Web-Application Based System for Automated Testing of Network-Devices Configurations

Manually checking the configuration of manageable network devices is a time-consuming process, that should be automated. This automatization is especially needed in the school environment with many students, where a teacher must effectively evaluate the students' results. This paper describes a proposal of a web system for testing configuration of network devices. The proposed system enables students to easily upload and evaluate configurations of network devices. When a student uploads configurations files, the system compares them to golden-model configuration files, uploaded by the teacher. Based on these comparisons, the system is able to evaluate students' configurations and display the results. The system was designed in such a way that the students cannot access the golden-model configuration files - i.e. answers uploaded by the teacher. The proposed system also makes organization of configuration files easier for students and teachers by grouping them into tasks and courses.