| Lab Name |
Exploring Network layers by deconstructing WiFi packets.
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| Subject Area |
Computer Science: Networking
|
| Grade |
9 - 12
|
| Topic |
Network Layers
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| Experiment Title |
Deconstructing WiFi Packets.
|
| Hardware |
WiFi Network Adapter (built-in to laptops).
|
| Software |
Open-source network protocol analyzer
|
| Number of Sessions to teach the topic |
1
|
| Educational standards to be addressed |
- AP CSPrinciples Enduring Knowledge Standards:
- EK6.2.2F
The Internet is a packet-switched system through which digital data is sent by breaking the data into blocks of bits called packets, which contain both the data being transmitted and control information for routing the data.
- EK6.2.2G
Standards for packets and routing include transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP).
- EK6.2.2J
The bandwidth of a system is a measure of bit rate -- the amount of data (measured in bits) that can be sent in a fixed amount of time.
- CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards:
- 3A-CS-01
Explain how abstractions hide the underlying implementation details of computing systems embedded in everyday objects.
|
| COSMOS concepts to be used for the lab |
Networking layers, TCP port, UDP port, packetization of data, IP packet, DHCP, Domain Extension, public IP vs private IP.
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| K12 Educational Goals (How the educational goals are achieved through teaching using the experiment, how the topic is connected to the COSMOS concepts used) |
The experiment captures network traffic using Wireshark/tshark, which is used to analyze how data is packetized for transmission across the Network Stack.
|
| Short Description and Walk-through of the experiment |
- Students perform an advanced computerless experiment with paper “packets” in the classroom that simulates 3 layers of packet headers.
- Students use Wireshark to capture packet data.
- Students use Wireshark Analysis tool to visualize the binary > hex > ASCII of the data.
- Students explore which bytes of the packet represent various parts of the header (frame, mac address, IP address, SSL?, data payload).
- Students use this to make a drawing of a packet.
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| Testbed mapping of the experiment |
Packet Capture files (.pcap) used in experiment can be captured from any Testbed node that has tshark installed. Students would need additional tools to generate traffic on the testbed, instead of from their browser or other laptop applications.
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© 2018 COSMOS Project. Created by Joel Bianchi, Frederick Douglas Academy I
Andrew Rose, Trinity School.