Using the Cloud to Teach Computer Networks

STEM education can enormously benefit from cloud technology. The cloud can offer instructors and students (whether local or remote) on-demand, dedicated, isolated, unlimited, and easily configurable compute and storage resources. The cloud can significantly reduce cost and expenditure on lab construction and maintenance. Due to these features, the cloud has been widely adopted by many universities and schools throughout the world. In this paper, we show how the cloud can be utilized to replace traditional physical computer networks laboratories. In particular, we demonstrate how cloud-based laboratory exercises related to computer networks can greatly help students in acquiring almost all crucial computer networks skills. The cloud we used for this course was the Amazon Web Services (AWS) public cloud. However, the use cases and approaches are equally applicable to other cloud platforms.

[1]  Christoph Meinel,et al.  A distributed virtual laboratory architecture for cybersecurity training , 2011, 2011 International Conference for Internet Technology and Secured Transactions.

[2]  Mike Hibler,et al.  Implementing the Emulab-PlanetLab Portal: Experience and Lessons Learned , 2004, WORLDS.

[3]  Akihiro Nakao,et al.  GENI: A federated testbed for innovative network experiments , 2014, Comput. Networks.

[4]  Khaled Salah,et al.  Harnessing the cloud for teaching cybersecurity , 2014, SIGCSE.

[5]  大原 順一,et al.  Cisco Networking Academyを利用したネットワーク教育 , 2002 .

[6]  Sherali Zeadally,et al.  Teaching Cybersecurity Using the Cloud , 2015, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.

[7]  Jelena Mirkovic,et al.  Teaching Cybersecurity with DeterLab , 2012, IEEE Security & Privacy.