OPNET I T GURU: A TOOL FOR NETWORKI NG EDUCATI ON

MSCIT Practicum Paper

REGIS UNIVERSITY




















BY
Ranj an Kapar t i



Professor Dan Likarish
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TABLE OF CONTENTS



Chapt er 1: I nt r oduct i on Page 3




Chapt er 2: Sol ut i ons Page 6




Chapt er 3: OPNET I T Gur u Over vi ew Page 9




Chapt er 4: OPNET I T Gur u f or Educat i on Page 17




Chapt er 5: Mul t i medi a Qui ckst ar t and Labs Page 21




Ref er ences Page 41




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Chapt er 1: I nt r oduct i on: The Pr obl em

Comput er net wor ks ar e ubi qui t ous and such a st at e of af f ai r s
cr eat es demand f or qual i f i ed per sonnel who can wor k wi t h
net wor ks. Unsur pr i si ngl y many i nst i t ut i ons of l ear ni ng ( hi gh-
school and hi gher l ear ni ng) ar e t eachi ng t he r el evant set of
net wor ki ng t echnol ogi es. Many ar e i nt er est ed i n cr eat i ng new
pr ogr ams and cur r i cul a wi t h net wor ki ng cont ent .

The quest i on ar i ses as t o how best t o t each t hi s mat er i al .
Mi chael Di xon, Tanya McGi l l , and J ohann Kar l sson poi nt out t hat
many of t he r el evant concept s ar e di f f i cul t t o r eal l y gr asp i n a
pur el y t heor et i cal way. Lect ur es al one do not accompl i sh t he
t r i ck. And pr act i cal assi gnment s - l abs - must move beyond mer e
pr ogr ammi ng assi gnment s. Though wr i t i ng say, a cust om
communi cat i ons pr ot ocol , i s a good exer ci se, i t f al l s shor t i f
t he goal i s t o t each t he bi g pi ct ur e of net wor k communi cat i ons
and associ at ed hi gh- l evel deci si on maki ng and anal ysi s. ( Di xon,
McGi l l and Kar l sson 71)

The nat ur e of t he t echnol ogy i t sel f i s such t hat i t i s di f f i cul t
t o get hands on wi t h i t f r omt he poi nt of vi ew maki ng t he
t echnol ogy avai l abl e f or cl assr oomuse. Ther e i s t he i ssue of
expense. Many hi gh school s f or i nst ance may not have t he
r esour ces t o bui l d an appr opr i at e l ab wi t h al l r el evant har dwar e
and sof t war e. Fur t her mor e r eal wor l d net wor ks may span not
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mer el y a l ab or t wo but r at her ent i r e bui l di ngs or even mul t i pl e
gl obal l ocat i ons. Noel Davi s, Scot Ransbot t omand Dr ew Hami l t on
poi nt out t hat :
Most net wor ks ar e bui l t t o accommodat e t he needs of a si ngl e
or gani zat i on or gr oup. I nt er net wor ki ng i s a t echnol ogy t hat
accommodat es mul t i pl e, di ver se, under l yi ng har dwar e by pr ovi di ng
t he means of i nt er connect i ng het er ogeneous net wor ks.
Compar at i vel y f ew i ndi vi dual s, academi c i nst i t ut i ons or
cor por at i ons have net wor ks exclusively dedicated f or st udent use
and exper i ment at i on. Pr udent admi ni st r at or s l i mi t st udent or
gener al user access t o oper at i onal net wor ks. ( Davi s, Ransbot t om
and Hami l t on 104)

Davi s et al make some good poi nt s her e. Even i f t her e i s a
net wor k desi gnat ed f or st udent use i t i s r ar e t hat t he net wor k s
sol e pur pose i s t o suppor t t he net wor ki ng cur r i cul um. St udent s
may gai n val uabl e exper i ence managi ng a net wor k whi ch i s i n
depl oyment ( f or gener al uses) ; however such exper i ence has
l i mi t at i ons. For i nst ance suppose a school deci des t o r un t he
Wi ndows f ami l y of ser ver s on t hei r net wor ks and t he school
desi gnat es a l ab f or net wor ki ng st udent s use. St udent s may
l ear n a l ot about Wi ndows ser ver s and associ at ed t echnol ogi es but
t hey wi l l not obt ai n hands on t r ai ni ng wi t h Li nux based
t echnol ogi es. Even i f one set s asi de t he wor r y about not bei ng
abl e t o l ear n t he r el evant r ange of t echnol ogi es, st udent s wi l l
l i kel y not be al l owed t o change set t i ngs and r econf i gur e t hi ngs
t o any si gni f i cant ext ent i n t he Wi ndows based net wor k.

The bot t oml i ne seems t o be t hat net wor ki ng cur r i cul a f ace t he
f ol l owi ng di l emma: on t he one hand i t i s expensi ve t o set up a
net wor ki ng l ab and on t he ot her , even i f one makes t hat
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i nvest ment , such l abs have si gni f i cant l i mi t at i ons f r omt he poi nt
of vi ew of pedagogy. One cannot hope t o cover t he di ver si t y of
t echnol ogi es and conf i gur at i ons and f ur t her mor e l ar ge scal e
net wor ks cannot be bui l t speci f i cal l y f or st udent use t he cost s
ar e sur el y t oo pr ohi bi t i ve.

Thi s pr obl emof maki ng avai l abl e appr opr i at e hands on comput er
net wor ki ng t r ai ni ng i s even mor e acut e i f one consi der s distance
education. I n di st ance educat i on ( whet her synchr onous onl i ne,
asynchr onous onl i ne, vi deo based) st udent s ar e i n di spar at e
l ocat i ons. I t woul d be i mpossi bl e t o col l ect t hemt oget her f or
t he sake of hands- on t r ai ni ng unl ess one mandat es t hat f or
br i ef per i ods of t i me i n whi ch case i t no l onger woul d be
r eal l y pur el y di st ance l ear ni ng. I ndeed accor di ng t o Br i an
Camer on and K. Wi j ekumar :
Comput er net wor ki ng, as def i ned as t he i nt er connect i on of
comput er s and comput i ng equi pment usi ng ei t her wi r es or r adi o
waves over smal l or l ar ge geogr aphi c ar eas ( Whi t e, 1994) , has
l ong been r egar ded as one of t he mor e di f f i cul t t echnol ogy-
r el at ed subj ect s t o t each. Hi st or i cal l y, t hi s t ype of cour se was
t hought t o r equi r e much hands- on i nt er act i on wi t h t he i nst r uct or
and was not vi ewed as a good candi dat e f or an onl i ne cour se.
( Camer on and Wi j ekumar , 117)

I t woul d be har d t o i magi ne ser i ous educat i onal i nst i t ut i ons
cr eat i ng mi ni net wor ki ng l abs wi t h act ual har dwar e i n ever y
di st ance l ear ni ng st udent home or wor kpl ace. The cost s, even i f
par t i al l y t o be passed on t o t he st udent s, ar e si mpl y t oo hi gh.


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Chapt er 2: Sol ut i ons

Even t hough t he pi ct ur e pr i ma f aci e appear s bl eak, t her e ar e some
vi abl e sol ut i ons t hat woul d addr ess not onl y t he needs of
t r adi t i onal but al so t hose of non- t r adi t i onal ( di st ance)
net wor ki ng st udent s. The mai n sol ut i on of i nt er est her e i s
net wor k model i ng and si mul at i on sof t war e. I n par t i cul ar OPNET
I T Gur u i s goi ng t o be t he f ocus.

Appr opr i at e net wor k model i ng and si mul at i on sof t war e coul d be
used t o model net wor ks down and up t o what ever scal e or det ai l
t hat i s necessar y. St udent s l ear n by cr eat i ng vi r t ual net wor ks
and devi ces of al l ki nds and ar e not l i mi t ed by net wor k har dwar e
avai l abi l i t y concer ns. Ther e i s t he pr ospect t hat di st ance
st udent s can par t i ci pat e f ul l y al l i t woul d t ake i s st udent
access t o a wor kst at i on t o r un t he sof t war e. The st udent s home
comput er i t sel f woul d l i kel y f i t t he bi l l .

I ndeed st udi es have al r eady been done t hat show si gni f i cant l y
i mpr oved l ear ni ng out comes i n net wor ki ng t echnol ogy di st ance
st udent s who used net wor k model i ng and si mul at i on sof t war e and
t hose di st ance st udent s who di d not . Camer on and Wi j ekumar
cl ai mt hat net wor k si mul at i on sof t war e i ncr eases st udent
mot i vat i on i n onl i ne cour ses. One of t he bi ggest pr obl ems i n
di st ance educat i on ( accor di ng t o t hem) i s l ack of sust ai ned
st udent mot i vat i on and i nvol vement . Net wor k si mul at i on sof t war e
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gi ves st udent s somet hi ng t angi bl e t o do a f eel i ng of havi ng
accompl i shi ng somet hi ng r eal and hands on and t hus l essens dr op
out r at es. ( Camer on and Wi j ekumar , 116f )

Camer on and Wi j ekumar act ual l y conduct ed a st udy wi t h an onl i ne
net wor ki ng cour se f or under gr aduat es ( Camer on and Wi j ekumar ,
118) . One cour se used st at i c net wor k desi gn package -
Mi cr osof t Vi si o - f or desi gn assi gnment s whi l e t he ot her cour se
used net wor k si mul at i on and model i ng sof t war e f or al l t hei r wor k.
I t was not OPNET I T Gur u but r at her one made by Net Cr acker
Cor por at i on. Nonet hel ess Net Cr acker s sof t war e i s dynami c as
wel l per mi t t i ng a r ange of model i ng, desi gn and si mul at i on
f unct i onal i t y ( LAN, MAN, WAN) . I t was f ound t hat st udent s wi t h
Net Cr acker sof t war e had a l ower dr op out r at e, and r at ed t hei r
l ear ni ng t o be much hi gher . They spent mor e t i me on t hei r
assi gnment s and expl or ed what i f scenar i os. The ones wi t h
Mi cr osof t Vi si o f el t t hat t hey di d not qui t e know i f t hei r
net wor k desi gns r eal l y wor ked or not bef or e submi t t i ng t hemt o
t he i nst r uct or .

Camer on and Wi j ekumar f ur t her poi nt t o a number of st udi es whi ch
col l ect i vel y suggest t he f ol l owi ng good t hi ngs about si mul at i on
and model i ng as a gener al pedagogi cal t echni que:

( a) Si mul at i ons enabl e knowl edge appl i cat i on t hr ough
mul t i di mensi onal pr obl emsol vi ng. ( Camer on and Wi j ekumar ,
119)
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( b) Si mul at i ons have been shown t o i mpr ove knowl edge
t r ansf er ( Camer on and Wi j ekumar , 119)
( c) Si mul at i ons have been shown t o i ncr ease under st andi ng
of abst r act concept s. ( Camer on and Wi j ekumar , 119)
( d) Si mul at i ons and model i ng can hel p i nst r uct or s t ar get
st udent s at mul t i pl e l evel s of l ear ni ng. ( Camer on and
Wi j ekumar , 119)
( e) Si mul at i ons have t he pot ent i al t o i mpr ove st udent s
abi l i t i es wi t h compl ex and evol vi ng pr obl emsol vi ng
si t uat i ons. ( Camer on and Wi j ekumar , 119)

I t seems t her ef or e t o be al most a no- br ai ner t o i ncor por at e
net wor k si mul at i on and model i ng sof t war e i nt o t he cur r i cul um.
The advant ages i n t er ms of cost , st udent i nvol vement and l ear ni ng
out comes, ut i l i t y i n di st ance l ear ni ng, t he abi l i t y t o gi ve
pr act i cal exper i ences about t echnol ogi es of a wi de r ange and/ or
t hat ar e si mpl y t oo expensi ve ar e so i mpr essi ve and gr eat t hat i t
makes ver y l i t t l e sense t o r ej ect t hi s sol ut i on.

I n t he mar ket t her e appear t o be t wo maj or opt i ons f or net wor ki ng
and si mul at i on sof t war e. Boson s Net Si mand OPNET s I T Gur u ar e
ment i oned wi del y i n t he l i t er at ur e. The l at t er appear s t o be mor e
wi del y adopt ed i n academy. The f or mer seems t o t ar get t he
Ci sco s l i ne of net wor ki ng exami nat i on and pr ep mar ket s and not
necessar i l y net wor ki ng i n gener al ( Boson Cor por at i on, Boson
Net Si m: Educat i on by Si mul at i on) . I n cont r ast I T Gur u i s
compr ehensi ve and t echnol ogy neut r al i n i t s capabi l i t i es and
ver sat i l i t y. However t hat f act by i t sel f ought not t o count
agai nst Net Si m. I t may be t hat bot h pi eces of sof t war e have
wor t hwhi l e r ol es t o pl ay i n t he cur r i cul um. For t he sake of
f ocus OPNET s I T Gur u wi l l be pur sued i n dept h her e.
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Chapt er 3: OPNET I T Gur u: Over vi ew

I T Gur u enabl es one t o cr eat e a virtual net wor k consi st i ng of
r el evant har dwar e, pr ot ocol s, and appl i cat i on sof t war e ( OPNET
Cor por at i on, Sl i de 2 of I T Gur u Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt
Pr esent at i on, 2004) . Thi s net wor k i s a pur el y sof t war e ent i t y
t hat can r un on an i ndi vi dual wor kst at i on. Rout er s, swi t ches,
web ser ver s al most anyt hi ng f ound i n r eal net wor ks can be
dupl i cat ed i n an I T Gur u vi r t ual net wor k. I t can be scal ed f r om
j ust a net wor k of t wo wor kst at i ons t o one r epr esent i ng t ens of
t housands r unni ng i n a WAN.

Once a vi r t ual net wor k i s cr eat ed i t can be mani pul at ed i n
var i ous ways f or i nst ance r out er s can be added or subt r act ed,
pr ot ocol s swi t ched ar ound or al t er ed, web ser ver s added or
di scar ded any per mut at i on i magi nabl e. The ef f ect s of var i ous
al t er at i ons and di ver se conf i gur at i ons can t hen be usef ul l y and
quant i f i abl y exami ned and anal yzed. I mpor t ant l y I T Gur u al l ows
one t o st udy and gat her usef ul st at i st i cs about a vi r t ual net wor k
bui l t f r omi t . I T Gur u per mi t s not onl y t he bui l di ng of a
vi r t ual net wor k i n sof t war e but al so pr ovi des t ool s f or
dynami cal l y i nvest i gat i ng t he t hus engender ed net wor k. ( OPNET
Cor por at i on, Sl i de 17 of I T Gur u Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt
Pr esent at i on, 2004) .

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The f ol l owi ng hi gh l evel ar chi t ect ur al r ender i ng of I T Gur u i s an
i deal pl ace t o get st ar t ed. I t shows I T Gur u and i t s maj or
modul es:


Sour ce: OPNET Cor por at i on, Sl i de 377 of I T Gur u Qui ckSt ar t ,
Power Poi nt Pr esent at i on, 2004

The vi r t ual net wor k envi r onment r epr esent s a net wor k. I t can
have a sl ew of component s i n ever y sal i ent cat egor y. Opnet
def i nes a t opol ogy as a col l ect i on of l i nks, nodes and
conf i gur at i on. ( OPNET Cor por at i on, Sl i de 203 of I T Gur u
Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt Pr esent at i on, 2004) By nodes Opnet
means t o i ncl ude net wor ki ng har dwar e of al l ki nds ( r out er s,
wor kst at i ons, swi t ches, hubs et c) . By l i nks t he under l yi ng
connect i vi t y t echnol ogy ( Et her net , ATM, et c) and r el evant
char act er i st i cs ( l at ency, bandwi dt h) ar e meant . I n
IT Guru Workflow Inputs and Outputs
Virtual Network
Environment
Traffic,
Topology, and
Configuration
Application Trace
Flow Analysis: Visualize and study steady-state data flow, capacity planning, failure analysis extensive
reporting
NetDoctor: Operational configuration validation protocol-specific and policy-based
DES: Simulates precise protocol effects for capacity planning, tuning protocol behavior, response
time engineering, technology migration, QoS, etc.
ACE: Application performance troubleshooting: visualize performance, diagnose problems, explore
solutions

MVI, VNES,
GUI
Sniffer, OPNET Application Capture Agent, etc.
Steady-state Throughput/Util;
100+Reports; Path/Failure
Flow
Analysis
Configuration validation NetDoctor
Graphs, web reports, charts, for
all time-varying network
performance metrics (e.g., app
response time, queue depths,
ti t l
DES
Application Visualization,
Diagnosis, Analysis, Protocol
ACE
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conf i gur at i on t hi ngs l i ke r out i ng pr ot ocol s, addr essi ng,
whet her VPN, ar e i ncl uded. Some combi nat i on of nodes, l i nks,
and conf i gur at i on makes up a VNE. ( OPNET Cor por at i on, Sl i de 203
of I T Gur u Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt Pr esent at i on, 2004)

As t he di agr amshows t her e ar e sever al di f f er ent ways of cr eat i ng
an OPNET vi r t ual net wor k envi r onment ( VNE) . The most
st r ai ght f or war d i s by usi ng OPNET s GUI i nt er f ace f or t hat
pur pose. One can sel ect f r oma l i st of choi ces f or al l aspect s
of a net wor k. The gener al pr ocedur e i s t o sel ect appr opr i at e
har dwar e el ement s such as wor kst at i ons, ser ver s, r out er s,
swi t ches, hubs, t hen connect t hemt oget her accor di ng t o t he
desi r ed t opol ogy. OPNET pr ovi des model s of t he maj or popul ar
br ands of net wor k communi cat i on har dwar e Ci sco f or i nst ance i s
wel l r epr esent ed wi t h i t s f ami l y of r out er s and swi t ches
avai l abl e i n t he r el evant OPNET I T Gur u menus. ( OPNET
Cor por at i on, Sl i de 205, Sl i des 221- 223 of I T Gur u Qui ckSt ar t ,
Power Poi nt Pr esent at i on, 2004)

The GUI met hod wor ks wel l i n many cont ext s sur el y but i t can be
t edi ous i f t he net wor k bei ng model ed i s el abor at e and compl ex.
OPNET has made i t possi bl e t o automate VNE cr eat i on vi a t he VNE
Ser ver t echnol ogy. The VNE Ser ver wor ks i n conj unct i on wi t h
OPNET VNE cl i ent s t o gat her user speci f i ed net wor k dat a. I t
t hen has t he abi l i t y t o f eed t hat dat a i nt o I T Gur u, pr oduci ng a
vi r t ual r epr esent at i on of t he net wor k. Cl ear l y t hi s i s a hi ghl y
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power f ul met hod of engender i ng a VNE. I t has t he added
advant age of si dest eppi ng user er r or s t hat ar e possi bl e i n a
manual VNE cr eat i on pr ocess.

Act ual l y VNE ser ver i s power f ul enough t o pr ocess net wor k
t opol ogy dat a f r omnot onl y OPNET cl i ent s but al so i ndust r y
st andar d net wor k mappi ng and moni t or i ng agent s. For i nst ance
VNE ser ver can i nt er f ace wi t h HP Openvi ew NNM, Ci sco Net f l ow
Col l ect or i n addi t i on t o havi ng t he capaci t y t o gat her
i nf or mat i on di r ect l y f r omvar i ous Ci sco, J uni per and Nor t el
swi t ches and r out er s. I t can al so r ead f r omSNMP MI Bs and i n
t he wor st - case scenar i o per haps ASCI I f i l es cont ai ni ng sundr y
t opol ogy r el at ed i nf or mat i on. ( OPNET Cor por at i on, Sl i de 207 of
I T Gur u Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt Pr esent at i on, 2004)

I T Gur u can al so ut i l i ze net wor k devi ce conf i gur at i on f i l e
i nf or mat i on t o cr eat e a VNE. Rout er s, f or i nst ance, have
associ at ed conf i gur at i on f i l es t hat cont ai n commands t o t he
r out er OS. Such f i l es can be f ed i nt o I T Gur u and I T Gur u can
i n t ur n gener at e t opol ogy i nf or mat i on f r omt hem. The
r est r i ct i on i s t hat onl y Ci sco and J uni per devi ces ar e cur r ent l y
suppor t ed. ( OPNET Cor por at i on, Sl i de 208 of I T Gur u
Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt Pr esent at i on, 2004)

Opnet has devot ed an ent i r e speci al i zed modul e cal l ed Appl i cat i on
Char act er i zat i on Envi r onment ( ACE) f or model i ng and anal yzi ng t he
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behavi or of pr ogr ams t hat r esi de above and ar e pr i mar i l y user s of
t he net wor k. I n ot her wor ds, t hese ar e above t he t opol ogy l ayer
t hey use net wor k ser vi ces but ar e not t hemsel ves st r i ct l y
speaki ng, par t of t he t opol ogy. Consi der a web br owser , or a
vi deo conf er enci ng cl i ent . Or a dat abase quer y t ool t hat t al ks
t o a dat abase over t he net wor k. Any and al l such appl i cat i ons
can be model ed i n I T Gur u one can make cust omvi r t ual
r epr esent at i ons of such pr ogr amand popul at e t hemi nsi de a VNE.
Not onl y can I T Gur u si mul at e net wor k t opol ogy i n t he VNE but
al so any hi gh l evel appl i cat i on t hat r uns on t he net wor k.

One must hast en t o cl ar i f y t hat i t i s not t hat t he ent i r e
appl i cat i on s l ogi c and f unct i onal i t y wi l l be dupl i cat ed i nsi de
t he VNE. Rat her ACE ( usi ng appr opr i at e Opnet agent s) capt ur es
an appl i cat i on s communi cat i ons and i nt er act i ons wi t h t he
under l yi ng net wor k t opol ogy. Thi s sor t of snapshot of an
appl i cat i on s net wor k communi cat i ons i s cal l ed an appl i cat i on s
t r ace. As an i l l ust r at i on of how ACE coul d be used, suppose
t her e i s a new web appl i cat i on t hat r emot e user s access on a DSL
connect i on. However t hey ar e exper i enci ng mor e t han expect ed
l at ency and del ay. Suppose t hat ACE t r aces have been capt ur ed
bot h at t he cl i ent and ser ver . Now ACE, wor ki ng i n conj unct i on
wi t h I T Gur u, has t he abi l i t y t o si mul at e and anal yze t he ent i r e
cl i ent ser ver i nt er act i on her e. The t r ansact i ons bet ween cl i ent
and ser ver her e can be si mul at ed i nsi de t he appr opr i at el y
const r uct ed VNE. ACE and I T Gur u gi ves one t he abi l i t y t o
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conduct det ai l ed st udi es t hat woul d hopef ul l y pi n- poi nt what t he
t r oubl e may be ( or at t he ver y l east r ul e out pr obl emspot s) .
For i nst ance, i t may be t hat t he ser ver i s behavi ng cor r ect l y but
t he cl i ent i s f i r i ng r equest s at t oo r api d a r at e or i n a
r edundant f ashi on. Such behavi or , upon uncover i ng, may be f i xed
by r e- conf i gur i ng or r e- pr ogr ammi ng t he cl i ent appr opr i at el y.
( OPNET Cor por at i on, Sl i des 46- 59, 176- 178 of I T Gur u
Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt Pr esent at i on, 2004)

Fl ow Anal ysi s, Net Doct or and Di scr et e Event Si mul at i on ( DES) ar e
I T Gur u modul es f or al l ki nds of anal ysi s and st udy of a
const r uct ed VNE. I n ot her wor ds, t hese modul es assi st wi t h
appr opr i at el y scr ut i ni zi ng and pl ayi ng wi t h a vi r t ual net wor k.
They ar e not t ool s f or gener at i ng a t opol ogy and associ at ed
appl i cat i ons r at her t hey hel p i n t he f ur t her st udy of a gi ven
VNE. They ar e t he anal ysi s ar ms of I T Gur u. I T Gur u enabl es
one t o not onl y si mul at e a net wor k but al so t o i nvest i gat e such a
si mul at i on i n dept h. The pr ecedi ng modul es ar e each desi gned t o
pr obe di f f er ent aspect s of a VNE.

The Fl ow Anal ysi s modul e enabl es conduct i ng st udi es on net wor k
t r af f i c f l ows. I n par t i cul ar Opnet showcases r epor t gener at i on
on I P f l ows and ATM f l ows i n per manent net wor k connect i on ( PVC)
scenar i os. The modul e i s capabl e of r epor t i ng on t hr oughput ,
and r out i ng al gor i t hmand t r af f i c f l ow behavi or s. Connect i on
f ai l ur es ar e r ecogni zed and r epor t ed on. Fl ow Anal ysi s woul d be
15
ver y usef ul i n i nvest i gat i ng what sor t of i mpact changi ng net wor k
conf i gur at i on may have on gener al t r af f i c f l ow i n a net wor k.
( OPNET Cor por at i on, Sl i de 261 of I T Gur u Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt
Pr esent at i on, 2004)

The Net Doct or modul e can be used t o check t he conf i gur at i on of
var i ous nodes i n a net wor k model . For i nst ance suppose t hat a
net wor k s r out er s ar e al l supposed t o behave a cer t ai n way.
Af t er one capt ur es t hi s net wor k i nt o a VNE ( possi bl y vi a t he VNE
ser ver ) one can r un Net Doct or t o ver i f y r out er conf i gur at i on.
I f Net Doct or says t hat t he VNE r out er s ar e not wor ki ng as t hey
ought t o t hen t hat suggest s t hat t he r eal r out er s i n t he net wor k
ar e not behavi ng as t hey ought t o. Net Doct or can f i nd i ssues
i n r out i ng, secur i t y, addr essi ng and t he l i ke one can pr ogr am
Net Doct or wi t h how t hi ngs ought t o l ook l i ke and Net Doct or can
t el l i f t hi ngs ar e as t hey shoul d be i n t he VNE. Assumi ng t hat
t he VNE i s an accur at e r ender i ng of t he r el evant r eal net wor k,
chances ar e t hat i f t her e ar e pr obl ems wi t h t he VNE t her e ar e
pr obl ems i n t he r eal net wor k. One can modi f y t he VNE i n var i ous
ways t o t r y and f i x t he i ssues and t hen Net Doct or can be r un
agai n. The f i nal net wor k conf i gur at i on t hat passes Net Doct or s
t est s can t hen be i mpl ement ed i nt o t he r eal net wor k. ( OPNET
Cor por at i on, Sl i de 236- 37 of I T Gur u Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt
Pr esent at i on, 2004)

16
Di scr et e Event Si mul at i on ( DES) modul e i s i n an i mpor t ant sense
near t he hear t of I T Gur u. DES i s t he t hi ng t hat f l eshes out a
VNE i n an oper at i onal sense. DES i s t he component r esponsi bl e
f or act ual l y r unni ng a VNE i n a l i ve way. Once a VNE i s set - up
i t si mpl y si t s t her e i ner t l y. DES i s t he component r esponsi bl e
f or act ual l y r unni ng an appr opr i at el y conf i gur ed VNE so t hat t he
VNE begi ns t o humwi t h l i f e. DES i s t he si mul at or and anal yzer .
As t he t r af f i c begi ns t o f l ow ar ound t he VNE and al l t he vi r t ual
nodes come onl i ne, DES r uns st at i st i cal anal yses of var i ous ki nds
on t he VNE. The r esul t s of t hese anal yses can be di spl ayed i n
var i ous f or ms i ncl udi ng i n hi ghl y gr aphi cal ways - char t s,
di agr ams and so f or t h. Some exampl es ar e t hi ngs l i ke
t hr oughput s, l at ency at var i ous nodes, t r af f i c vol umes and
appl i cat i on r esponse t i mes al l sor t s of r el evant i nf or mat i on
about t he oper at i ons of t he vi r t ual net wor k can be gat her ed up
f or scr ut i ny. ( OPNET Cor por at i on, Sl i de 288- 290 of I T Gur u
Qui ckSt ar t , Power Poi nt Pr esent at i on, 2004)
17
Chapter 4: OPNET IT Guru for Education

I t shoul d be obvi ous f r omt he pr ecedi ng t hat I T Gur u i s an
i ndust r i al st r engt h net wor k si mul at i on and anal ysi s t ool . And
i ndeed t hat i s how OPNET i s mar ket i ng i t i t i s not par t i cul ar l y
a pr oduct excl usi vel y desi gned f or use i n t he cl assr oom. I T Gur u
I n ot her wor ds I T Gur u i s not i nt r i nsi cal l y f or educat i on nor has
i t been cr eat ed pur el y f or cl assr oomuse. However OPNET
suppor t s t he use of I T Gur u i n t he cl assr oompr i mar i l y by maki ng
I T Gur u f r eel y avai l abl e f or academi c use.

I T Gur u s r ol e i n t he cl assr oomext ends beyond mer el y l ear ni ng
net wor ki ng t echnol ogi es. Lear ni ng I T Gur u i s i t sel f a
wor t hwhi l e cl assr oomobj ect i ve because I T Gur u i s i ndust r i al
st r engt h sof t war e wi t h r eal wor l d appl i cat i ons and car eer pat hs.
I t i s sor t of l i ke Mi cr osof t Vi sual St udi o i t can be used i n
t he cl assr oomof cour se t o t each pr ogr ammi ng wi t h C# or C++.
But l ear ni ng Vi sual St udi o i s mor e t han si mpl y l ear ni ng
pr ogr ammi ng i n mast er i ng i t one i s act ual l y a st ep cl oser t o
bei ng a r eal - wor l d pr ogr ammi ng pr of essi onal . And Vi sual St udi o
i s har dl y a t ool desi gned pur el y f or educat i on.

Though I T Gur u i t sel f can be made t he l ear ni ng obj ect i ve not ver y
many school s can af f or d t o of f er a cour se excl usi vel y on i t . I T
Gur u s educat i onal pot ent i al wi l l t ypi cal l y be t hat of t eachi ng
net wor ki ng t echnol ogi es. The quest i on t hen i s how best t o use
18
i t t o t each net wor ki ng t echnol ogi es. I t has numer ous modul es
and sever al di st i nct met hods of cr eat i ng t opol ogi es. Whi ch of
t hese modul es and met hods of VNE cr eat i on and subsequent
mani pul at i on woul d wor k wel l f or t he pur poses of pedagogy?

Pr i ma f aci e t he si mpl est appr oach f or t he r un of t he mi l l cour se
seems t o be t hat of cr eat i ng a VNE manual l y and mani pul at i ng i t
vi a DES. Mappi ng a t opol ogy vi a aut omat ed met hods ( f or exampl e
wi t h VNE ser ver ) mi ght be t oo advanced f or a r egul ar cour se. I f
t he cont ext i s t hat of di st ant educat i on i t i s ent i r el y unl i kel y
t hat a di st ance educat i on st udent woul d be abl e ut i l i ze VNE
ser ver f or such an i ndi vi dual t ypi cal l y si t s at a si ngl e
wor kst at i on possi bl y at home. I n a non di st ance- l ear ni ng
cont ext , however , ACE and VNE ser ver mi ght make f or exci t i ng
component s t o an advanced l evel cour se. For i nst ance i magi ne
advanced net wor ki ng st udent s gener at i ng t he uni ver si t y s t opol ogy
usi ng ACE and VNE ser ver . They coul d t hen mani pul at e t he model
i n var i ous ways possi bl y i n conj unct i on wi t h t he net wor k
admi ni st r at i ve st af f . Ther e ar e sur el y many possi bi l i t i es.

At any r at e si nce I T Gur u i s al r eady adopt ed i n some educat i onal
i nst i t ut i ons i t i s appr opr i at e t o br i ef l y r evi ew such use. At
Mur doch Uni ver si t y ( Aust r al i a) I T Gur u has been used i n a net wor k
communi cat i ons cour se t o t each cl i ent - ser ver sol ut i ons par adi gm.
I n one l ab st udent s ar e asked t o compar e di f f er ent cl i ent ser ver
t opol ogi es f r omt he poi nt of vi ew of net wor k per f or mance t hey
19
st ar t out wi t h a 20 wor kst at i on net wor k hooked t o a si ngl e ser ver
machi ne r unni ng FTP, E- Mai l and Dat abase ser ver s. Then t he FTP
ser ver i s pl aced on a di f f er ent machi ne by i t sel f . Fi nal l y t he
FTP ser ver i s moved ont o a separ at e wi r e. Vi a I T Gur u s
Di scr et e Event Si mul at i on per f or mance st at i st i cs anal ysi s
st udent s l ear n t hat t he l at t er t opol ogy i s t he f ast est . I n
anot her l ab, mor e compl i cat ed, st udent s have t o come up wi t h t he
best net wor k conf i gur at i on ( har dwar e and sof t war e) f or a smal l
busi ness, gi ven var i ous const r ai nt s l i ke cost s. Her e t hey desi gn
a sui t abl e VNE f r omscr at ch i n I T Gur u and r un si mul at i ons wi t h
DES. They t hen f act or i n cost s f or var i ous conf i gur at i ons and
submi t t hei r f i nal desi gn al ong wi t h al l r el evant wor k. ( Di xon,
McGi l l and Kar l sson 72- 73)

At t he Rochest er I nst i t ut e of Technol ogy ( New Yor k) OPNET
si mul at i on pr oduct s ar e depl oyed i n t he r egul ar cl assr oomt o
t each net wor ki ng. Ther e ar e sever al di f f er ent ways i n whi ch i t
i s bei ng used. I n one t ype of l ab st udent s bui l d t oken r i ng
and Et her net net wor ks wi t h Opnet and compar e per f or mance under
var i ous si t uat i ons. I n anot her , r at her di f f er ent , t ype of
cont ext t hey use Opnet t o desi gn sui t abl e net wor ks f or non- pr of i t
or gani zat i ons seeki ng t o depl oy net wor ks f or t hei r or gani zat i onal
benef i t . I n ot her wor ds st udent s ar e f or med i nt o gr oups t o
consul t f or r eal wor l d cl i ent s t hese ar e t ypi cal l y non-
pr of i t s i n need of net wor k t echnol ogy assi st ance per haps t he
cl i ent i s l ooki ng t o i nst i t ut e an i mpor t ant upgr ade or even bui l d
20
a new net wor k f r omscr at ch. I nst r uct or s act as r esour ces t o t he
st udent gr oups and al so r evi ew st udent wor k and r ecommendat i ons.
St udent s have t o wor k wi t h t he cl i ent t o come up wi t h
r equi r ement s, desi gn, and f i nal l y i mpl ement at i on t ype document s.
St udent use OPNET t o j ust i f y and model opt i mumsol ut i ons.
( Per ez- Har dy 94f )

Nei t her of t he above i nst i t ut i ons ment i oned appear t o be usi ng
t hi ngs l i ke VNE ser ver or even f or t hat mat t er ACE. And t hey
have depl oyed OPNET i n t he r egul ar cl assr oomand not i n a
di st ance f or mat and so t her e i s no i ssue of l ack of l ab r esour ces
f or mount i ng a VNE ser ver . But j ust because t hese per haps
advanced f eat ur es of OPNET have not been ut i l i zed t hus f ar does
not i mpl y t hat t hey shoul d not be so used by some cur r i cul umi n
t he f ut ur e. Cer t ai nl y abr oad i n Eur ope some i nst i t ut i ons
have i ncor por at ed appl i cat i on t r ace capt ur e exer ci ses i n t hei r
cur r i cul a. Recal l t hat appl i cat i on t r aces can be i mpor t ed vi a
ACE and t hi s i s i ndeed what t he st udent s do t hey capt ur e t r aces
of , say, t hei r Usenet sessi ons, on t hei r l ocal comput er . ( J .
Theuni s, B. Van den Br oeck et . al . 3)

Regar dl ess, i n t he r emai ni ng par t of t hi s wor k - ver y much i n
l i ne wi t h cur r ent t he maj or i t y gener al pedagogy - t he f ocus wi l l
be on manual t opol ogy bui l di ng and subsequent DES based
si mul at i on r unni ng usi ng t he t opol ogy. Fi r st a get t i ng
21
st ar t ed t ype t ut or i al and l at er sampl e I T Gur u l abs t hat coul d
be a st ar t i ng poi nt f or a r ange of cour ses on net wor ki ng.
22
Chapt er 6: OPNET I T Gur u Mul t i medi a Qui ckst ar t and Labs

Whi l e i t i s possi bl e t o const r uct a t ut or i al wi t h appr opr i at e
scr een capt ur es and t he l i ke i t may be mor e hel pf ul t o l i t er al l y
demonst r at e t he basi cs of oper at i ng I T Gur u usi ng demonst r at i on
mul t i medi a t ool s. Thi s t ut or i al can be vi ewed openi ng t he web
page f i l e cal l ed Si mpl eSi m. ht m i t i s l i nked t o a Fl ash f i l e
cal l ed Si mpl eSi m. swf . I t shows how t o cr eat e and r un ( usi ng
DES) a ver y si mpl e net wor k t opol ogy a si ngl e wor kst at i on hooked
t o a ser ver . Ver si on 10. 5 i s t he ver si on of I T Gur u shown i n
t he demo.

OPNET Labs

Once t he deci si on i s made t o depl oy I T Gur u i n suppor t of a
cour se di st ance l ear ni ng or ot her wi se t he i ssue of pr eci sel y
how t o l ever age i t ar i ses. Gi ven t he sophi st i cat i on of t he
t ool t he r ange of choi ces f or usi ng i t ar e vast . A r ange of
appr opr i at e l abs can be cr eat ed on vi r t ual l y any net wor ki ng
t opi c. I n t he t ext book wor l d t her e i s even a l ab manual
avai l abl e now Computer Networks: Network Simulation Experiments
Manual by Emad Aboel el a. I n t hi s excel l ent wor k Aboelela has
hi t a r ange of t opi cs f r omt oken r i ng t o VPN and t he l abs ar e
excl usi vel y f or I T Gur u. However i t may be t hat t he manual i s a
bi t t oo sophi st i cat ed f or t he i nt r oduct or y t o i nt er medi at e
23
net wor ki ng st udent and begi nni ng user of I T Gur u. I t i s
cer t ai nl y not f or t he neophyt e.

I n t hi s paper a set of t hr ee l abs i s pr oduced wi t h appr opr i at e
scr een capt ur es f r omOPNET I T Gur u Ver si on 10. 5. They ar e
appr opr i at e f or someone who i s at t he i nt r oduct or y t o
i nt er medi at e l evel wi t h net wor ki ng t echnol ogy. They pr ovi de a
way of l ear ni ng f eat ur es of OPNET i n addi t i on t o bei ng hands on
r evi ew of some aspect s of st andar d net wor ki ng t heor y. They ar e
wr i t t en i n a gener i c way t hey ar e i nt ended t o be wor t hwhi l e
anywher e f r omadvanced hi gh- school cur r i cul umt o gr aduat e school .

I t shoul d be not ed t hat I T Gur u may be i nst al l ed r i ght on t he
st udent s own machi ne ( OPNET I T Gur u 9. 5 i s downl oadabl e f r ee f or
educat i onal use) or al t er nat i vel y i t may be mount ed on a sui t abl e
ser ver or l ab t o whi ch t he st udent i s gi ven access ei t her
physi cal l y or onl i ne.
24

Lab 1: Hubs ver sus Swi t ches i n Smal l Busi ness LAN

Goal

The goal of t hi s l ab i s t o compar e per f or mance of pur e hub LAN
wi t h swi t ched LAN i n a t i ny net wor k.

Overview

We wi l l cr eat e t wo scenar i os. I n one scenar i o t her e ar e f i ve
wor kst at i ons t hat connect t o a web ser ver vi a a hub. Rel evant
per f or mance st at i st i cs wi l l be col l ect ed at bot h t he wor kst at i ons
and t he ser ver . The same wi l l be done i n a second scenar i o
except t hat i nst ead of a hub i t wi l l be a swi t ch f aci l i t at i ng t he
connect i on bet ween ser ver and wor kst at i ons.

IT Guru Step by Step Procedure

St ep 1. Launch I T Gur u and cr eat e a new pr oj ect
hub_swi t ch_pr oj ect .

St ep 2. Cr eat e a scenar i o hub_scenar i o. Lat er we wi l l add
anot her scenar i o i nt o t he same pr oj ect - swi t ch_scenar i o.

St ep 3. Choose t he def aul t model l i br ar y and def aul t scenar i o
di mensi ons.

St ep 4. Dr ag f i ve Et her net wor kst at i ons and a Ser ver i nt o t he
const r uct i on ar ea and connect t hemup wi t h t he ai d of a hub.
The t opol ogy shoul d l ook l i ke t he scr een capt ur e bel ow:

25



St ep 5. Add pr of i l e and appl i cat i on nodes.

St ep 6. Open t he at t r i but es wi ndow f or appl i cat i on node and
sel ect Def aul t f or t he Appl i cat i on Def i ni t i ons r ow. Thi s
makes al l st andar d net wor k appl i cat i ons avai l abl e f or use i n our
t opol ogy HTTP, FTP, E- Mai l , Dat abase, et c.

St ep 7. We wi l l cr eat e a cust ompr of i l e web appl i cat i on user
pr of i l e l et us cal l t he pr of i l e web user . To get t her e, go
under t he edi t box at t r i but es wi ndow - f or t he pr of i l e. I t
l ooks as f ol l ows.
26


Go t o pr of i l e conf i gur at i on i t i s hi ghl i ght ed above and
sel ect edi t . A new mi ni - wi ndow opens up pr of i l e
conf i gur at i on t abl e wi ndow sel ect r ow #1. I t shoul d l ook as
f ol l ows:



Now under Pr of i l e Name change t he name t o Web User . Change
t he ent r y under Repeat abi l i t y col umn t o unl i mi t ed. Under
Appl i cat i ons sel ect edi t and a new wi ndow pops out t hi s i s t he
Appl i cat i ons Tabl e wi ndow. Her e we wi l l sel ect an appl i cat i on
27
t hat wi l l be associ at ed wi t h t he Web User pr of i l e. Sel ect r ow 1
and pi ck web br owsi ng heavy. I t shoul d l ook as f ol l ows:




Cl ose al l open wi ndows. At t hi s st age we have cr eat ed a new
pr of i l e cal l ed Web User and t hi s pr of i l e can be appl i ed i n our
t opol ogy.

St ep 8. Appl y t he pr of i l e Web User t o al l t he wor kst at i ons.
Thi s can be conveni ent l y done by hol di ng t he cont r ol key down and
sel ect i ng al l f i ve wor kst at i ons and t hen maki ng t he appr opr i at e
change i n t he at t r i but e wi ndow of any ONE wor kst at i on. One must
make sur e t hat t he Appl y changes t o sel ect ed obj ect s i s checked
on however i n t he at t r i but e wi ndow of t he wor kst at i on. The
pr of i l e i s appl i ed by f i r st openi ng t he Appl i cat i ons t r ee. I n
t he r ow ent r y f or Appl i cat i on Suppor t ed Pr of i l es sel ect edi t . A
new wi ndow opens Suppor t ed Pr of i l es wi ndow her e go t o r ow 1
and sel ect Web User . I t shoul d l ook somet hi ng l i ke t he
f ol l owi ng:




28



St ep 9. Pr oceed t o conf i gur i ng t he ser ver . Sel ect edi t
at t r i but es, open t he Appl i cat i ons t r ee and go t o t he Appl i cat i on
Suppor t ed Ser vi ces r ow. Sel ect edi t . A new wi ndow t he
Appl i cat i ons Ser vi ces Tabl e wi ndow opens up. Sel ect r ow 1 and
choose web br owsi ng heavy. Essent i al l y a gener i c HTTP ser ver i s
set up on t hi s machi ne at t hi s st age. I t may l ook as f ol l ows:



29
St ep 10. Choose t he st at i st i cs t hat ought t o be col l ect ed dur i ng
a si mul at i on r un. Under t he DES menu bar sel ect choose
i ndi vi dual st at i st i cs. I n t he r esul t i ng wi ndow sel ect t he t r ee
f or node st at i st i cs. Ther e ar e a number of opt i ons. Of
par t i cul ar i nt er est f or t he pur pose of t hi s l ab may be:

Under Cl i ent HTTP: Obj ect Response Ti me, Page Response Ti me,
Tr af f i c Sent and Tr af f i c Recei ved, User Cancel l ed Connect i ons.

Under Ser ver HTTP: Load, Tr af f i c Recei ved, and Tr af f i c Sent .

Under TCP: Connect i on Abor t s, Del ay and Ret r ansmi ssi on count .

A scr een capt ur e of t he DES st at i st i cs wi ndow l ooks l i ke t hi s:




St ep 11. Run t he si mul at i on by choosi ng Conf i gur e/ Run DES
si mul at i on under t he DES menu.

St ep 12. Exami ne t he r esul t s by sel ect i ng DES menu - > r esul t s - >
vi ew st at i st i cs. The st at i st i cs wi ndow mi ght l ook as f ol l ows:

30



St ep 13. To f i nd a usef ul cont r ast l et us now cr eat e anot her
scenar i o wi t hi n t he same pr oj ect . I t i s conveni ent t o dupl i cat e
t he ent i r e t opol ogy f or t he hub scenar i o i nt o t he wor k ar ea of
t he new scenar i o and subsequent l y make changes t o t he copy.
Go under t he scenar i o menu and sel ect dupl i cat e scenar i o. Name
i t swi t ch scenar i o. A new wor k ar ea opens up wi t h a dupl i cat e
of t he hub scenar i o. Sel ect an Et her net swi t ch f r omt he obj ect s
wi ndow ( cl i ck on t he open obj ect pal et t e but t on i f i t i s not
vi si bl e) and pl ace i t i n l i eu of t he hub.

St ep 14. Run t he swi t ch scenar i o wi t h t he same st at i st i cs t hat
wer e sel ect ed f or t he hub scenar i o. I t i s possi bl e t o compar e
t he t wo st at i st i cs si mul t aneousl y vi ew i t on t he same gr aph
by sel ect i ng t he Al l Scenar i os opt i on i n t he dr op down l i st .
Di f f er ent col or s ar e used f or t he di f f er ent dat a. Exami ne al l
t he per f or mance dat a and answer t he f ol l owi ng quest i ons.

Lab Observations and Questions

( 1) I n whi ch scenar i o i s t her e gr eat er page l oadi ng del ay?
Expl ai n why.

31
( 2) Ar e t her e any wor t hwhi l e di f f er ences i n any of t he ot her
st at i st i cs t hat wer e col l ect ed? Expl ai n why one woul d expect
di f f er ences or i dent i cal r esul t s.

( 3) Col l ect mor e st at i st i cs of your choi ce.

Lab Concluding Remarks

The l ab shoul d show t hat when t her e i s a ver y smal l cl i ent / ser ver
net wor k swi t ches ar e wor se t han hubs f r oma per f or mance poi nt of
vi ew. Thi s i s expl ai ned due t o l at ency i nvol ved i n t he swi t chi ng
pr ocess. The f i gur e bel ow i s a scr een capt ur e showi ng page
del ay ( poi nt s i n r ed ar e f r omt he swi t ched scenar i o) :



32

Lab 2: Hubs ver sus swi t ches i n medi umscal e LAN


Goal

The obj ect i ve i s t o cont r ast t he per f or mance of hubs and swi t ches
i n a medi umscal e LAN.

Overview

We wi l l const r uct t wo scenar i os cal l t hem- hub_scenar i o and
swi t ch_scenar i o - under a new pr oj ect cal l ed medi um_hub_swi t ch.
The number of wor kst at i ons wi l l be at t he medi umscal e about
120 machi nes each r unni ng web user pr of i l es connect i ng t o a web
ser ver . I n one scenar i o t he machi nes ar e hooked up excl usi vel y
t o a hi er ar chy of hubs and br i dges whi l e i n anot her a coupl e of
swi t ches come i nt o pl ay.

IT Guru Step by Step Procedure

St ep 1. Cr eat e a new pr oj ect cal l ed medi um_hub_swi t ch. Cr eat e an
empt y scenar i o cal l ed hub_scenar i o.

St ep 2. Choose a di f f er ent model l i br ar y t han t he def aul t one by
goi ng t o t he obj ect pal at e wi ndow and sel ect i ng t he Et her net
model l i br ar y f r omt he dr op down l i st . A new l i st of obj ect s
shoul d appear .

St ep 3. We wi l l cr eat e a subnet . Dr ag t he subnet i con i nt o t he
wor kspace. I t shoul d l ook as f ol l ows:



33
St ep 4. Doubl e cl i ck on t he subnet i con t hi s wi l l open up a new
wi ndow t he subnet wi ndow f or t he subnet .

St ep 5. Cr eat e a new t opol ogy f or t he subnet usi ng r api d net wor k
conf i gur at i on. Go under t he t opol ogy menu and sel ect r api d
conf i gur at i on. Choose st ar . Choose Et her net hub f or t he
cent er and Et her net wor kst at i ons f or t he per i pher y. Make t hem
14 wor kst at i ons. Sel ect t he 100 Base T connect i vi t y l i nk. I t
shoul d l ook as f ol l ows:



St ep 6. Cl i ck OK and I T Gur u shoul d aut omat i cal l y gener at e 14
wor kst at i ons l i nked i n st ar shape t o a hub.

St ep 7. Cr eat e anot her 14 wor kst at i on l i nked t o a hub t opol ogy i n
t he subnet and pl ace t hemal ongsi de each ot her . ( Thi s can be
done ei t her by copyi ng and past i ng or by goi ng t hr ough t he r api d
conf i gur at i on menu agai n. )

St ep 8. Add an appl i cat i on pr of i l e i con t o t he wor kspace and
cr eat e a pr of i l e cal l ed Web User ( see Lab 1 f or r evi ew of how t o
do t hi s) . Appl y t hi s pr of i l e t o al l t he wor kst at i ons i n t he
subnet .

St ep 9. Dr ag i n a br i dge i nt o t he wor kspace and connect t he t wo
cent r al hubs t o t he br i dge. The r esul t shoul d l ook as f ol l ows:
34



St ep 10. Ret ur n t o t he par ent subnet wi ndow by cl i cki ng on t he
Go t o Par ent Subnet but t on.

St ep 11. Copy t he subnet i con t hat was j ust cr eat ed and past e i t
at l east t hr ee t o f our t i mes appr oxi mat el y 80- 120 wor kst at i ons
i n t ot al now f r omal l subnet s.

St ep 12. Dr ag i n a hub i nt o t he wor kspace and hook up t he subnet s
t o t he hub vi a 100 Base T connect i ons. During this process make
sure to hook the hub to the bridge node in the subnet. I n ot her
wor ds t he l i nk shoul d be bet ween t he br i dge i n each subnet t o t he
hub.

St ep 13. Li nk t he hub t o an Et her net ser ver . ( Make sur e t he
ser ver act s as a HTTP ser ver dr ag i n an appl i cat i on pr of i l e
i con i nt o t he wor kspace t o f aci l i t at e t hi s r evi ew Lab 1 f or
det ai l s. )

St ep 14. Fr omDES menu sel ect choose st at i st i cs and pi ck t he page
del ay st at i st i c f or cl i ent HTTP. Thi s i s t he key st at i st i c f or
per f or mance compar i son bet ween hubs ver sus swi t ches. However i n
addi t i on sel ect any ot her st at i st i c t hat may be of i nt er est .
Cl ose t he scr een when done. The scr een shoul d l ook somet hi ng
l i ke t he f ol l owi ng at t hi s st age:
35



St ep 15. Run t he scenar i o. I t may t ake sever al mi nut es under
def aul t set t i ngs.

St ep 16. Ther e may be a number of war ni ngs gener at ed i n t he
si mul at i on l og f i l e t o t he ef f ect t hat TCP connect i ons wer e t i med
out . Changi ng t he TCP par amet er i n t he wor kst at i ons t o al l ow
mor e t han 3 r econnect at t empt s ( t he def aul t ) may di spel some
war ni ngs on a subsequent r un of t he si mul at i on. However t he
under l yi ng pr obl emi s net wor k congest i on!

St ep 17. Revi ew t he st at i st i cs col l ect ed. A number of nodes
shoul d have mi ght have f ai l ed t o secur e connect i ons wi t h t he
ser ver . Ther e mi ght be page del ays r unni ng i nt o t he 10 seconds
t o 50 seconds r ange!

St ep 18. Dupl i cat e t he cur r ent scenar i o i nt o a new scenar i o
cal l ed swi t ch_scenar i o.

St ep 19. Repl ace t he br i dges under each subnet wi t h a swi t ch.

St ep 20. Repl ace t he hub i n t he t op- l evel net wor k wi t h agai n a
swi t ch. The t op l evel may l ook as f ol l ows t he cent er ent i t y i s
t he swi t ch bel ow:

36


St ep 21. Sel ect t he same st at i st i cs as i n hub_scenar i o t he
cl i ent HTTP page del ay st at i st i c and r un t he si mul at i on. I t may
t ake sever al mi nut es t o r un.

St ep 22. Vi ew t he r esul t s. Compar e t he r esul t s. The r ed dot s
r epr esent t he swi t ched scenar i o whi l e t he bl ue ones t he
hub/ br i dge scenar i o. A scr eenshot of t he compar i son i s gi ven
bel ow:


37

Lab Observation Questions and Mini-Labs for Further Study

( 1) I n whi ch scenar i o i s t her e gr eat er page l oadi ng del ay?
Expl ai n why.

( 2) Ar e t her e any wor t hwhi l e di f f er ences i n any of t he ot her
st at i st i cs t hat wer e ( opt i onal l y) col l ect ed? Expl ai n why one
woul d expect di f f er ences or i dent i cal r esul t s.

( 3) Re- r un t he swi t ch_scenar i o by r epl aci ng swi t ches i n t he
subnet s wi t h br i dges i n al l t he subnet s. What happens t o t he
per f or mance t hen t o t he page del ay st at i st i c?

( 4) Re- r un t he hub_scenar i o by r epl aci ng t he cent r al hub i n t he
t op- l evel net wor k wi t h a br i dge. What happens t o t he
per f or mance t hen t o t he page del ay st at i st i c?

( 5) Re- r un t he swi t ch_scenar i o by r epl aci ng t he t op- l evel swi t ch
wi t h a hub but r et ai ni ng t he swi t ches i n al l subnet s. What
happens t o t he per f or mance t hen t o t he page del ay st at i st i c?

( 6) Wr i t e a r epor t t abul at i ng t he di f f er ent possi bl e
per mut at i ons.

Ext r a Cr edi t ( 7) : Specul at e on per f or mance when t he net wor k scal e
i ncr eases t o a 1000+ wor kst at i ons. Bui l d appr opr i at e net wor ks
i n I T Gur u usi ng t echni ques l ear ned i n t hi s l ab t o t est
hypot heses.

Lab Concluding Remarks

Cl ear l y as t he number of wor kst at i ons i ncr eases t owar ds t he 100
r ange t he per f or mance of hubs dr ops shar pl y even when j oi ned
wi t h br i dges at t he subnet l evel . But a br i dge at t he t op-
l evel ( i nst ead of t he hub) i mpr oves per f or mance dr amat i cal l y.
Swi t chi ng on t he ot her hand i s ef f ect i ve i n al l conf i gur at i ons.




38
Lab 3: Vi ewi ng Si mul at i on Rout i ng Tabl es
( Par t s of t hi s l ab wer e i nspi r ed by t he RI P Lab f r om: Aboelela,
77- 88)

Goal

The obj ect i ve i n t hi s l ab i s t o si mul at e r out i ng i n a smal l WAN
set t i ng. Rout i ng t abl es gener at ed by t he si mul at i on wi l l be
expor t ed t o a f i l e f or vi ewi ng. The r out i ng pr ot ocol i n ef f ect
i s RI P.

Overview

The i dea i s t o set - up a campus LAN/ WAN l i nked t oget her by
r out er s. The r out er s wi l l r un RI P. The r out i ng t abl e of a
r out er wi l l be expor t ed t o a f i l e f or exami nat i on.

IT Guru Step by Step Procedures

St ep 1. Cr eat e a new pr oj ect named r out er _pr oj ect . Accept t he
def aul t name f or t he scenar i o. Make sur e t o sel ect campus f or
t he scenar i o t opol ogy.

St ep 2. Dr ag i n f our Et her net 4_sl i p8_gt y r out er s i nt o t he
wor kspace ( t hi s i s a model i n t he obj ect pal et t e cal l ed i nt er net
t ool box t he def aul t model pal et t e.

St ep 3. Connect each r out er t o t he ot her i n a r i ng usi ng ppp_ds3
l i nk. As i n t he f ol l owi ng scr een capt ur e:


39

St ep 4. Dr ag i n t he 100- T LAN i cons i nt o t he wor kspace t her e
may be t wo f or each r out er . Each r out er connect s t o t wo LANs
possi bl y i n a separ at e bui l di ng somewher e i n campus. Each LAN
i con r epr esent s a LAN by def aul t each cont ai ns 10 wor kst at i ons
i t may be conf i gur ed at wi l l by openi ng t he r el evant at t r i but e
wi ndow. I t may l ook as f ol l ows ( t hi s t opol ogy i s f r omAboelela
80) :






St ep 5. Open t he edi t at t r i but es wi ndow of any one r out er and
expand Repor t s. I n t he RI P r out i ng t abl e expor t r ow sel ect
Once at End of Si mul at i on. I t may l ook as bel ow:

40


St ep 6. Run t he si mul at i on.

St ep 7. Open t he r esul t s wi ndow and sel ect t he Di scr et e Event s
Tabl e t ab. Open up t he t r ee node hi er ar chy unt i l t he r out i ng
t abl e appear s f or t he r out er . I t may l ook as f ol l ows:

41

Lab Observation Questions and Mini-Labs for Further Study

( 1) What i s t he maxi mumhop count ? Why?

( 2) What i s t he mi ni mumhop count ? Why?

( 3) Re- r un t he scenar i o af t er er asi ng one of t he l i nks f r omone
r out er t o anot her . What happens t o t he hop count ?

Lab Concluding Remarks

I n t hi s l ab we obser ved how a r out er r unni ng RI P gener at es
r out i ng t abl es. Mor e advanced wor k al ong t he same l i nes i s
possi bl e by changi ng t he r out er t opol ogy i n var i ous ways and by
possi bl y f ai l i ng l i nks and r out er s mi d- way dur i ng t he si mul at i on.





42
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