To enhance the fidelity and accuracy of the simulation of communication networks,hardware-in-the-loop（HITL） simulation was employed.HITL simulation methods was classified into three categories,of which the merits and shortages were compared.Combing system-in-the-loop（SITL） simulation principle with high level architecture（HLA）,an HITL simulation model of asynchronous transfer mode（ATM） network was constructed.The throughput and end-to-end delay of all-digital simulation and HITL simulation was analyzed,which showed that HITL simulation was more reliable and effectively improved the simulation credibility of communication network.Meanwhile,HLA-SITL method was fast and easy to achieve and low-cost during design lifecycle.Thus,it was a feasible way to research and analyze the large-scale network.
