Research on the design of network testing laboratory

Proper network testing and performance measurement play a key role in assuring the desired and agreed level of quality for the offered services. Some performance-critical applications already exist and they require quality of service (QoS) quantities to be measured as accurately as possible. It is thus crucial that students be exposed to contemporary network testing equipment in a realistic setting. To this end, a computer network testing laboratory has been set up to provide a realistic environment for teaching network testing concepts. This laboratory provides university-level students with a testbed to experiment with fundamental issues of network testing in a way that cannot be provided by simulators or virtual labs. We describe the motivations for setting up the testing laboratory, its network structure and equipment, and the type of experiments students conduct including cable testing, network testing, troubleshooting and fault diagnosis, NetFlow traffic monitor and analysis, LAN performance testing. Many of the problems we faced in setting up this testing equipment are common in other universities. Our experiences are thus likely to be of value to those who are contemplating setting up a network testing laboratory.