Investigating the Use of Virtualization with Xen in Computer Science Network Programming Classes

Computer science students who take a network programming or system administration class that involves a hands-on lab are generally not given administrative rights on lab machines because universities have security policies in place to protect the integrity of the network infrastructure. The research community is beginning to address this by applying Virtual Machine (VM) technology such as VMware and Xen. The goal is to provide a virtualized environment so students have full control over their own operating system and can perform necessary classroom tasks. To date, most of the trial deployments of VMs in the classroom have been geared to network security and system administration classes. Hands-on labs that support networking concepts taught in lecture can have positive benefits. A hands-on lab also provides the opportunity to engage students with ‘real-world’ problems that require creativity and resourcefulness. Computer science students are introduced to networking either using the OSI seven layer stack as the model or using a ‘topdown’ approach that starts with the application [reference to Comer, Stevens, Kurose text books]. To facilitate a deeper understanding of the material, virtualized designs need to be able to provide an environment to allow students to run their TCP/UDP programs and evaluate realistic network performance via WAN metrics like throughput, drop rates, and packet delays. This paper investigates three different technical designs using Xen virtualization to accompany network programming classes. Designs include a physical network lab setup similar to work being done by other researchers, a laptop installation method, and the use of a Xen based LiveCD/DVD. Activities and results based on a network programming class are shown in two of the designs and future work with a Xen LiveCD/DVD is proposed.