The Cyberinfrastructure Lab at the University of South Carolina (CI Lab @ USC) is a virtual platform deployed for cybertraining purposes. Current training labs include network tools and protocols (e.g., Mininet, Netem, TCP congestion control), perfSONAR, Zeek / Bro, and others.
To access the virtual laboratory:
1. Fill out the form requesting access to CI Lab [docx] (you will receive a username and password within 24 hours). Send the form to gomezgaj@email.sc.edu
2. Access the CI Lab at https://netlab.cec.sc.edu. For a CI Lab user guide, click here [pdf].
Virtual labs are described below.
Virtual Labs on P4 Programmable Data Planes: Applications, Stateful Elements, and Custom Packet Processing
The labs provide a hands-on experience on P4 programmable data plane advanced topics using the Behavioral Model version 2 (BMv2) software switch. The lab series explains topics that include metadata, registers, counters, meters, advanced parsing, and others.
Virtual Labs on P4 Programmable Data Plane Switches (BMv2)
The labs provide a hands-on experience on P4 programmable data plane switches using the Behavioral Model version 2 (BMv2) software switch. The lab series explains topics that include parsing, match-action tables, checksum verification, and others.
Virtual Labs on Network Tools and Protocols (NTP)
The NTP labs provide detailed, hands-on experience with tools and protocols needed for emulation of wide area networks (WANs), performance measuring, configuring congestion control protocols, enhancement of TCP throughput using pacing, and other topics.
Virtual Labs on Network Management
The labs provide a hands-on experience on network management and monitoring tools and protocols. Topics include monitoring using NetFlow, sFlow, IPFIX, and visualization using Grafana.
Virtual Labs on Software Defined Networking (SDN)
This lab series provides a detailed, hands-on experience to the new emerging networking paradigm, Software Defined Networking (SDN). The manual provides a thorough understanding for administering SDN networks using ONOS controller, demonstrating the available applications supported by ONOS, as well as leveraging their full capabilities.
Virtual Labs on OSPF
This lab series is an introduction to the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing protocol. The labs provide an overview of OSPF behavior and configuration through hands-on activities and exercises.
Virtual Labs on Introduction to BGP
This lab series provides a detailed, hands-on experience to understand and configure Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), adjust its attributes, and control network traffic on the Internet.
Virtual Labs on MPLS and Advanced BGP Topics
This lab series provides a detailed hands-on experience to understand advanced BGP features such as multiprotocol BGP. The labs also cover attacks that exploit BGP vulnerabilities such as BGP hijacking, IP spoofing, and their mitigation technique. Additionally, the lab series cover topics that include Label Distribution Protocol (LDP), Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Virtual Routing Forwarding (VRF), and Ethernet VPN.
Virtual Labs on Open Virtual Switch (OVS)
This lab series provides a detailed, hands-on experience to understand and configure Open Virtual Switch (OVS).
Virtual Labs on perfSONAR
The perfSONAR labs provide hands-on lab experience using emulated multi-domain networks. Labs include configuration details required for accurate performance measurement, regular testing, monitoring and debugging using dashboard, limiting access and testing against perfSONAR nodes, web administration and others.
Virtual Labs on Zeek/Bro
The Zeek / Bro labs provide hands-on lab experience on Bro Intrusion Detection System (IDS). Labs demonstrate Bro capabilities such as parsing Zeek files, capturing and analyzing network attacks such as scanner traffic, DoS and DDoS, and more.
To access the virtual laboratory:
1. Fill out the form requesting access to CI Lab [docx] (you will receive a username and password within 24 hours). Send the form to gomezgaj@email.sc.edu
2. Access the CI Lab at https://netlab.cec.sc.edu. For a CI Lab user guide, click here [pdf].
Virtual labs are described below.
Virtual Labs on P4 Programmable Data Planes: Applications, Stateful Elements, and Custom Packet Processing
The labs provide a hands-on experience on P4 programmable data plane advanced topics using the Behavioral Model version 2 (BMv2) software switch. The lab series explains topics that include metadata, registers, counters, meters, advanced parsing, and others.
| Lab 1 | Introduction to Mininet |
| Lab 2 | Introduction to P4 and BMv2 |
| Lab 3 | P4 Program Building Blocks |
| Lab 4 | Defining and Processing Custom Headers |
| Lab 5 | Monitoring the Switchs's Queue using Standard Metadata |
| Lab 6 | Collecting Queueing Statistics using a Header Stack |
| Lab 7 | Measuring Flow Statistics using Direct and Indirect Counters |
| Lab 8 | Rerouting Traffic using Meters |
| Lab 9 | Storing Arbitrary Data using Registers |
| Lab 10 | Calculating Packets Interarrival Times using Hashes and Registers |
| Lab 11 | Generating Notification Messages using Digests |
| Lab Manuals | P4 (BMv2) Advanced Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on P4 Programmable Data Plane Switches (BMv2)
The labs provide a hands-on experience on P4 programmable data plane switches using the Behavioral Model version 2 (BMv2) software switch. The lab series explains topics that include parsing, match-action tables, checksum verification, and others.
| Lab 1 | Introduction to Mininet |
| Exercise 1 | Building a Basic Topology |
| Lab 2 | Introduction to P4 and BMv2 |
| Exercise 2 | Compiling and Running a P4 Program |
| Lab 3 | P4 Program Building Blocks |
| Lab 4 | Parser Implementation |
| Exercise 3 | Parsing UDP and RTP |
| Lab 5 | Introduction to Match-action Tables (Part 1) |
| Lab 6 | Introduction to Match-action Tables (Part 2) |
| Exercise 4 | Implementing NAT using Match-action Tables |
| Lab 7 | Populating and Managing Match-action Tables at Runtime |
| Exercise 5 | Configuring Match-action Tables at Runtime |
| Lab 8 | Checksum Recalculation and Packet Deparsing |
| Exercise 6 | Building a Packet Reflector |
| Lab Manuals | P4 (BMv2) Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on Network Tools and Protocols (NTP)
The NTP labs provide detailed, hands-on experience with tools and protocols needed for emulation of wide area networks (WANs), performance measuring, configuring congestion control protocols, enhancement of TCP throughput using pacing, and other topics.
| Lab 1 | Introduction to Mininet |
| Exercise 1 | Building a Basic Topology |
| Lab 2 | Introduction to Iperf3 |
| Lab 3 | Emulating WAN with NETEM I: Latency, Jitter |
| Lab 4 | Emulating WAN with NETEM II: Packet Loss, Duplication, Reordering, and Corruption |
| Lab 5 | Setting WAN Bandwidth with Token Bucket Filter (TBF) |
| Exercise 2 | Emulating a Wide Area Network (WAN) |
| Problem 1 | Troubleshooting a WAN |
| Lab 6 | Understanding Traditional TCP Congestion Control (HTCP, Cubic, Reno) |
| Lab 7 | Understanding Rate-based TCP Congestion Control (BBR) |
| Lab 8 | Bandwidth-delay Product and TCP Buffer Size |
| Exercise 3 | Tuning TCP and Switch’s Buffer Size |
| Exercise 4 | Running tests with Competing TCP Flows and Different Congestion Control Algorithms |
| Lab 9 | Enhancing TCP Throughput with Parallel Streams |
| Exercise 5 | Enhancing the Aggregate TCP Throughput with Parallel Streams |
| Problem 2 | Enhancing TCP Throughput |
| Lab 10 | Measuring TCP Fairness |
| Exercise 6 | RTT Unfairness |
| Problem 3 | Minimizing the Unfairness |
| Lab 11 | Router's Buffer Size |
| Lab 12 | TCP Rate Control with Pacing |
| Exercise 7 | Setting the Pacing Rate |
| Lab 13 | Impact of MSS on Throughput |
| Lab 14 | Router's Bufferbloat |
| Exercise 8 | Router’s Bufferbloat |
| Lab 15 | Analyzing the Impact of Hardware Offloading on TCP Performance |
| Lab 16 | Random Early Detection |
| Lab 17 | Stochastic Fair Queueing |
| Lab 18 | Controlled Delay (CoDel) Active Queue Management |
| Lab 19 | Proportional Integral Controller-Enhanced (PIE) |
| Lab 20 | Classifying TCP traffic using Hierarchical Token Bucket (HTB) |
| Lab Manuals | NTP Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on Network Management
The labs provide a hands-on experience on network management and monitoring tools and protocols. Topics include monitoring using NetFlow, sFlow, IPFIX, and visualization using Grafana.
| Lab 1 | Introduction to Mininet |
| Lab 2 | Introduction to NetFlow |
| Lab 3 | Introduction to IPFIX |
| Lab 4 | Introduction to sFlow |
| Lab 5 | Collecting and processing NetFlow, IPFIX and sFlow data using Nfdump |
| Lab 6 | Filtering and formatting data using Nfdump |
| Lab 7 | Collecting and Visualizing sFlow data using GoFlow and Grafana |
| Lab 8 | Collecting and Visualizing NetFlow data using GoFlow and Grafana |
| Lab Manuals | Network Management Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on Software Defined Networking (SDN)
This lab series provides a detailed, hands-on experience to the new emerging networking paradigm, Software Defined Networking (SDN). The manual provides a thorough understanding for administering SDN networks using ONOS controller, demonstrating the available applications supported by ONOS, as well as leveraging their full capabilities.
| Lab 1 | Introduction to Mininet |
| Lab 2 | Legacy Networks: BGP Example as a Distributed System and Autonomous Forwarding Decisions |
| Lab 3 | Early efforts of SDN: MPLS Example of a Control Plane that Establishes Semi-static Forwarding Paths |
| Lab 4 | Introduction to SDN |
| Exercise 1 | SDN Network Configuration |
| Lab 5 | Configuring VXLAN to Provide Network Traffic Isolation |
| Exercise 2 | Configuring VXLAN |
| Lab 6 | Introduction to OpenFlow |
| Exercise 3 | OpenFlow Protocol Management |
| Lab 7 | Routing within an SDN network |
| Lab 8 | Interconnection between Legacy Networks and SDN Networks |
| Exercise 4 | Incremental Deployment of SDN Networks within Legacy Networks |
| Lab 9 | Configuring Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) |
| Lab 10 | Applying Equal-cost Multi-path Protocol (ECMP) within SDN networks |
| Lab Manuals | SDN Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on OSPF
This lab series is an introduction to the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing protocol. The labs provide an overview of OSPF behavior and configuration through hands-on activities and exercises.
| Lab 1 | Introduction to Mininet |
| Lab 2 | Introduction to FRR |
| Lab 3 | Configuring Single-Area OSPFv2 |
| Lab 4 | Configuring Multi-Area OSPFv2 |
| Exercise 1 | Configuring Multi-Area OSPFv2 |
| Lab 5 | Configuring OSPFv2 with Default Route |
| Lab 6 | OSPFv2 Virtual Link |
| Exercise 2 | Configuring OSPFv2 Virtual Link |
| Lab 7 | OSPFv2 Authentication |
| Lab 8 | Setting OSPFv2 Route Cost |
| Lab 9 | Configuring Multi-Area OSPFv3 |
| Exercise 3 | Configuring Multi-Area OSPFv3 |
| Lab 10 | Configuring Dual Stack OSPF Routing |
| Lab Manuals | Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on Introduction to BGP
This lab series provides a detailed, hands-on experience to understand and configure Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), adjust its attributes, and control network traffic on the Internet.
| Lab 1 | Introduction to Mininet |
| Lab 2 | Introduction to Free Range Routing (FRR) |
| Lab 3 | Introduction to BGP |
| Lab 4 | Configure and Verify EBGP |
| Exercise 1 | BGP Configuration |
| Lab 5 | BGP Authentication |
| Lab 6 | Configure BGP with Default Route |
| Lab 7 | Using AS_PATH BGP Attribute |
| Exercise 2 | Controlling Traffic using BGP AS_PATH Attribute |
| Lab 8 | Configuring IBGP and EBGP Sessions, Local Preference, and MED |
| Lab 8.1 | Configuring OSPF, IBGP and EBGP Sessions, Local Preference, and MED |
| Exercise 3 | Steering Traffic using BGP Local Preference Attribute |
| Lab 9 | IBGP, Next Hop and Full Mesh Topology |
| Lab 10 | BGP Route Reflection |
| Exercise 4 | BGP Next Hop Attribute and Route Reflection |
| Lab Manuals | Introduction to BGP Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on MPLS and Advanced BGP Topics
This lab series provides a detailed hands-on experience to understand advanced BGP features such as multiprotocol BGP. The labs also cover attacks that exploit BGP vulnerabilities such as BGP hijacking, IP spoofing, and their mitigation technique. Additionally, the lab series cover topics that include Label Distribution Protocol (LDP), Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Virtual Routing Forwarding (VRF), and Ethernet VPN.
| Lab 1 | Configuring Multiprotocol BGP |
| Lab 2 | IP Spoofing and Mitigation Techniques |
| Lab 3 | BGP Hijacking |
| Lab 4 | Introduction to MPLS |
| Lab 5 | Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) |
| Lab 6 | Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) |
| Lab 7 | MPLS Layer 3 VPN using MP-BGP |
| Lab 8 | Ethernet VPN (EVPN) using MP-BGP |
| Lab 9 | Introduction to Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) |
| Exercise 1 | MPLS Layer 3 VPN using MP-BGP |
| Exercise 2 | Configuring Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) |
| Lab Manuals | MPLS and Advanced BGP Topics Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on Open Virtual Switch (OVS)
This lab series provides a detailed, hands-on experience to understand and configure Open Virtual Switch (OVS).
| Lab 1 | Introduction to Linux Namespaces and Open vSwitch |
| Lab 2 | Introduction to Mininet |
| Lab 3 | Introduction to Open vSwitch |
| Lab 4 | Open vSwitch Flow Table |
| Exercise 1 | OpenFlow Basic Operations |
| Lab 5 | Implementing Routing in Open vSwitch |
| Lab 6 | Implementing Routing using Multiple Flow Tables |
| Exercise 2 | Implement Routing using Multiple Flow Tables |
| Lab 7 | Configuring Stateless Firewall using ACLs |
| Lab 8 | Configuring Stateful Firewall using Connection Tracking |
| Exercise 3 | Configuring Stateless and Stateful Firewalls in Open vSwitch |
| Lab 9 | Quality of Service (QoS) |
| Exercise 4 | Configuring Quality of Service (QoS) |
| Lab 10 | Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol (OVSDB) |
| Lab 11 | Open vSwitch Kernel Datapath |
| Lab 12 | Implementing Virtual Local Area Network (VLANs) in Open vSwitch |
| Lab 13 | VLAN trunking in Open vSwitch |
| Exercise 5 | Configuring Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) |
| Lab 14 | Configuring GRE Tunnel |
| Lab 15 | Configuring IPsec Tunnel |
| Lab Manuals | OVS Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on perfSONAR
The perfSONAR labs provide hands-on lab experience using emulated multi-domain networks. Labs include configuration details required for accurate performance measurement, regular testing, monitoring and debugging using dashboard, limiting access and testing against perfSONAR nodes, web administration and others.
| Lab 1 | Configuring Administrative Information Using perfSONAR Toolkit GUI |
| Lab 2 | PerfSONAR Metrics and Tools |
| Lab 3 | Configuring Regular Tests Using perfSONAR GUI |
| Lab 4 | Configuring Regular Tests Using pScheduler CLI Part I |
| Lab 5 | Configuring Regular Tests Using pScheduler CLI Part II |
| Lab 6 | Bandwidth-delay Product and TCP Buffer Size |
| Lab 7 | Configuring Regular Tests Using a pSConfig Template |
| Lab 8 | perfSONAR Monitoring and Debugging Dashboard |
| Lab 9 | pSConfig Web Administrator |
| Lab 10 | Configuring pScheduler Limits |
| Lab Manuals | perfSONAR Lab Series (PDF) |
Virtual Labs on Zeek/Bro
The Zeek / Bro labs provide hands-on lab experience on Bro Intrusion Detection System (IDS). Labs demonstrate Bro capabilities such as parsing Zeek files, capturing and analyzing network attacks such as scanner traffic, DoS and DDoS, and more.
| Lab 1 | Introduction to the Capabilities of Zeek |
| Lab 2 | An Overview of Zeek Logs |
| Lab 3 | Parsing, Reading and Organizing Zeek Log Files |
| Lab 4 | Generating, Capturing and Analyzing Network Scanner Traffic |
| Lab 5 | Generating, Capturing and Analyzing DoS and DDoS-centric Network Traffic |
| Lab 6 | Introduction to Zeek Scripting |
| Lab 7 | Introduction to Zeek Signatures |
| Lab 8 | Advanced Zeek Scripting for Anomaly and Malicious Event Detection |
| Lab 9 | Profiling and Performance Metrics of Zeek |
| Lab 10 | Application of the Zeek IDS for Real-Time Network Protection |
| Lab 11 | Preprocessing of Zeek Output Logs for Machine Learning |
| Lab 12 | Developing Machine Learning Classifiers for Anomaly Inference and Classification |
| Lab Manuals | Zeek/Bro Lab Series (PDF) |