Simcan2Fog: A discrete-event platform for the modelling and simulation of Fog computing environments

The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm has experienced exponential growth in recent years, becoming a key component in the business strategies of leading global technology companies. However, IoT systems face critical challenges such as high mobility demands, low latency requirements, and significant bandwidth consumption. Fog computing has emerged as a viable solution to alleviate these challenges. This paradigm introduces intermediate layers between edge devices and centralised cloud systems, which reduces latency and alleviates bandwidth bottlenecks inherent in traditional computing models. Despite its potential, fog systems often require significant financial investment, either for proprietary infrastructure or pay-per-use services, which constrains their study to theoretical analyses. To address these difficulties, we present Simcan2Fog, a discrete-event simulation platform for modelling and analysing fog computing environments. Built on OMNeT++ and INET – widely adopted frameworks for discrete-event simulation and network protocol modelling, respectively – Simcan2Fog provides highly detailed communication network models and enhanced capabilities to model sensors, actuators, controllers, applications, distribution algorithms, and interconnected fog devices. Additionally, it inherits cloud computing related functionalities such as virtualisation, data centres, cloud provider allocation policies, and user management from the Simcan2Cloud simulator. These features enable Simcan2Fog to simulate realistic IoT scenarios, offering detailed insights into performance metrics such as latency and resource utilisation.