aug 20 th, 2002 sigcomm education workshop 1 teaching tools for a network infrastructure teaching...

1Sigcomm Education WorkshopAug 20th, 2002

High PerformanceSwitching and RoutingTelecom Center Workshop: Sept 4, 1997.

Teaching tools for a network infrastructure teaching lab

The Virtual Router and NetFPGA

Sigcomm Education WorkshopAugust 20th, 2002

Nick McKeownProfessor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Stanford University

[email protected]/~nickm

Aug 20th, 2002 Sigcomm Education Workshop2

Outline

Why have a network infrastructure teaching lab

Hardware Platform: NetFPGA Software Platform: Virtual Router Demo of Virtual Router (hopefully)


Why have a network infrastructure teaching lab

Many of our students go to networking companies: Software engineers implement network protocols, and Hardware engineers architect and design switches and routers. More likely to design a router than a computer.

We had classes on digital system design, computer programming, networking and on packet switch architectures. No lab classes in networking.

Want students to design, implement, deploy and debug their own infrastructure elements: IP routers, Ethernet switches, and elements of their own creation.


Platform #1: Hardware Platform

NetFPGA


Hardware Platform: NetFPGA

What: Circuit board with 8 Ethernet interfaces and user-programmable FPGAs.

How used: Students architect, design and deploy their own hardware in an operational network.

Canonical assignment: Ethernet switch Other assignments: IP router, firewall, packet

mis-sequencer, data transcoder, … Design flow: Industry standard flow

Verilog -> simulation/verification -> synthesis -> download


Hardware Platform: NetFPGA

Ethernet Interface #1



UserFPGAUserFPGA

Controller

User memory

User program

Packet buffers1

2

8

No CPU Only interface is

via Ethernet Program FPGA

via Ethernet Reset board

remotely


Hardware Platform: NetFPGAEthernet

Interface #1



UserFPGA

UserFPGA

User memory




UserFPGA

UserFPGA

User memory

Firewall

CampusNetwork

Controller Web/ftp Analyzer


Hardware Platform: NetFPGAStatus

Prototype: Summer 2002 First classroom use: April 2003 Boards available: Early 2004

Looking for sponsors and alpha-users…


Platform #2: Software Platform

Virtual Router


Software Platform: Virtual Router

Problem: How to have 200 students each build and deploy their own router, without kernel hacking and without their own dedicated machine?

What: PC/Linux-based “Virtual Router Server”; students write user-space “Virtual Router Clients” in C, C++, Java, Perl, …

How used: Students architect, design and deploy their own router in an operational network with their own arbitrary topology.

Canonical assignment: Internet router. Other assignments: QoS router, lookup algorithms,

routing protocols, Firewall, …



Student’s view

Student’s user-space

router

Ethernet frames

Ethernet frames

Ethernet frames

Ethernet framesEthernet frames

Web/ftp servers

CampusNetwork “Virtual Router Client”

1. Packet arrives destined for web

server ‘C’.

2. Student’s code (in C, C++, Java,

perl) receives Ethernet packet

and must route it to correct interface.

A

B

C

D


Example assignmentMarch 2002, ~100 BS/MS students

Implement a fully functional IP router, including: Address lookup (static routing table) TTL check and decrement IP checksum check and update ARP request/reply ICMP: enough for traceroute and ping to work

Environment: Students receive/send raw Ethernet packets Four network interfaces Written in ANSI C



The Virtual Router Server

Web/ftp servers

CampusNetwork

Firewall

PCLinux

Instructional machines

“Virtual Router Server”

VRClient

Socket



Student’s view

VRClient

VRClient

VRClient

VRClient

VRClient

Arbitrary topology

CampusNetwork

Web/ftp servers

Each interface has locally

unique Ethernet and IP address.



Student’s view

Topology per student

CampusNetwork

Web/ftp servers



The Virtual Router Server

Web/ftp servers

Firewall/Load-balancer

Instructional machines

“Virtual Router Server”

Classifies incoming packet to determine which student should

route the packet. Picks next hop

Ethernet DA to reach VR Client.

Intercepts specific Ethernet addresses

on behalf of VR Clients



Status Prototype V1.0: Summer 2001 First classroom use: March 2002

CS244a at Stanford, Assignment #3, ~100 students

V2.0: Summer 2002 Next classroom use: March 2003 First planned release: Summer 2003

Looking for sponsors and alpha-users…

aug 20 th, 2002 sigcomm education workshop 1 teaching tools for a network infrastructure teaching...

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