Lab environment for education on advanced topics in computer networks

Practical training is extremely important aspect for education in the area of computer networks. Virtual labs and simulation tools are very popular approaches since they are very economic and support most of the computer networks’ topics. However, physical labs are also very important, although more expensive. Physical labs provide the best learning experience for the students and cover advanced features and topics that are not supported completely by simulation tools and virtual labs. This paper proposes an educational physical lab environment setup that enables students to learn and gain practical experience in areas of network security, high availability clusters, and load balancing. The purpose of the proposed lab environment is to increase the education quality and give students insight in more advanced topics of computer networks.