Increasing the Performance of Crab Linux Router Simulation Package Using XEN

Nowadays hardware components are very expensive, especially if the prime purpose is to perform some routing related lab exercises. Physically connected network resources are required to get the desired results. Configuration of network resources in a lab exercise consumes much time of the students and scientists. The router simulation package Crab, based on Knoppix, Quagga and user mode Linux (UML) is designed for the students to facilitate them in performing lab exercises on a standalone computer where no real network equipment is needed. In addition to that it provides the facility of connection with the real network equipments. Crab also handles the pre configuration of different parts of the simulated networks like automatic IP addressing etc. This paper describes the performance enhancing of Crab by replacing user mode Linux virtual machine with XEN capable of providing ten virtual sessions concurrently using a standalone computer