# Deploying Secure Distributed Systems: Comparative Analysis of GNS3 and SEED Internet Emulator
## 2 Background
### Hybrid System Deployment  
[PERSON] et al. [35] observed a growing interest in using network emulation as a replacement for a physical architecture, but some researchers are exploring the combination of both to create a distributed solution. In our study, we conducted experiments on both network emulation and physical networks to understand the potential of replacing physical network nodes and explore this area for businesses. [PERSON] et al. [36] emphasized the technological considerations in deploying an emulated solution, such as coordinating centralized control \begin{table}
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**Literature Reviewed** & **Vulnerability** & **Exploitation** & **Remediation Techniques** \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{[PERSON] et al., 2017[30]} & VM Escape attacks conducted at the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) layers. Malicious applications aid attackers in gaining the highest privilege of VMs. & Attack steps include “Placement” (placing malicious VMs on the same physical machine as the hypervisor) and “Extracting Information” (accessing key and extracting information from other VMs, host, and hypervisor). & Bell–LaPadula adaptation for Prevent Virtual Machine Escape (PVME): \\ \cline{1-1}  & VM hopping attacks, where the attacker gains access to VMs on the same hypervisor. & The attacker uses a malicious VM to discreetly access or control other VMs on the hypervisor through communication between them. The attacker may also try to access the host OS, potentially destroying other VMs. & Bell–LaPadula adaptation for PVMH: \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
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Table 1: _Cont._and distributed routing. Despite the configuration complexities, utilizing hybrid systems offers advantages, including maximizing network throughput in traffic engineering. In our research, we designed and configured a Distributed System that combines a physical and emulated network with Quality of Service (QoS), capable of running business systems and services. [PERSON] et al. [37] demonstrated how hybrid systems could provide energy consumption advantages through flexible centralized control. They achieved this by selectively shutting down idle links and switches in the deployed emulation architecture, which can be powered on later when needed. Our Distributed System also offers similar flexibility, allowing specific nodes and network connections to be easily shut down without causing interruptions or affecting the rest of the network. The user-friendly interface of the GNS3 platform facilitates the implementation of this feature. Incremental deployment has been identified as the most-effective approach in deploying a distributed solution. [PERSON] et al. [38] discussed the use of a heuristic algorithm for implementing a Distributed System under budget constraints. Incremental deployment has shown a forty percent improvement in throughput compared to other deployment solutions with a small number of emulated nodes. Our work included a cost matrix that compares network emulation and the physical architecture, enabling interchangeability in the application of a Distributed System model. [PERSON] et al. [39] proposed combining hybrid systems with IoT technology, highlighting it as a promising solution. Their study focused on a privacy-aware IoT architecture that leverages the advantages of network emulation, enabling distributed control functionalities across different planes, including operational, data, and tactical planes. Integrating network emulation and the IoT provides benefits such as enhanced forwarding, caching, security, and integration with legacy IT infrastructure. Our research demonstrated the scalability and interchangeability of devices in a distributed solution through a simple configuration or adding previously configured devices via the GNS3 VM and NIC card on the host server. Additionally, [PERSON] et al.