Low-cost networks and gateways for teaching data communications
Larry W. Hughes · ACM SIGCSE Bulletin · 1989
The growing importance of communications in computer science has resulted in many undergraduate computer science programmes offering courses in data communications. Although data communications courses can be taught in a practical manner, the cost of data communications hardware often restricts the amount of actual hands-on experience that students can gain. In this paper we describe the hardware and software requirements of several low-cost networks that can be used by students to gain experience in a wide variety of data communication topics including local area networks (such as bus networks and ring networks), wide area networks (i.e. store-and-forward networks), and gateways.