Undergraduate data communications and networking projects using opnet and wireshark software

Abstract

The national importance of creating "content reflecting cutting edge developments in STEM fields" has been recognized the National Science Foundation. The National Research Council has also noted that creating engaging laboratory and classroom experiences is a challenge to effective undergraduate education in STEM disciplines. In this paper we present our endeavors to address these issues in the field of computer networks. We discuss our experiences with novel laboratory and classroom projects using OPNET and Wireshark software products in undergraduate networking courses. These laboratories help undergraduate students understand fundamental networking concepts through modeling and simulation of computing systems. We have found that their use enhances student learning and interest in the subject of computer networks.

Using a protocol analyzer to introduce communications protocols

“…Ethereal, a publicdomain protocol analyzer now known as Wireshark [8], is used in this unit to capture and examine packets. Other work on using protocol analyzers in networking courses can be found in [1][2][3][4].…”

Teaching Online Computer-Science Courses in LMS and Cloud Environment

“…Panko(2017),twelveonlinelabassignmentshavebeendesignedandoffered tostudentsforexploringtheEthernet,TokenRing,SwitchedLocalAreaNetworks(LANs),Frame Relay(FR),AsynchronousTransferMode(ATM),RoutingInformationProtocol(RIP),OpenShortest PathFirst(OSPF)protocol,TransmissionControlProtocol(TCP),QueuingDisciplines,Resource ReservationProtocol(RSVP),Firewalls,andVirtualPrivateNetworks(VPNs).Usingthisknowledge andskills,studentsdeveloptheirownlabprojects (Kumar,2005)andincludevirtuallabtechniques intotheirresearchprojects (Sood,2007)whichinvolvevariousnetworkapplicationprotocols,such asFileTransferProtocol(FTP),SimpleNetworkManagementProtocol(SNMP),andSimpleMail TransferProtocol(SMTP) (Riabov,2006b). Hnatyshin and Lobo (2008) have recently published an overview of undergraduate data communicationsandnetworkingprojectsthatuseOPNETandWireshark(2017)software.Confirming our experience, they have also found that these labs help undergraduate students understand fundamentalnetworkingconceptsthroughmodelingandsimulationofcomputingsystems.…”

Shopping for danger e-commerce techniques applied to collaboration in cyber security

“…Given the simplicity of instrumenting entirely text-based tools, like a command line, we undertake the instrumentation of a graphical tool that issues text queries, Traffic Circle [11], and a graphical tool that allows extension to its selection model, Wireshark [12] [13], as an exemplar of the former of the two interaction considerations.…”