2026-07-22 –, Room 1
Want to test network scenarios, learn protocols, or debug configurations without expensive hardware? This hands-on session shows how to build realistic network environments using modern containerization and virtualization tools. We'll explore different approaches to spin up multi-vendor topologies on your laptop, capture traffic between simulated devices, and understand what works (and what doesn't) in virtual environments.
Ever wanted to test a complex routing scenario, understand how a specific protocol behaves under certain conditions, or simply learn networking concepts without investing in expensive hardware? Network simulation offers a powerful alternative - your laptop becomes a complete network lab.
In this practical, hands-on session, you'll discover how to create your own virtual network environments where you can safely experiment, break things, and learn. We'll start from scratch and build up to capturing real traffic between simulated network devices, showing you exactly what's possible with modern tools and where the boundaries lie.
What You'll Experience:
The session begins with the fundamentals: why simulate networks, what scenarios benefit most from simulation, and what the realistic expectations are. You'll see live demonstrations of creating network topologies - routers, switches, and hosts - all running on a single machine. We'll capture traffic between these virtual devices using Wireshark, examining how packets flow through simulated networks.
A key focus will be understanding the difference between simulated and physical networks. What traffic patterns look like in virtual environments vs. real hardware, which protocols behave identically and which don't, and when timing and performance characteristics matter. You'll learn to recognize these differences in your captures.
We'll explore practical integration scenarios: connecting your physical monitoring tools to virtual networks, setting up capture points in containerized environments, and understanding device-in-the-loop testing where virtual and physical components work together. This is especially relevant for anyone working with network TAPs, packet brokers, or monitoring solutions who want to test configurations before deploying to production.
Roland Knall is a seasoned software developer and systems architect based in Salzburg, Austria, with over 25 years of experience . He has extensive expertise in network technology, focusing on network analysis and packet capture . As a core developer of the Wireshark network analyzer, Roland has contributed to its open-source development for nearly a decade, including six years on Wireshark’s core team . He is also a member of Wireshark’s Technical Steering Committee , helping shape the project’s direction. He is active in the open-source community and regularly shares his knowledge through conference talks and panel discussions, including Wireshark’s SharkFest user conferences .