xmldoc("VACaMobil/Milan/downtown.launch.xml")
# manet routing
**.routingProtocol = ${"AODVUU", "DYMO", "OLSR"}
Here is the car module (TAdhocHost.ned):
package rcdp9;
import inet.base.NotificationBoard;
import inet.networklayer.autorouting.ipv4.HostAutoConfigurator;
import inet.networklayer.common.InterfaceTable;
import inet.mobility.single.TraCIMobility;
import inet.networklayer.ipv4.RoutingTable;
import inet.transport.tcp.TCP;
import inet.transport.udp.UDP;
import inet.nodes.inet.NetworkLayer;
import inet.linklayer.ieee80211.Ieee80211Nic;
import inet.networklayer.IManetRouting;
module TAdhocHost
{
parameters:
#node();
string routingProtocol #enum("AODVUU","DYMOUM","DYMO","DSRUU","OLSR","OLSR_ETX","DSDV_2","Batman") = default("");
gates:
input radioIn #directIn;
submodules:
notificationBoard: NotificationBoard {
parameters:
#display("p=60,160");
}
interfaceTable: InterfaceTable {
parameters:
#display("p=60,240");
}
app1: RCDPClient {
parameters:
#display("p=304,56");
}
app2: RCDPServer {
parameters:
#display("p=210,56");
}
app3: TCPClient {
parameters:
#display("p=378,56");
}
app4: TCPServer {
parameters:
#display("p=147,56");
}
mobility: TraCIMobility {
parameters:
#display("p=60,459");
}
routingTable: RoutingTable {
parameters:
IPForward = true;
routerId = "";
routingFile = "";
#display("p=60,326");
}
udp: UDP {
parameters:
#display("p=304,192");
}
tcp: TCP {
parameters:
#display("p=219,192");
}
networkLayer: NetworkLayer {
parameters:
proxyARP = false;
#display("p=304,327;q=queue");
gates:
ifIn[1];
ifOut[1];
}
manetrouting: <routingProtocol> like IManetRouting if routingProtocol != "" {
#display("p=522,307");
}
wlan: Ieee80211Nic {
parameters:
#display("p=304,461;q=queue");
}
ac_wlan: HostAutoConfigurator {
#display("p=60,401");
}
connections allowunconnected:
udp.appOut++ --> app1.udpIn;
udp.appIn++ <-- app1.udpOut;
udp.appOut++ --> app2.udpIn;
udp.appIn++ <-- app2.udpOut;
udp.ipOut --> networkLayer.transportIn++;
udp.ipIn <-- networkLayer.transportOut++;
tcp.appOut++ --> app3.tcpIn;
tcp.appIn++ <-- app3.tcpOut;
tcp.appOut++ --> app4.tcpIn;
tcp.appIn++ <-- app4.tcpOut;
tcp.ipOut --> networkLayer.transportIn++;
tcp.ipIn <-- networkLayer.transportOut++;
wlan.upperLayerOut --> networkLayer.ifIn[0];
wlan.upperLayerIn <-- networkLayer.ifOut[0];
networkLayer.transportOut++ --> manetrouting.from_ip if routingProtocol != "";
networkLayer.transportIn++ <-- manetrouting.to_ip if routingProtocol != "";
radioIn --> wlan.radioIn;
}
Here is the network file (Cars.ned):
package rcdp9;
import inet.world.VACaMobil.VACaMobil;
import inet.networklayer.autorouting.ipv4.IPv4NetworkConfigurator;
import inet.nodes.inet.AdhocHost;
import inet.world.radio.ChannelControl;
import inet.world.traci.TraCIScenarioManagerLaunchd;
network Cars
{
submodules:
configurator: IPv4NetworkConfigurator {
#display("p=396,221");
}
channelControl: ChannelControl {
#display("p=396,310");
}
manager: VACaMobil {
#display("p=322,405");
}
connections allowunconnected:
}
The problem is that in the omnetpp.ini, OMNeT++ gives the following warning
in lines beginning in ".channelNumber", ".wlan.", ".coche", and ".routingProtocol":
"Warning: Unused entry (does not match any parameters) Does not match any module parameters."
Apparently, OMNeT++ complains because the module TAdhocHost, whose name is "coche",
isn't defined in Cars.ned, but isn't assumed that OMNeT++ automatically recognizes that "coche"
is created by VACaMobil? I am doing something wrong? I would appreciate any help.

Answer 1

In the simplest case (all modules are created via appropriate statements in a simulation's .ned files) the IDE can simply parse all .ned files to know what modules exist.
However, the Veins TraCIScenarioManager directly uses the OMNeT++ C++ API to create additional modules at runtime. Before the simulation is run, the OMNeT++ IDE has no way of knowing that this will happen.
Without understanding what your C++ code does, it cannot know that the module parameters in your .ini file will (not at the start, but at a later point in the simulation) refer to a module that will exist.
There might be ways around this (declaring in a .ned file that a module should not be created automatically, but can be assumed to exist anyway), but I don't recall any that is not a hack.