Virtual Linux Network Infrastructure Assignment: Dublin City College (DCC) Case Study for Proof of Concept (PoC)

Module Learning Outcomes Assessed:

• MLO 1 – Identify types of clients and server operating systems and the roles and services they provide (Linked to PLO 1 (Stage 1/2 SLO 1))
• MLO 2 – Utilise client and server OS configuration tools (Linked to PLO 2 (Stage 1/2 SLO 2))
• MLO 3 – Understand and Control access to network resources and services, Troubleshoot basic configuration and resource access problems (Linked to PLO 4 (Stage 1/2 SLO 4))
• MLO 5 – Configure and diagnose basic network connectivity (Linked to PLO 1 (Stage 1/2 SLO 1))

Assignment Introduction

Scenario & Proof of Concept overview:

You have started a new role in an ICT consultancy company named ‘Consult & Connect Ltd’. The company provides networking consultancy services for companies located in Ireland.

Your first proof of concept project is to create a virtualized Linux network infrastructure based on a new third level college’s network – the name of the college is Dublin City College (DCC). DCC have instructed you to create a virtualized environment whereby they can achieve a sense of how their new network & services will behave in a Linux environment.

Assignment overview

This assignment will help assess your understanding of virtualized network services such as SSH and other network services. Remember you are a consultant, so you need to justify your work to DCC (in certain sections). These activities will require some research and troubleshooting so be prepared for this!

Overview of requirements

The proof of concept is divided into a number of parts:

• Use VirtualBox software to build a small client-server network
• One Ubuntu Server 24.04 acting as a web server and one Ubuntu 24.04 Server 24.04 acting as web client
• Install the Apache web server on the Ubuntu Server – modify the Apache page to create a Dublin City College ‘Under Construction’ webpage
• Install a Lynx browser to view the Dublin City College web page
• Use Wireshark to monitor traffic
• Rename the hostname(s) of both VMs as specified below
• Establish permanent IP address configuration using Netplan or similar tool
• Install an SSH client on your host OS to act as an SSH client to login to the Ubuntu Server utilising SSH over the virtual network
• Firewall configuration as specified below
• Further research tasks as described by DCC below

Specific Requirements

Using virtualization software, install the Linux Server Operating System into two virtual machines using the Ubuntu Server 24.04 ISO disk image.

You will need to have two network adapters on each of the Linux computers used for this project so be sure to include them both when installing the OS.

Install both VMs with two NICs, Adapter 1 should be NAT and Adapter 2 should use the Host-Only adapter setting.

Note that adapter 1 is enp0s3, adapter 2 is enp0s8

PART 1: Virtual Linux Network and Web server (Initial setup on this page)

You have been contracted by Dublin City College (DCC) to install a prototype Linux Client-Server Web environment to demonstrate basic connectivity between the Linux Server & Client VMs. Also, you will need to demonstrate remote connectivity using an SSH terminal and configure basic security in the Linux environment.

ubuntuserver (the Web server) will host a simple DCC web page that you will create.

ubuntuclient (the Web client) will test that the Webserver by using a simple text-based web browser or normal browser to view the DCC web page. You will also access this web page using your host OS (either Windows or MacOS or Linux).

Name the first computer ubuntuserver and name the second computer ubuntuclient.

Once the OS are installed you need to configure the network adaptors and change the network settings so that the two machines have network connectivity. Note the adapters refer to VirtualBox network adapters.

The connectivity must include the ability of each computer to PING the other computer and for each computer to have Internet connectivity. For the host-only adapter, initially use temporary network configurations, you can use the ifconfig command. The ifconfig command allows you to configure settings which take effect immediately, however they are not persistent and will be lost after a reboot (later on you will use Netplan to make the Host-Only addresses permanent).

ubuntuserver IP addressing:
[Adapter1 should be on NAT and Adapter2 should be on Host-only]

ubuntuclient IP addressing:
[Adapter1 should be on NAT and adapter2 should be on Host-only]

Below are specific instructions for the tasks that Dublin City College needs you to configure.

Part 1 A: Virtual Linux Network and Web server

You will provide evidence that you have completed the configuration tasks by creating a report that uses screenshots (print-screens). There should be clear labels on each screenshot and clear labels for each report section.

Part 1B: Uploading files to the Webserver with Secure FTP using FileZilla

Part 1C: Hostname Management – Renaming the linux servers:

PART 2: Using SSH for secure transfer of data between the two servers

PART 3: Security configuration #1 – UFW Firewall:

The default firewall configuration tool for Ubuntu is Uncomplicated Firewall (ufw) which is a utility that provides a user-friendly way to create an IPv4 host-based firewall. ufw is initially disabled by default. In this part your will configure the uncomplicated firewall to control the network traffic and demonstrate the uncomplicated firewall doing its job.

You will add print-screens with labels as evidence of completing these tasks.

PART 4: The SAMBA file server

Configure the Samba Server service in Ubuntu Linux. One of the most common ways to allow Ubuntu and Windows computers to interact with each other is to configure Samba as a File Server.

PART 5: Docker Container running on top of Linux

In Part 1-9 above you have created a ‘Dublin City College under construction’ web page on the Apace Web Server. Your supervisor at ICT consultancy company has heard that you are working with containers which are utilizing the Ubuntu Linux OS. She would like to see the DCC under construction’ web page hosted inside a container. Create a container image that has the DCC under construction’ web page and use the web browser in your Windows or Mac host computer to demonstrate that the DCC web page is running on the container. Be sure show all configuration steps that you used to accomplish this task.

PART 6: RESEARCH AND CHALLENGE ACTIVITIES

Below are research and challenge tasks, and it is recommended that you only attempt these when all of the above tasks are complete. This is an opportunity for you to do some research about Linux and learn a few new things. In the real-world using Linux requires the user to constantly look things up!

For Part 6 be sure to document this research and provide references for each of the sources that you used to find this information. You should use the Harvard system of referencing. A guide to Harvard Referencing is posted on Moodle. To obtain full credit for these challenge items, show all configuration steps that you used. If you know how to perform these configurations from your previous experience, state this in your report.

Part 6A: Security configuration #2 – iptables:

In Part 3 above you used the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) for securing the HTTP and SSH traffic entering and exiting the server. Before UFW was created Linux administrators used iptables for their firewall configurations. You supervisor at ‘Consult & Connect Ltd’ is ‘old-school’ and would like you do demonstrate the use of iptables for securing the HTTP and SSH traffic entering and exiting the server.

Use iptables firewall rules and demonstrate that you can block the SSH traffic and then allow the SSH traffic to flow on the network. Also, use iptables firewall rules and demonstrate that you can block the HTTP traffic from flowing on the network and then allow the SSH traffic to flow through the firewall.

Part 6B: IP Address Management – use nano to edit the Netplan file.

The IP addresses you configured for the two servers are ephemeral (temporary). Configure ubuntuserver as shown here.

ubuntuserver IP: 192.168.56.100 /24

Edit the necessary Netplan configuration file (or files) to make these changes permanent. Use PING to demonstrate that these are the correct addresses and show that you have connectivity between these two Linux VMs. Use of snapshots is recommended here.

Part 6C: IP Address Management with DHCP

The Linux server will keep the static IP address that you assigned previously but the Linux client needs to receive it’s IP address dynamically from a DHCP server.

You will need to install and configure a DHCP server to allocate the client an address.

• Configure the DHCP server following settings on the Ubuntu Server:
• We will be using the following subnet: 192.168.56.x netmask 255.255.255.0
• The DHCP address range should go from 192.168.56.150 – 192.168.56.200
• Note: If your configuration needs a default gateway address and a DNS address 192.168.56.1 would be the addresses to use for both of them.
• Demonstrate that the Ubuntu Web client will then need to receive the first available address in the DHCP pool: IP = 192.168.56.150 / Subnet Mask = 255.255.255.0

Part 6D: Linux challenge task:

Install the V-Box Guest Additions onto the ubuntuserver VM. When you created the Windows Server VMs you added in the Virtual Box guest additions. Your supervisor at ICT Consultancy Company needs to be able to access the Virtual Box Guest Additions virtual CD drive on the ubuntuserver VM and access the files that are on that Guest Additions virtual disc drive so that you can install these Guest Additions. Provide a screenshot that shows that you can access the files on the Guest Additions virtual CD ROM.

Part 6E: Forgotten password:

One of your associates is using Oracle Virtual Box and has forgotten the password to the virtual machines. Opps! Now this is embarrassing! What can be done about this? Find a method for him to enter the Virtual Machine so that they can be used without having to create a new . The method should work for either a Windows or Linux V-Box VM instance and you should demonstrate that it works on both of these operating systems.