In this sequence of laboratory exercises you will set-up and configure a private Linux network with a gateway to the Internet.

This will give you experience of running a private IP network.

The laboratory is intended to last for around two weeks. You will need to record your experience in your lab book or on-line in a web log. Your work will be assessed by questionnaire that is to be completed by the end of term.

Network Map (PowerPoint file)

The architecture we will be attempting to recreate is based on a design for a private teaching network by Edouard Bougon who was an exchange student from France during the spring and early summer of 2005.

The design is quite flexible allowing you to:

• experience first-hand the creation and administration of an IP network
• examine live the various application, transport, network and link protocols that coexist on such a network
• create and administer several application services, most notably the web, but also DHCP, DNS, NAT, NFS and NIS.
• hone your Linux and sysadmin skills

The network, once established, will become a teaching resource used in EG-253 in TB2 but also by level 1 ICCT students.

It is important that you keep good notes as you work through this configuration exercise. For your convenience, you can enter your notes directly into the network configuration questionnaire which you have to submit for assessment.

• Step 1: Basic Host Configuration
• Step 2: Host and Network Configuration
• Step 3: Interface configuration for IP
• Step 4: Routing Through a Gateway
• Step 5: Configuring the Network Server
• Step 6: Configuring the Internet Gateway
• Step 7: Checking Your Network

[1] Robert Storey, “The Ubuntu Juggernaut, Resistance is Futile”, DistroWatch.com, http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=review-ubuntu.

[2] Y. Rekhter, B. Moskowitz, D. Karrenberg, G. J. de Groot, E. Lear, “RFC-1918: Address Allocation for Private Internets”, Internet Engineering Taskforce, RFC-1918, February 1996.

[3] Jeff Tyson, “How Network Address Translation Works”, howStuffWorks.com. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/nat.htm.

[4] K. Egevang and P. Francis, “RFC-1631: The IP Network Address Translator (NAT)”, Internet Engineering Taskforce, RFC-1631, May 1994.

[5] (1, 2, 3, 4) Tony Bautts, Terry Dawson and Gregor N. Purdy, Linux Network Administer's Guide, 3rd Ed., O'Reilly Media Inc., 2005. The 2nd edition is available online as http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linag2/book/index.html.

[6] Chapter 10 - Network Configuration, Debian Reference, http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/reference/ch-gateway.en.html.

[7] Example /etc/networking/interface file. Installed in the Ubuntu documentation set in file : /usr/share/doc/ifupdown/examples/network-interfaces.

[8] Kyle Rankin, “Hack #40 Create an Emergency Router”, Knoppix Hacks, O'Reilly Media Inc., 2005.

[9] Bert Hubert et al., Linux Advanced Routing & Traffic Control HOWTO, Version 1.1, 22 July 2003, http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/other-formats/html_single/Adv-Routing-HOWTO.html