TinkerNet: A Low-Cost Networking Laboratory System

计算机科学（31）本项目为社区提供了一个廉价且易于使用的计算机网络教学实验室环境。TinkerNet环境由一组节点和一个控制器组成。使用修改后的OSKit，学生实现包含网络协议栈块的操作系统内核。学生在一个可用的节点上启动内核，然后执行和测试他们的网络实现。TinkerNet不同于其他项目，因为它使用廉价的商用硬件（200MHz的pc就足够了）和现成的软件（OSKit、Linux和GNU）。它的智力价值在于满足了SIGCOMM关于计算机网络教学的研讨会中所阐述的需求，即为计算机网络教学提供廉价、易于使用和易于维护的实验室环境。这个项目更广泛的影响在于这个项目在课堂上的有效性，正如MSI的加州大学河滨分校（UCR）的经验所证明的那样。UCR的学生对通过TinkerNet实验室实验获得的额外理解的课程评价非常积极。其他机构对使用这种环境也有相当大的兴趣。此外，该项目还包括对学生学习情况的更详细的评估。

Computer Science (31)This project is providing the community with an inexpensive and easy-to-use laboratory environment for teaching computer networking. The TinkerNet environment consists of an array of nodes and a controller. Using a modified OSKit, students implement OS kernels containing pieces of the network protocol stack. Students boot their kernel on an available node and then execute and test their network implementations. TinkerNet differs from other projects because it uses inexpensive commodity hardware (200MHz PCs suffice) and readily-available software (OSKit, Linux, and GNU). Its intellectual merit lies in filling a need that was articulated in the SIGCOMM Workshop on Teaching Computer Networking for an inexpensive, easy-to-use, and easy-to-maintain laboratory environment for teaching computer networking.The broader impact of this project lies in the effectiveness of this project in the classroom, as demonstrated by the experience of the University of California Riverside (UCR), a MSI. Student course evaluations at UCR were very positive about the additional understanding obtained through the TinkerNet laboratory experiments. There is considerable interest from other institutions in using this environment. In addition, this project includes a more detailed assessment of student learning.