Low-cost networks and gateways for teaching data communications

Abstract

The growing importance of communications in computer science has resulted in many undergraduate computer science programmes offering courses in data communications. Although data communications courses can be taught in a practical manner, the cost of data communications hardware often restricts the amount of actual hands-on experience that students can gain. In this paper we describe the hardware and software requirements of several low-cost networks that can be used by students to gain experience in a wide variety of data communication topics including local area networks (such as bus networks and ring networks), wide area networks (i.e. store-and-forward networks), and gateways.