Ideas for lab hosts?

Atmosphere1991

Anyone have any ideas for lab hosts? I was thinking, I could get 3 cheap desktop pcs with xubuntu or something on them and kmv switch?? What is the cheapest way I could go about simulating hosts?

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gc8dc95

Depends. I have done a couple different things, depending on what I had laying around. I have done a couple old desktops. I have used one machine with multiple NICs. I have used loopback interfaces.

Just really depends. I think my favorite is probably using VM's on a machine with multiple NIC's, easy to manage and seems more realistic. You really dont even have to do the VM's, just use each NIC as a separate device.

JeanM

Loopback interfaces, some cheap $10 home router(s), old pc's/laptops, virtual vm hosts with individual ports....

EdTheLad

A router with "no ip routing" will act as a host.
The question is, what exactly do you want the hosts to do?

helios

I've been using a Raspberry Pi as a host in my lab, and I also use it as a SysLog server. It's super cheap, and there are additional things it can do beyond just being a dumb host.

I have a Mac, so when I use Terminal, I can simultaneously have a console connection open to my lab, as well as an SSH connection to the Pi.

bermovick

If you're using gns3, look into VPCS for limited host functionality.

RouteMyPacket

As someone else mentioned, loopback interfaces. I have also used a router as also mentioned before as a host, works like a charm

Matro

I'm using multiple VM on the same machine that I use with PUTTY (for console access). I find it very comfortable!

MacGuffin

Atmosphere1991 wrote: »

Anyone have any ideas for lab hosts? I was thinking, I could get 3 cheap desktop pcs with xubuntu or something on them and kmv switch?? What is the cheapest way I could go about simulating hosts?

Don't buy anything unless you really have to. I've been able to pick up computers that others would have thrown away. I have a couple laptops with busted screens that I just plugged into CRT displays that some other people I know that wanted to just get rid of them. As you know the computers don't have to be able to do much to quite useful in the lab, if it can telnet, ping, and traceroute that might just be enough.

It never occurred to me to buy computers for such tasks. I got a pile of computer equipment in my basement that I can dig through for such things. Among my friends and family I got the reputation as a "computer guy" and pack rat. I just have people giving me stuff. I assumed that most everyone on this forum would also have access to similar stuff. Someone even considering buying computers for this amuses me somewhat. But that is besides the point, just an observation.

Other than diving in dumpsters for hardware there were plenty of good ideas already. I like the idea of buying up some used home routers. If you do your research you can find the good ones that can have their firmware replaced with small Linux distributions. Something like that would be just as valuable as a computer costing ten times as much. It won't play StarCraft 2 or whatever kids are playing these days, but it can do all kinds of network tricks.

Adding more network ports to an existing computer would work too. USB to ethernet adapters are relatively cheap, the brand name ones go for $30. Add a couple of those to a computer you already have and you can do a lot of things.