Any counter can be simulated with either a constant or a random simulation. The rate can be configurable at run-time.
The constant simulation maintains the exact rate throughout the duration of the simulation and can be used in situations where deterministic, precisely controlled values are required. Combined with the feature to pause the agent simulation at any point in time, regression tests for management applications can be easily constructed.
The following graph shows the same scenario with a random simulation. The values of the counter hover randomly around an average rate, enabling flow-based analysis. Again, the average rate is adjustable at run-time.