Computer Networking and Cloud-Based Learning/Teaching Environment Using Virtual Labs Tools: A Review and Future Aspirations

Abstract

Physical laboratories for practical classrooms in computer networks can be prohibitively expensive, as well as requiring regular hardware/software upgrades. With Netkit and similar software, network laboratories can be set up in a computer lab, but the setup is complicated and each student still needs their own computer. Thanks to the Cloud-based infrastructure, Netkit is now available in pre-configured Amazon elastic compute Cloud (EC2) instances. This research reviews and introduces educational computer networks. Furthermore, a web interface is used to allow remote access to numerous lab scripts instantiated on the Cloud. This study also describes how to use the Cloud to set up and access Netkit, which is open-source and free, but only supports Linux computers. By hosting Netkit in the Cloud, where it can be accessed from any Internet-connected device regardless of the user’s device or operating system (OS), we have made Netkit portable. It was shown how the Cloud architecture of Amazon web services (AWS) holds NetKit-capable virtual machines that instructors and students can create on demand. This eliminates the need to set up specialised labs and enables students to gain practical experience with the principles presented in seminars on computer networks from any Internet-connected computer. Two other Cloud selling advantages are scalability and on-demand pricing. The horizontal elasticity of the Cloud service allows the system to be replicated to serve a much greater demand from users, so we need not worry about its physical configuration/structure. In addition, there is no need to worry about being charged for time not used. Finally, this research provides perspectives, obstacles and open issues that could present useful information for researchers in future studies.