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Title: Teaching Experiences With a Virtual Network Laboratory

Authors: Ken Wong, Tilman Wolf, Sergey Gorinsky, and Jonathan Turner

Abstract: The Open Network Laboratory (ONL) is an Internet-accessible virtual laboratory facility that can deliver a high quality laboratory experience in advanced networking [3,7]. Our experience with ONL indicates that it has potential to improve student understanding of fundamental networking concepts and increase enthusiasm for experimentation with complex technology. Furthermore, these benefits can be delivered with less effort from the instructor than using a traditional approach of socket programming and ns-2 simulation exercises. The system is built around a set of high-performance, extendible routers which connect personal computers acting as end systems. Users
configure their virtual network through the Remote Laboratory Interface (RLI), an intuitive graphical interface. The RLI’s realtime charts and user data facility make it easy to directly view the effect of system parameters on traffic behavior. These features can enhance learning by providing users with multiple representations of network phenomena. We describe how the ONL facilities have improved our ability to meet instructional objectives and discuss some approaches to improving the laboratory experience.

Published: Ken Wong, Tilman Wolf, Sergey Gorinsky, and Jonathan Turner, "Teaching experiences with a virtual network laboratory," in Proc. of the 38th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Covington, KY, Mar. 2007, pp. 481-485.

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BibTeX:
@inproceedings{Wong:TEV07,
   author    = {Wong, Ken and Wolf, Tilman and Gorinsky, Sergey and Turner, Jonathan},
   title     = {Teaching Experiences With a Virtual Network Laboratory},
   booktitle = {Proc. of the 38th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education},
   year      = 2007,
   month     = mar,
   pages     = {481--485},
   address   = {Covington, KY}
}

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