microworld - higher education - ip network

Detailed Description:

The project will present students with iconic representations of the following computer hardware:

  • Workstation Computers.
  • Multi-Homed Servers.
  • Ethernet Switches/Hubs.

   
Students will be able to choose how these should be connected together (or not) via network cables. The network cable connections can be direct from network card to network card via a crossover cable, or they can be connected to a hub or switch via a straight through cable. Students will be able to individually configure and connect each of the cards in a multi-homed server, and they will also be able to enable or disable routing between the cards in these same multi-homed servers.
Students will then be able to select an IP configuration to be bound to each network card. This IP configuration will include an IP address, a subnet mask, a gateway address and a Domain Name System (DNS) server address. Students will be able to configure one special computer as a DNS server, and they will be able to specify the host names listed on that DNS server.
After they have set the network hardware and IP configuration, students will be able to choose any computer they have configured and then view a simulated command shell running on that computer. This command shell can be used to apply the following network troubleshooting tools as if they were using that computer in a real world network environment:

  • Ping
  • Tracert

Students will receive feedback from each of these commands as if they were doing this in the real world, and that feedback will reflect the hardware and IP configuration setting that the student specified. 

Learning Outcomes:

The learner will be able to:

    • Students will build on their prior understanding of the relationship between the way network hardware is connected together and the way IP addresses should be configured to reflect these connections to allow for successful communication between computers.
    • Students will understand how interpret feedback from the “ping” command for basic IP configuration problems.
    • Students will understand how interpret feedback from the “tracert” command for more complex IP configuration problems that involve routing.
    • Students should be able to form hypotheses, test them and then reflect of their findings.
    • Students should be able to identify problems in real world IP networks.
    • Students will be know the minimum configurational information they need to input to make the network functional, depending on its complexity.
    • Students will understand how a DNS server can be used in the real world to identify a computer by name.