Session 3532 Virtual Networking Lab (VNL): its concepts and implementation

In this paper, we present the architecture and design for a Virtual Networking Lab (VNL) that is being developed for hands-on exercises in network engineering curricula at Texas A&M University. The objective of the VNL is to create a remotely accessible environment for students to obtain hands-on networking experiences. Isolation provides for wide scope networking training without compromising operational campus networks and enhances the desirability of remote access. The facility is designed to support finegrained, detailed instrumentation and experiments on real networking equipment. VNL architecture consists of two major foundations: Access/Resource Management Servers, (ARMS), for management of remote users and test bed resources; and the Micro-Internet Test Bed, (MITB), for execution of experiments and exercises. ARMS safeguards full and secure access of VNL equipment through the Internet, supports efficient equipment management and provides a structure for pedagogical aid. One of several planned environments, MITB is a small, yet complete inter-networking structure based on the real-world Internet architecture. 1