Opening a UDP connection in Veins toward external server - sockets

Question

I'm using Veins 4.4 and I need to store some results in an outer server, so I would like to open a UDP connection toward it.
I've read several posts about using a TCP connection for the mobility in Veins,and I understood I should resort to the Inet module to open a connection.
Although I don't need it for the mobility, but to send data to an external server.
Is there any suggestion?
I was trying to use the method processCommandFromApp method from inet/src/transport/UDP.cc class:
void UDP::processCommandFromApp(cMessage *msg)
{
switch (msg->getKind())
{
case UDP_C_BIND: {
UDPBindCommand *ctrl = check_and_cast<UDPBindCommand*>(msg->getControlInfo());
bind(ctrl->getSockId(), msg->getArrivalGate()->getIndex(), ctrl->getLocalAddr(), ctrl->getLocalPort());
break;
}
case UDP_C_CONNECT: {
UDPConnectCommand *ctrl = check_and_cast<UDPConnectCommand*>(msg->getControlInfo());
connect(ctrl->getSockId(), msg->getArrivalGate()->getIndex(), ctrl->getRemoteAddr(), ctrl->getRemotePort());
break;
}
case UDP_C_CLOSE: {
UDPCloseCommand *ctrl = check_and_cast<UDPCloseCommand*>(msg->getControlInfo());
close(ctrl->getSockId());
break;
}
case UDP_C_SETOPTION: {
UDPSetOptionCommand *ctrl = check_and_cast<UDPSetOptionCommand *>(msg->getControlInfo());
SockDesc *sd = getOrCreateSocket(ctrl->getSockId(), msg->getArrivalGate()->getIndex());
if (dynamic_cast<UDPSetTimeToLiveCommand*>(ctrl))
setTimeToLive(sd, ((UDPSetTimeToLiveCommand*)ctrl)->getTtl());
else if (dynamic_cast<UDPSetTypeOfServiceCommand*>(ctrl))
setTypeOfService(sd, ((UDPSetTypeOfServiceCommand*)ctrl)->getTos());
else if (dynamic_cast<UDPSetBroadcastCommand*>(ctrl))
setBroadcast(sd, ((UDPSetBroadcastCommand*)ctrl)->getBroadcast());
else if (dynamic_cast<UDPSetMulticastInterfaceCommand*>(ctrl))
setMulticastOutputInterface(sd, ((UDPSetMulticastInterfaceCommand*)ctrl)->getInterfaceId());
else if (dynamic_cast<UDPSetMulticastLoopCommand*>(ctrl))
setMulticastLoop(sd, ((UDPSetMulticastLoopCommand*)ctrl)->getLoop());
else if (dynamic_cast<UDPSetReuseAddressCommand*>(ctrl))
setReuseAddress(sd, ((UDPSetReuseAddressCommand*)ctrl)->getReuseAddress());
else if (dynamic_cast<UDPJoinMulticastGroupsCommand*>(ctrl))
{
UDPJoinMulticastGroupsCommand *cmd = (UDPJoinMulticastGroupsCommand*)ctrl;
std::vector<IPvXAddress> addresses;
std::vector<int> interfaceIds;
for (int i = 0; i < (int)cmd->getMulticastAddrArraySize(); i++)
addresses.push_back(cmd->getMulticastAddr(i));
for (int i = 0; i < (int)cmd->getInterfaceIdArraySize(); i++)
interfaceIds.push_back(cmd->getInterfaceId(i));
joinMulticastGroups(sd, addresses, interfaceIds);
}
else if (dynamic_cast<UDPLeaveMulticastGroupsCommand*>(ctrl))
{
UDPLeaveMulticastGroupsCommand *cmd = (UDPLeaveMulticastGroupsCommand*)ctrl;
std::vector<IPvXAddress> addresses;
for (int i = 0; i < (int)cmd->getMulticastAddrArraySize(); i++)
addresses.push_back(cmd->getMulticastAddr(i));
leaveMulticastGroups(sd, addresses);
}
else
throw cRuntimeError("Unknown subclass of UDPSetOptionCommand received from app: %s", ctrl->getClassName());
break;
}
default: {
throw cRuntimeError("Unknown command code (message kind) %d received from app", msg->getKind());
}
}
delete msg; // also deletes control info in it
}
I included the inet path as follows:
#include <inet/src/transport/udp/UDP.h>
and I call it as follows, by passing as input UDP_C_CONNECT message.:
cMessage *UDP_C_CONNECT;
void Inet::UDP::processCommandFromApp(UDP_C_CONNECT);
But when I run the simulation, it crashes, returning this error:
Errors occurred during the build.
Errors running builder 'OMNeT++ Makefile Builder' on project 'veins'.
java.lang.NullPointerException
1) Is there the correct way to set up the required connection?
2) Why I'm getting this error as soon as I include the inet path?
UPDATE
I also tried another way to establish the connection:
std::string host;
host = "16777343";
int port = 5144;
Veins::TraCIConnection* connection;
connection = TraCIConnection::connect(host.c_str(), port);
but as soon as it load the plugin, then it's like it is waiting for something at time 0.0 without starting the generation of the nodes.
Thanks for helping

Answer 1

Simulations using OMNeT++ are C++ programs, so you can use the full range of libraries and system calls available to any C++ program. If you want to open a UDP connection to some other computer on your network, just create a UDP socket as you would in any C++ program, then send the data whenever needed.
Maybe the easiest way to go about writing this is to
start with a plain C++ program that has nothing to do with OMNeT++
move the part of the program that has to run before everything else into the initialize method of a module in your simulation, the rest to a handleMessage method.