A TCP Learning Environment http:tcp.dcs.standrews.ac.uk

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A TCP Learning Environmenthttp//tcp.dcs.st-andr
ews.ac.uk

• Kristoffer Getchell, Alan Miller, Colin Allison
• School of Computer Science
• University of St Andrews
• kg, alan, colin_at_dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk

Site freely available for non-commercial use
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Presentation Overview

• What is TCP View
• Why is it needed
• Educational Content
• Interactivity
• Delivery
• Conclusion Evaluation
• Questions?

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What Is TCP View?

• TCP View is a web delivered interactive learning
  resource
• Allows users to interact with animations,
  visualisations and simulations of protocol
  behaviour
• Can be used
• Independently by learners
• As part of a tutorial/practical session by
  learner/demonstrators
• During lectures by lecturers/learners

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What Is TCP View?
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Why Is It Needed?

• Aims to bridge the gap between theoretical and
  practical networking courses
• Allows students to interact with theoretical
  material in a novel way
• Provides users with an anytime-anywhere access
  learning resource
• Tries to remove the traditional emphasis on dry,
  acronym filled lectures through the use of an
  alternative presentation medium

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Educational Content

• Split into 4 individual units
• Introduction
• Historical development, protocol design goals,
  packet structures
• Connection Management
• Connection setup teardown, connection
  lifecycle, TCP Finite State Machine
• Data Flow
• Congestion (and its avoidance!), transfer
  reliability, TCP Window evolution
• Efficiency
• Visualisation of simulated protocol behaviour
  under a variety of (user selectable) conditions

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Educational Content

• Split into 4 individual units
• Introduction
• Historical development, protocol design goals,
  packet structures
• Connection Management
• Connection setup teardown, connection
  lifecycle, TCP Finite State Machine
• Data Flow
• Congestion (and its avoidance!), transfer
  reliability, TCP Window evolution
• Efficiency
• Visualisation of simulated protocol behaviour
  under a variety of (user selectable) conditions

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Introduction
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Educational Content

• Split into 4 individual units
• Introduction
• Historical development, protocol design goals,
  packet structures
• Connection Management
• Connection setup teardown, connection
  lifecycle, TCP Finite State Machine
• Data Flow
• Congestion (and its avoidance!), transfer
  reliability, TCP Window evolution
• Efficiency
• Visualisation of simulated protocol behaviour
  under a variety of (user selectable) conditions

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Connection Management
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Educational Content

• Split into 4 individual units
• Introduction
• Historical development, protocol design goals,
  packet structures
• Connection Management
• Connection setup teardown, connection
  lifecycle, TCP Finite State Machine
• Data Flow
• Congestion (and its avoidance!), transfer
  reliability, TCP Window evolution
• Efficiency
• Visualisation of simulated protocol behaviour
  under a variety of (user selectable) conditions

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Data Flow
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Educational Content

• Split into 4 individual units
• Introduction
• Historical development, protocol design goals,
  packet structures
• Connection Management
• Connection setup teardown, connection
  lifecycle, TCP Finite State Machine
• Data Flow
• Congestion (and its avoidance!), transfer
  reliability, TCP Window evolution
• Efficiency
• Visualisation of simulated protocol behaviour
  under a variety of (user selectable) conditions

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Efficiency
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Interactivity

• Interactivity used to highlight various important
  characteristics
• Image Maps allow user interaction with diagrams,
  graphs etc
• Packet Flow Animations used to explore the
  process of transferring data between hosts
• Sequence State Animations highlight event
  sequences reinforce the ordering of events
• Simulations allow users to direct their own
  learning environment experimenting with
  parameters and obtaining feedback through 2D and
  3D interactive graphical representations

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Interactivity

• Interactivity used to highlight various important
  characteristics
• Image Maps allow user interaction with diagrams,
  graphs etc
• Packet Flow Animations used to explore the
  process of transferring data between hosts
• Sequence State Animations highlight event
  sequences reinforce the ordering of events
• Simulations allow users to direct their own
  learning environment experimenting with
  parameters and obtaining feedback through 2D and
  3D interactive graphical representations

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Image Maps
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Interactivity

• Interactivity used to highlight various important
  characteristics
• Image Maps allow user interaction with diagrams,
  graphs etc
• Packet Flow Animations used to explore the
  process of transferring data between hosts
• Sequence State Animations highlight event
  sequences reinforce the ordering of events
• Simulations allow users to direct their own
  learning environment experimenting with
  parameters and obtaining feedback through 2D and
  3D interactive graphical representations

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Packet Flow Animation
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Interactivity

• Interactivity used to highlight various important
  characteristics
• Image Maps allow user interaction with diagrams,
  graphs etc
• Packet Flow Animations used to explore the
  process of transferring data between hosts
• Sequence State Animations highlight event
  sequences reinforce the ordering of events
• Simulations allow users to direct their own
  learning environment experimenting with
  parameters and obtaining feedback through 2D and
  3D interactive graphical representations

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Sequence State Animations
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Interactivity

• Interactivity used to highlight various important
  characteristics
• Image Maps allow user interaction with diagrams,
  graphs etc
• Packet Flow Animations used to explore the
  process of transferring data between hosts
• Sequence State Animations highlight event
  sequences reinforce the ordering of events
• Simulations allow users to direct their own
  learning environment experimenting with
  parameters and obtaining feedback through 2D and
  3D interactive graphical representations

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Simulations
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Delivery

• Server
• Standard Apache 2 Web Server with Server Side
  Includes enabled
• Perl scripts used to power simulations
• gnuplot/Java Applets used to produce
  visualisations
• Client
• Windows/Linux/MacOS X supported (tested!)
• Standard Web Browser (IE, Firefox, Mozilla etc)
• Java Runtime Macromedia Flash Player

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Reference Further Study

• To aid further independent study a number of
  external links are provided within the TCP View
  site
• RFCs
• Seminal Papers
• Protocol Stack Implementations
• Slides (including this set!)

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Future Work

• TCP View has targeted the main aspects of TCP,
  but other areas could be included
• Sliding Window Protocol
• Congestion Control
• Develop the hands-on approach further
• TCP Virtual Experimentation Lab
• Provide structured learning activities
• IMS-LD packaging?
• Use the TCP View lessons to develop further
  learning resources for other areas
• WIFI, Routing, IP

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Conclusion Evaluation

• Project has been used in lectures and as a take
  home resource as part of an undergraduate
  networking course
• Limited User Testing and Evaluation has been
  conducted
• Initial feedback has been positive, but further
  testing and evaluation is required (will be
  undertaken in the forthcoming academic year)

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Acknowledgements

• The Higher Education Academy works with
  universities and colleges, discipline groups,
  individual staff and organisations to help them
  deliver the best possible learning experience for
  all students.
• The main purpose of Saltire Filta grants is to
  encourage the development of new patterns of
  learning and teaching, especially where the
  innovation or development requires pump-priming
  finance that cannot be provided from normal
  departmental resources.

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Questions?

• Site available at
• http//tcp.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk
• Comments/feedback greatly welcomed
• kg, alan, colin_at_dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk

Site freely available for non-commercial use