CPSC 441, Fall 2002
Lab 8: Networking with Real Computers
IN LAB 6, you set up a virtual network inside a real computer, with one virtual machine acting as a router/firewall between the virtual network and the real Internet. For this lab, we move to Eaton 116 where the class will put together an internet of real computers. This will be a class project in which everyone in the class should participate. We will begin working on the project during lab on November 8. We will discuss the project in class next week and will continue it in the next lab period on November 15. Any configuration that is not done by the end of that lab will have to be done outside of class over the course of the following week.
After the project is complete, each person in the class will turn in an individual one- or two-page report on the project. This report should express a general understanding of what was accomplished in the project, and how. In addition to this, it should discuss your individual role in the project.
You must be present at lab to get credit for this project.
Our internet will contain several small networks. Computers that have two or three network adaptors will act as routers between these networks. One machine, which is mostly already configured, will connect the internet in Eaton 116 to the HWS campus network and the rest of the Internet. This is the only machine that will do masquerading. The other routers will do straightforward routing.
The lab will begin with a short discussion of how the internet is to be configured.
There are two additional Linux computers in the lab that have two ethernet cards each. These computers will be used as routers. There is one additional, uninstalled ethernet card that we can use if necessary.
There are three more Linux computers with single ethernet cards that can be used as hosts on the networks. In addition, there are one or two Macintosh computers and three Windows laptops.
There are three switches and one hub. (The difference between these is not important for now.) Each of these can be used to create a network: All the ethernet adaptors that are plugged into a switch or hub form a network.
We also have some wireless equipment. There are two wireless PC cards that can be used in laptops. There is an Apple Airport that can serve as a wireless base-station. There is one wireless PCI card that can be installed in one of the Linux computers. That computer could then be used as a base-station for a separate wireless network or simply as a client for the Airport. I don't expect to get the wireless network completely configured during the lab.
You will have to configure the networking in the Linux computers. For this, you can simply use the ifconfig command to bring up each network interface and the route command to add gateways. Recall that these commands are of the following form:
ifconfig ethX xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx up route add default gw xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
David Eck, November 2002