From Theory to Practice: How Hochschule Esslingen Leverages VyOS in Education

“VyOS is an excellent solution for teaching computer networks. It's easy to learn, robust, and powerful - and we strongly recommend it to other universities.”
— Lecturer, Hochschule Esslingen

Customer Overview

Hochschule Esslingen - University of Applied Sciences is one of Germany's leading technical universities, with a strong focus on engineering and applied sciences. In its Department of Computer Science and Engineering, students are introduced to the fundamentals of computer networks through hands-on learning and since 2020, VyOS has been at the heart of that training.

Challenge

The university needed a practical, scalable, and cost-effective way to teach networking concepts such as Ethernet, IP, routing, NAT, and firewalling. Traditional hardware-based labs - while effective posed significant challenges:

Hardware Management: Hardware management doesn't scale well for large student groups
Maintenance Overhead: Cabling, resets, and maintenance are time-consuming and error-prone
High Costs: Cost of commercial routers (e.g. Cisco) adds up quickly in large lab environments

The team sought a solution that could combine real-world relevance with flexibility and ease of use without compromising on depth.

Why VyOS

While considering options, the team explored both hardware appliances and other open-source platforms like OPNsense and OpenWRT. However, most of these alternatives lacked a modern CLI, scalability for virtualization, or the advanced routing features needed for effective curriculum delivery. With VyOS, and particularly the VyOS for Good program, the university found a solution that checked every box: an enterprise-grade router OS that could be easily deployed in virtual environments, with extensive documentation and support for core networking protocols. Key drivers included:

CLI simplicity: Ideal for education, yet powerful enough for advanced tasks
Flexible virtualization: Runs smoothly in student environments via VirtualBox
Robust documentation: Supports self-guided learning and experimentation
Community & support: The VyOS for Good program made adoption seamless

Implementation

Since 2020, hundreds of undergraduate IT students at Hochschule Esslingen have used VyOS to build practical networking skills as part of their core curriculum. The university leverages Oracle VirtualBox to run virtual testbeds. Each student works with two VyOS virtual machines:

Pre-configured Router: One pre-configured router (with DHCP, NAT, etc.)
Clean Instance: One clean VyOS instance that the student must configure from scratch

Through this setup, students learn how to build:

DHCP Services
Stateful Firewalls
Port Forwarding
Tunnels and routing between multiple networks

The VyOS CLI makes the learning curve approachable, while the comprehensive documentation and examples help guide students through increasingly advanced tasks.

Results

VyOS has proven to be a stable, accessible, and powerful platform for teaching computer networking at Hochschule Esslingen. With VyOS, the university is able to:

Scale practical labs to large cohorts with minimal overhead
Real-World Training: Offer real-world, hands-on training with professional-grade tools
Cost Reduction: Avoid the cost and complexity of hardware-based labs

Feedback from students has been consistently positive - most are able to configure and manage VyOS within a short time, preparing them for future roles in networking and systems engineering.

Looking Ahead

The team at Hochschule Esslingen continues to use VyOS as a core part of its curriculum, and recommends it to other institutions aiming to provide accessible and practical networking education.