MAADNET NetBuilder: A Service/Demand Focused Network Simulator

Network and cyber-defense laboratories are an important part of networking and information assurance education. However, there are rarely enough lab resources or time to allow every student to explore these issues in depth. As part of a larger project, faculty members at West Point are developing MAADNET NetBuilder, a rapid network construction and evaluation tool. Instructors create scenarios defining available facilities, equipment, services, demands that must be supported, and a scoring system. The students construct and configure a network, run the simulation, and receive immediate feedback. A multi-layered design modularizes components, strictly defines interfaces, and simplifies future extensions. At the foundation is a discrete event simulation allowing faster-than-real time execution and a communication layer where traffic is generated for execution and statistics can be captured. The device and link layer defines computing and communication devices and links between them, and is where attributes such as bandwidth are established. The service and demand layer is where mail, file, web, and other services are handled, including the demands placed on those services. The user interface layer allows visual network construction and provides feedback from execution of the simulation. MAADNET NetBuilder is a simulation-based approach to network instruction that should prove useful to anyone engaged in network and security education. BACKGROUND Networking and information assurance are important parts of the curriculum in the Computer Science (CS) program at the United States Military Academy (USMA) a