Modernizing HPC Lab Networking with Concurrent Dual-Stack IPv4/IPv6 and dnsmasq
Level of Education of Students Involved
Undergraduate
Faculty Sponsor
Nicholas Rosasco
College
College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)
Discipline(s)
Computer Science, Information Technology
ORCID Identifier(s)
Sam Thyen: 0009-0008-3511-491X
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
Spring 4-30-2026
Abstract
This project modernizes network infrastructure in Valparaiso University’s Computing and Information Sciences Student Projects/Research Facility, including the Parallel/Distributed Computing lab, by introducing IPv6-based addressing and centralized name resolution alongside existing IPv4 configurations on previously static, private networks. The original environment relied on manually assigned IPv4 addresses and hostname mappings maintained in /etc/hosts, limiting scalability and increasing administrative overhead. A key goal was also to enable direct, side-by-side comparison of IPv4 and IPv6 networking for future students. To address these challenges, two isolated lab networks were re-architected using IPv6 Unique Local Addresses (ULA) with dynamic configuration via DHCPv6 and Router Advertisements while preserving IPv4. Dedicated Raspberry Pi 4 Model B systems were deployed on each network to run dnsmasq, providing integrated DHCPv6 and DNS services under distinct internal domains. This enabled automatic address assignment, dynamic hostname registration, and simplified service discovery. The implementation emphasizes reproducibility and maintainability through detailed documentation and automation strategies. Key challenges included managing DNS search domain behavior across multi-interface systems and ensuring consistent name resolution in a multi-network environment. Overall, this work demonstrates a lightweight, cost-effective approach to modernizing isolated research networks using open-source tools, improving scalability, flexibility, and administrative efficiency while providing a practical platform for exploring IPv4 and IPv6 networking concepts.
Recommended Citation
Thyen, Samuel D., "Modernizing HPC Lab Networking with Concurrent Dual-Stack IPv4/IPv6 and dnsmasq" (2026). Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE). 1519.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/1519
Project Poster
Biographical Information about Author(s)
Sam Thyen, a Senior Computer Science major at Valparaiso University.