WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY

Submittal Cover Sheet

Date: 12/20/2010
Student Name:
Student ID Number:
Student Degree Program: BSIT
Student Email:
Four Digit Assessment/Project Code: CPW1
Mentor Name: Laura Creamer / Les Vance
For Revisions Only Indicate Previous Grader:

Submissions received with an altered, incomplete or

missing cover sheet will be returned for resubmission.
Submit to:
Western Governors University
Attn.: Assessment Delivery Department
4001 South 700 East, Suite 700
Salt Lake City, Utah 84107-2533

Capstone Project Cover Sheet

Capstone Project Title: Small Business Network Upgrade

Student Name:

Degree Program: BSIT

Mentor Name: Laura Creamer / Les Vance

Signature Block
Students Signature

Mentors Signature

Table of Contents

Capstone Report Summary (Introduction) ................................................................................................... 1

Goals and Objectives..................................................................................................................................... 6
Project Timeline (Appendix 2)..................................................................................................................... 11
Project Development .................................................................................................................................. 13
References .................................................................................................................................................. 17
Appendix 1: Competency Matrix ................................................................................................................ 18
Appendix 2: Project Plan and Timeline ....................................................................................................... 20
Appendix 3: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Features and Benefits .................................................................... 23

Page 1

Capstone Report Summary (Introduction)

Most small businesses today understand the need for a modern and efficient computer network
to maximize their bottom line. Others, however, continue to putter along utilizing outdated systems that
slow employee productivity and sharpen customer frustration.

is a small business in

California with 87 employees that had been working with a network that was current in 1998
but became quite archaic by 2010. Upper management found it lacking in many areas and the
companys users felt the whole system was extremely slow overall. As a former employee and current
computer network consultant, the company had asked me to plan and build a comprehensive company
network upgrade. In order to accomplish this, I conducted a systems analysis/rational for the project
and researched technology with which I was less than experienced.
In approaching this project, I began by learning all I could about the existing system and why it
needed to be changed. The process started with asking the principles relevant questions, then mapping
out the existing system to determine what changes had to occur to meet their needs satisfactorily. For
example, was the existing system inadequate in whole or only in part, and if changes were made, then
what were the business benefits of these changes? Each business has a wide variety of needs and you
can never assume you understand what a company needs without asking the appropriate questions. In
other words, I had to conduct a comprehensive systems analysis and client interview before deciding on
possible changes.
The first thing I did was schedule an appointment with the owner and COO of
to find out what they liked and disliked in their existing system as well as what they were looking to
accomplish with an upgraded system. As it turned out, they liked very little about their existing setup. In
fact, they brought up a variety of complaints:

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1. The computer system ran so slowly that the owner, the COO and all the employees
complained about it to each other constantly.
2. Customers often wondered aloud why the system took so long to show them design options
via the internet as well as to give them any kind of quote.
3.

All of their computers showed signs of viruses, spyware and malware.

4. Network security was lax. Everyone had access to any computer at any time (the company
had one standard user and password for every computer except for the owner and COO).
There was no central logging to show management who was doing what and when.
5. They were scared of losing all of their data, as they had no disaster recovery process in
place.
After the meeting with upper management, I held a meeting with several key employees as well.
From these meetings I put together a descent picture of what they felt was important in a new system.
Concisely, they wanted a system that was faster, more secure, more efficient and safer than their
existing one. The sales manager wanted to insure all of his sales staff had bigger flat-screen monitors
and faster internet access speeds for working with clients. The senior product designer also wanted an
oversize monitor, in addition to making sure her new computers specs met or exceeded the
recommended specs for all of her new design software. The production manager felt his existing
production terminal systems were just fine for what he used them for, but wanted to eliminate any
internet access on the machines.
Understanding what the company was trying to accomplish with a network upgrade, I then
began an inspection of the existing company network to determine its architecture. From this
inspection, I found their existing system was a simple peer-to-peer network, with 34 desktop computers
and no main login server. This examination exposed the first problem with the network. While peer-topeer networks are less expensive from a cost standpoint, networks with more than 10 desktops or so

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begin to show a significant degradation in network speed. Further, I discovered the physical connection
topology of the network utilized CAT5 cabling and 10BASE-T switches/network adapters. This exposed
problem number two - CAT5 cabling and 10BASE-T network adapters both operate at 10mbps, which is
excessively slow by todays standards. Further, all of the desktop computers had wiring directly into one
of two 10BASE-T switches, which compounded the problem. A wired Linksys router connected the
switches to the companys T1 modem to round out the intranets access to the outside world. All IP4
addressing in the network was strictly static and used a conventional internal network range of
192.168.1.100 192.168.1.200 and 255.255.255.0 subnet. The network also contained one Linux
application server that held their proprietary design and accounting software. A tape backup system was
also in place for backing up this application server.
All of the company desktops had either Windows 98 or Window XP operating systems. Each
machine that ran Windows XP had the same hardware specification: 1800 MHz Pentium 4 CPU, 128K
ram, 16mb video card and 14 analog monitor. Each machine that ran Windows 98 logged in various
production activities and printed Identification product labels. These machines ran a 200 MHz Pentium
CPU with 64K ram, 4mb video card and 13 amber monitor. The company architecture also included 12
Brother laser printers, an HP scanner and 2 thermal label printers.
Once I charted the overall structure of the companys topology, I examined a number of the
desktops more closely. I examined only five machines to get an average picture since they were all built
much the same. Each machine had a 16 gig hard drive with almost 0 remaining space available; none
had been cleaned out of undeleted temporary files, been defragmented or had a backup in at least 4
years. In addition, each had Windows Word 97 as a standard word processing program, but none had
any virus, spam or spyware prevention programs. However, I did find 20+ user-added programs that
were unauthorized according to the owner.

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In the final analysis, it was obvious that this company would have benefited some if they had
simply conducted due diligence by maintaining the existing computers by erasing temporary files,
removing the unauthorized programs, defragmenting the drive and setting up scheduled backups of
each computers data files. They might have improved even more with cable and network hardware
replacements. However, was that enough? Unfortunately, the answer is no. There were just too many
problems those measures did not address. A full systems upgrade was the necessary option. However,
before I started any upgrade, I had some research to do.
I studied server software solutions, cabling options and switch/network card options as well as
hardware options. These options were:
Server OS Microsoft Server 2008 vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server
Network cabling Cat5e vs. Cat6
Switches and Network Cards 100BASE-T vs. Gigabit
Over the years, Microsoft server software and its corresponding hardware had been my server of choice
when I set up any network for clients, but this client expressed that I present two system options one
Windows-based and the other Linux-based. Since I had little experience with any Linux system, I
researched Red Hat Linux Enterprise Server as a second option. In looking for a workable Linux server
system, I read many articles on the internet regarding available options. Www.Linux.com had a direct
comparison of Linux systems. In this article, they felt the Red Hat Enterprise Server (RHEL) was the best
contender.
Best Linux Enterprise Server
Again, in this category it really comes down to two main contenders: Red Hat Enterprise Linux
(RHEL) and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES). Given the pick for the Enterprise Desktop
category, you might expect SLES to get the "best of" label here.
But, when all factors for the enterprise server are weighed, RHEL is still the king of this particular
hill.

Page 5

Red Hat edges out Novell with its server product, because RHEL users get a deeply mature
distribution, and Red Hat's support structure is second to none in the enterprise channels
(Proffitt, 2010).

I conferred with a few colleagues who specialized in Linux and they concurred that indeed that
RHEL was the best choice. So, I did additional research at www.redhat.com, summarized in Appendix 3,
along with a few other sources. However, in all my research I discovered deep divisions in opinions
regarding Linux vs. Microsoft server solutions. It seemed that for every expert that lauded the virtues of
Linux, there was another expert who did the same for Microsoft, while at the same time they each
bashed the other. I knew each system had its pluses and minuses like most things, but the question
remained could I have planned and built a Linux-based solution given my relative inexperience with
the platform? There was no doubt I could with time, but the project had a tight timeframe and budget.
Being honest with myself, I told the client I would only recommend one system a Microsoft-based
solution.

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After determining the system, I compiled a parts list. From this list, I worked with my hardware
and software vendors on costs to bring the project in under budget. The goal of this project was to
create a new network that met or exceeded all customer expectations within a defined budget and
timeframe. Deliverables included new desktop computers and monitors, a main login server, switches,
network cards, updated software and formal training.

Goals and Objectives

This project contained 11 main goals and objectives, including:

Created a faster and more efficient network

Upgraded all existing inefficient computer hardware and software

Installed new user productivity software

Designed and installed a new designer station

Established tools to generate reports on user and systems usage

Installed portal virus and malware software

Set up remote access for management and outside sales employees

Developed a backup and disaster recovery plan

Removed and recycled all replaced equipment

Provided appropriate employee training in the new system

Met project budget and exceeded customer expectations.

The business success of this project hinged on completion of these goals and objectives. They
represented the scope of the project and provided a blueprint for a satisfying conclusion.

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The most important upgrade management asked for was a network-wide increase in speed and
efficiency. How was this important? Let us say you are a customer at a grocery store and there are
several customers with full shopping carts in front of you waiting to check out. Further, let us say that
the grocery store has technology in place that makes the sales clerk input a code by hand for each item
purchased. As you might imagine, you would be in that line a very long time. Now what if right across
the street there was another grocery store with similar pricing, but they offer a faster checkout system
where the clerk enters each item purchased automatically via flatbed infrared scanner. Compared
head to head, if the customer in the store with the scanner lives close by, then they are likely to be
able to check out, get into their car and be at home by the time the non-scanner customer even gets
out of the store.
The main technique to getting increased speed for

was to upgrade their

existing hardware and software. Circuit boards are the main component of any hardware in a
computer network. According to Moores Law, the number of transistors that can be placed
inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years. The trend has
continued for more than half a century (Wikipedia, 2010). Since the company had not upgraded
their system in 12 years, this meant new circuit boards now hold roughly 64 times more transistors
than those in the companys old system. Add in new software and the symbiotic relationship of
hardware and software moves in harmonic productivity producing better performance. Software
upgrades, while not advancing to the degree of circuit boards, have made processes faster, easier and
more automatic.
In upgrading the software for this company, I installed new server and desktop operating
systems to take advantage of the increase in hardware performance and other new software provided
increased productivity over outdated suites such as Word 97. Additionally, software to better manage
calendars and email correspondence immediately enhanced workers organizational and

Page 8
communication skills. The senior product designer asked for and received new design software that
allowed her to compete with competitor designers. Consequently, she now produces more
competitive product designs.
A new modern design station was a critical part of the new setup. It contained a desktop
machine that was fast and held a lot of RAM. The attached monitor was a large 28+ LCD monitor
running off a video card with a lot of memory and color match tuning. Hard drives were set up as a raid
system with a very large storage capacity to hold a large number of high-resolution designs. The design
stations main function was to show clients new and exciting art designs. For accessories, I installed a
digital writing tablet, large-format flatbed scanner, mid-range priced six-color printer and digital
projector. Customers often complained to the senior designer that they were frustrated at how long it
took to render designs onscreen and the old CRT screen never showed any of the colors in the designs
accurately. Consequently, when they picked supporting mats and framing for the designs, the art
simply came out different and did not have the impact desired of the overall design.
The next goal was to provide management with better reporting tools for their system. They had
no answers to the many questions which most modernized corporations had access. How many hours
were lost to unauthorized employee internet usage? Who was accessing the network, when were they
accessing it and what were they accessing? If there were errors on the system and no one knew about
them, did they really happen? Of course, they did, but no one knew it until information leaked out or
some insidious software leaked in and devoured irreplaceable data. However, by then, it was entirely
too late. Reports and tools to track these things and many others were not only nice to have, but are
essential to the maintenance and security of the new network system.
When I initially examined some the existing desktop systems, I found a variety of malware
present on each system. One had an outdated version of Norton, but the rest had no protection at all.
There are two types of security for viruses, spyware and other types of malware desktop or portal.

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Each desktop can have security software like Norton or McAfee suites installed on them. The updating
of these desktop versions works very well but is laborious to maintain for each machine. Portal
malware security is a better option for larger organizations as it scans and screens incoming and
outgoing data at the packet level looking for digital trouble. Moreover, since it is a single portal and
only in one physical position, it is much easier to maintain and manage. Many organizations decide to
utilize a little of both. For example, even if you use a portal malware system you may still use desktop
versions of virus software on sensitive desktops for added security.
Someone once said that the only way to secure yourself from outside digital influences is to not
connect your system to the internet and plug all of your ports to allow zero outside access. In todays
business environment, that is far from advisable. What if you have remote employees such as
salespeople, who need access to internal network resources when they are not physically on site? It is
not practical to deny them access if they connect with a secure connection. The company had several
employees that required this access, so VPN tunneling was set up for these employees. This helped to
nullify unauthorized external access to the LAN.
Precautions have always been necessary to maintain a network, nevertheless, what if something
still went wrong. Was there a system in place to restore lost data or restore systems that went offline?
The company had only a single backup system established for their Linux server that contained their
design and accounting software. This solution did nothing if crucial one-of-a-kind proprietary designs
on someones desktop were lost because of a hard disk crash or other hardware or software failure. A
new backup and disaster recovery plan was necessary to maintain business continuity and retain
valued digital assets.
When you had in with the new, you inevitably had out with the old, which in this case
constituted physical hardware disposal. In todays green world of recycling, no company or contractor
can simply toss any computer network components that hold hazardous materials in the trash.

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GENERALLY, ELECTRONIC WASTE IS CLASSIFIED AS HAZARDOUS IF IT CONTAINS COMPONENTS
THAT ARE TOXIC (POISONOUS), IGNITABLE/COMBUSTIBLE, CORROSIVE, OR REACTIVE. MOST
ELECTRONIC DEVICES CONTAIN HEAVY METALS, SUCH AS LEAD. IF THE HAZARDOUS
COMPONENTS GET INTO LANDFILLS, THE HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES CAN THEN GET INTO THE
SOIL AND PERHAPS SEEP INTO THE GROUNDWATER. (Shinder, 2008)
Types of hazardous materials include most old circuit boards, batteries and CRT screens. The company
requested appropriate disposal and an appropriate recycling of all discarded hazardous material. I
secured an authorized vendor to do just that.
Upon conclusion of the project, my goal was to provide complete employee training on the new
system. Just because there was, a new system in place did not mean anyone knew how to use it. It
was only possible to increase productivity on the new systems through proper training. Desktop users
needed to know how to do their jobs better using their new desktop equipment. Management needed
to know how to access the report information and understand what the reports meant in order to act
on them. There was additional training in some of the specific design software needed for the Senior
Designer, but that was outside the scope of my abilities. I accomplished training verbally augmented
by a written instruction manual one for management and one for all other users.
Lastly, my primary goal as a technology professional was to conclude the project on or under the
established budget while attempting to meet or exceed project expectations of the principle
stakeholders. This sounded like a simple concept, but it was far from it. Between scope creep and
managements tightening of their original budget, several goals underwent augmentation in order to
accomplish this upgrade. My objective was for the customer to be happy with my efforts and I believe I
achieved that.

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Project Timeline (Appendix 2)

The project timeline was broken down into seven broad phases: project initiation, project
planning, design specification, build out, testing and quality control, project review and project closing.
Some tasks went quite smoothly and completed exactly as planned, while others were harder to keep to
their scheduled timeline. A few were due to my personal family conflicts, however most scheduling
problems were caused by the client changing the scope of the project and revising the budget
downward.
Project initiation (Phase 1) began on December 1 and consisted of two tasks. The first was
reviewing the project scope to make sure I had thought of everything needed for successful project
completion. The second task was to review success criteria of the project in order to determine what
level of completion actually achieved an acceptable success level. I overestimated the time needed for
these tasks (2 days) and was able to complete both in just one day.
Project planning (Phase 2) began on December 2 and consisted of four tasks. The first three
tasks: developing an effective communication plan, determining the schedule and creating a risk
assessment were straightforward. These tasks were scheduled to take 3 days to complete, but took just
2 days. The fourth task was the kickoff meeting with upper management to review the scope of the
project and discuss overall scheduling on December 8, but I was able to move the meeting up to
December 6. It was at this meeting that the scope of the project began to creep and I had to use the two
days I was ahead of schedule to create a new schedule.
Design Specification (Phase 3) began on December 9, putting me back on schedule. This phase
consisted of six requirements: hardware, software, security, network, storage and access. Upon
completion of these requirements, the last was supposed to be the final sign-off meeting with
management where I would receive a purchase order and down payment to begin the project. Given
that the first meeting had not gone as planned, I decided to attempt to do all of the requirements in 3

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days instead of the 6 days. That would allow me to move up the planned sign-off meeting three days to
December 14 in case I received new surprises which I did. Citing a need for a lower budget ceiling, the
company owner asked me to go back and reassess all of the project requirements to bring the projected
overall cost down. He also wanted to reopen for business several days earlier than originally planned. I
then spent the next two days modifying my proposal specs and timeline and rescheduled the sign-off
meeting for its original date of December 17. Finally, I received a project purchase order and deposit to
start the project.

closed their doors for their traditional holiday break after the

meeting and I began work on the next phase.

The build out (Phase 4) consisted of eight tasks and was supposed to begin on Monday,
December 20. However, not wanting to take any chances on getting behind schedule I began placing
orders with my vendors on Friday, December 17 right after I received the PO and deposit check. This
allowed me to obtain most of the hardware and software I needed for the project by December 21. This
once again put me ahead of schedule by a one day. My first build was to install and configure the new
Microsoft Server. Next, I set up all the network hardware, cabling and desktop computers. After that, I
set up the new design station, new network attached storage and new SonicWall appliance with VPN
tunneling. Originally, I planned 12 Days for the build out, but with management shrinking their holiday, I
cut that time to 8 days (including the one day I was ahead of schedule). Therefore, instead of completing
this phase by January 3, I had to complete it by December 30.
Testing and quality control (Phase 5) came next. Originally scheduled for 3 days to test all
hardware and software, I had to cut it down to 2 days and finish it by January 2nd. So of course, I ran into
several problems with the server, dead cables and configuration settings that caused me to put in quite
a few extra hours in those two days.
At this point, all company employees returned from their Christmas break on January 3rd and
project review (Phase 6) commenced. The first step of the project review consisted of training all

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employees. I trained all users how to log into the new server and gave a basic course on the operation of
the Windows 7 operating system. Additionally, I trained management in accessing and utilizing server
and SonicWall reports. I gave the senior product designer extra training on her equipment as it differed
somewhat from all the other machines. I accomplished all of this training in a little over a day. The
remaining time on Day 2 (January 4) was spent reviewing all hardware and software aspects of the
project to ascertain if all deliverables beside those in Phase 7 were up and running to specifications.
Finally, in project closing (Phase 7), four tasks remained. The first two involved the completion
of the last two deliverables a completed network physical topology diagram and a basic operating
manual for the new system. For the third task, all obsolete equipment was turned over to a certified
hazardous disposal and recycling vendor. The fourth task simply reflected on how the project evolved
and what lessons I learned from the experience. The project culminated on January 11, taking 31
workdays to complete 4 days earlier than originally planned.

Project Development
The project development proceeded mostly to plan. However, due to several changes in project
scope and budget from the client and a few personal family conflicts, the project was not without its
kinks. Because of these issues, I had to make several timeline changes and modify a few of the
deliverables. Nevertheless, even with these issues the client judged the project a success.

This project really started after I had presented a completed project proposal to the client,
complete with a timeline and price estimate. The timeline matched the specified timeframe of the client
and the price estimate came in under the budget proposed by the client. However, when I had my final
meeting with the owner and COO of the company (before beginning the project), I was informed they
wanted to change a few things. First, they wanted to change the budget.

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After consulting with his accountant, the owner felt the money for the project was just too
much. Initially, he had tried to get me to cut down my price without any changes to the deliverables;
however, this was simply not possible. So after some haggling, we agreed on several changes to the
deliverables. First, instead of upgrading all of the computers in the production area as I had planned, I
left them as is except to revoke their internet access. This was tolerable since the production manager
felt these computers were fine. Next, I worked out a support agreement with him, which was much less
expensive than the agreement offered by Microsoft support in the original proposal. Lastly, we agreed
to scrap a second backup server that would be an automatic fall-over server in case of a server crash.
With these changes, the owner then felt the new project price was acceptable.

With the price point taken care of, the owner then sprang on me that he wanted to have the
project completed several days earlier than originally planned. He felt his workers were going to be on
holiday too long for his comfort or theirs. This presented a considerable problem for me as I set my price
doing this job solo and if I had to hire assistance, the project was not worth doing. In putting together
the original project plan, I already felt crunched on time. Considering all options, including spending
time with my family over the holidays, I concluded my only option to meet the new timeline would be to
work longer days while the company closed for the holidays.

As soon as I had some of the new equipment on site, I began to rebuild the clients network.
However, without wanting to incur extra shipping charges, I ordered shipped items to arrive via ground
shipping. Unfortunately, some of these parts filtered in a day or so later than expected, which means I
did some parts of the installation out of order. Whenever I had no machine to configure or build, I
worked on rewiring the network with CAT6 cable. This allowed me to stay busy at all times and minimize
the shipping delays issue. I had run cable many times and felt confident there were no problems in that
area.

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On the day, I was to set up and configure the new server; my brother got a severe staph
infection and went into the hospital. I had to leave the project and spend some time with his family that
day and the next. I explained this delay to the client and they decided to give me a key to the building
for the duration of the project so I could come and go at irregular hours to finish the project on time. If
not for that, timely completion was doomed.

While working around 1:00am a few days later, the newly installed Microsoft 2008 server
crashed. Amazingly, I soon realized the units motherboard had fried. In all my years of working on
computer systems, I had never once seen that happen. I always work with antistatic equipment when
working inside any electronic equipment, but in this case, I had not even needed to open the case. I
contacted Dell the next day to report the problem and got them to expedite a new server to me next
day air. I had to wait on its arrival and had to reconfigure it when it did.

The new server seemed fine and began to set up all the desktops to log into it. Unfortunately, I
had several desktops that would not connect, and after trying several solutions, realized some of the
cables were bad. In my haste to get things done, I had neglected to test each cable from end to end to
verify it was functioning. On two cables, I simply had to replace the ends with properly wired RJ45
connectors. With the others, I had to replace the entire cable lengths. The lesson learned was that
sometimes it does not pay to do shortcuts.

With the server now running, the desktops connected and running through the new Gigabit
switches, I turned to the installation of the new SonicWall appliance. I had done this before and as
before, it presented no problems this time either. The last thing I did on the new system the night
before the client was due to reopen was to configure the NAS backup system and establish the reports
from the server and SonicWall for management.

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On the day the client reopened, I met with the owner and COO one hour before opening time. I
explained to them how I would be having orientation training with everyone for 30 to 45 minutes before
working with them individually. I discussed new desktop usage, new login procedures, and new security
measures including management logging. I ended the day by working with the lead Designer on setting
up and answering questions about her new station.

The last part of the deliverables was a small employee manual on the new system and a more
involved one for the owner. In the owners manual, I gave him the tools to act as the Network
Administrator as he had some technical knowhow. However, to be prudent, I established a service
contract with him for anything he was not able to handle. Along with the written training, I also gave the
owner a mapping of the topology of the network that included the location of all equipment, settings
and passwords he needed to know.

In the final analysis, the owner, the COO and all the employees of

were

extremely happy with their new computer network. It surpassed every expectation they had and
accomplished every goal they listed. It was faster; they were more efficient; their clients were happier;
their ROI was reasonable; they were more competitive in their market segment; and they loved the job I
performed. However, did it make a difference in productivity? Just because the transistors, cables and
software in the clients system became many times faster did not necessarily make employees more
productive. It is difficult to put a price on employee or customer loyalty and happiness. Nevertheless,
technology alone will never be solely responsible for business productivity improvement; it is a tool like
any other at the disposal of superior business professionals. It is up to successful managers and owners
to make use of their technology for the betterment of their business. This business was very savvy in
that they not only made the move to upgrade, but also hired a technology professional who understood
their business well enough to help them set up a system so they could succeed.

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References

Proffitt, Brian. (2010). The Top 7 Best Linux Distributions for You. Retrieved October 28, 2010, from
http://www.Linux.com/learn/docs/ldp/282996-choosing-the-best-Linux-distributions-foryou.html
Red Hat Enterprise Linux. (2010). Retrieved November 5, 2010, from
http://www.redhat.com/rhel/server/features/
SonicWall Network Security Appliance 2400. (2010). Retrieved November 24, 2010, from SonicWall
Network Security Appliance 2400 http://www.sonicwall.com/us/products/NSA_2400.html
Shinder, Deb. (2008). What IT pros should know about exposure to hazardous materials. Retrieved
November 22, 2010, from http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/networking/?p=637
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law

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Appendix 1: Competency Matrix

Domain/Sub-domain

Competency

Explanation

Technology Management
Fundamentals

Upper division technology

management skills

Recommended appropriate tools,

diagnostic procedures, preventive
maintenance and troubleshooting
techniques for personal computer
components in a desktop system

Language and
Communication

Upper division language and

communication skills

Presented information to an
audience using effective
communication strategies

Natural Science

Upper division natural science

skills

Analyzed the components,

organization, interactions, and
processes of ecosystems

Quantitative Literacy

Upper division quantitative

literacy skills

Constructed reasonable quantitative

arguments, reasons deductively and
inductively, solved quantitative
problems using a variety of
techniques, and determined whether
a given argument has logical flaws

Reasoning and Problem

Solving

Upper division reasoning and

problem solving skills

Logically brought together

information to arrive at a viable
solution to a problem, and then
clearly and accurately communicated
the results

Principles of Management

Upper division principles of

management skills

Responded appropriately to diversity

issues in the workplace

Organizational Behavior
and Leadership

Upper division organizational

behavior and leadership

Analyzed the culture within an

organization to determine how to
work effectively within that
organization

Networks

Upper division network skills

Differentiated and
installed/configured network devices.

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Operating Systems

Upper division operating system

skills

Installed, configured, and updated

computer operating systems;
determined and fixed postinstallation issues

Project Management

Upper division project

management skills

Implemented, controlled, and

coordinated projects according to
project plans

Network Security

Upper division network security

skills

Identified security needs and

recommended appropriate security
practices for network infrastructures.

Web Systems and

Technologies

Upper division web system and

technology skills

Identified suspicious network activity

and selected the appropriate strategy
to counter it.

Page 20

Appendix 2: Project Plan and Timeline

Estimated
Duration

Estimated Begin
Date

Estimated End
Date

Reviewed Project Scope

.5 Day

12/1/2010

12/1/2010

Reviewed Success Criteria

.5 Day

12/1/2010

12/1/2010

Developed Communication Plan

1 Day

12/2/2010

12/2/2010

Determined Schedule

.5 Day

12/3/2010

12/3/2010

Created Risk Assessment

.5 Day

12/3/2010

12/3/2010

Projected Kickoff Meeting with Upper

Management

3 Days

12/6/2010

12/8/2010

Hardware Requirements

.5 Day

12/9/2010

12/9/2010

Software Requirements

.5 Day

12/9/2010

12/9/2010

Project Initiation

Project Planning

Designed Specification

Page 21

Security Requirements

.5 Day

12/10/2010

12/10/2010

Network Requirements

.5 Day

12/10/2010

12/10/2010

Storage Requirements

.5 Day

12/13/2010

12/13/2010

Access Requirements

.5 Day

12/13/2010

12/13/2010

Obtained Project Start sign-off from

client

3 Days

12/14/2010

12/17/2010

Obtained Hardware and Software

3 Days

12/17/2010

12/21/2010

Configured Main Server

1 Day

12/22/2010

12/22/2010

Installed Network Cabling

1 Day

12/23/2010

12/23/2010

Installed Network Hardware

1 Day

12/24/2010

12/24/2010

Installed Desktop Computers

2 Days

12/27/2010

12/28/2010

Installed Main Design Station

1 Day

12/29/2010

12/29/2010

Installed Backup Solution

.5 Day

12/30/2010

12/30/2010

Build Out

Page 22

Installed Access Controls/Configure

Remote VPN Solution

.5 Day

12/30/2010

12/30/2010

Tested Hardware/Software

1 Day

12/31/2010

12/31/2010

Tested Network/Network Security

.5 Day

01/02/2011

01/02/2011

Tested backup solution/WAN

connectivity/Access Controls

.5 Day

01/02/2011

01/02/2011

Trained Upper Management/Staff

1 Day

01/03/2011

01/03/2011

Reviewed hardware requirements and

specifications, goals and objectives,
budget and maintenance contracts

1 Day

01/04/2011

01/04/2011

Physical network diagram

1 Day

01/05/2011

01/05/2011

Disposed of obsolete equipment

1 Day

01/06/2011

01/06/2011

System Manual

2 Days

01/07/2011

01/10/2011

Project Lessons learned

1 Day

01/11/2011

01/11/2011

Testing and Quality Control

Project Review

Project Closing

Page 23

Appendix 3: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Features and Benefits

Features

Benefits

Optimized on highly scalable, multi-core systems, Red Hat Enterprise Linux manages the underlying
Application &

system complexity and reduces data bottlenecks so applications can perform their best.

infrastructure efficiency,

Red Hat works closely with our hardware partners and industry standard groups to enable the latest

scalability, and
reliability

hardware functionality as it becomes available. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 provides operating system
control for platforms to have enhanced system power management, and end-to-end data integrity.

Scaling with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (pdf)

Red Hat Enterprise Linux: Application Compatibility Specification (pdf)

Unprecedented resource
Administrators and application developers can set policies by process, applications, and even guests to
management

match network, memory, and cpu usage to business needs and service-level agreements.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides a complete security stack from network firewall control to secure
containers for application isolation that has made Red Hat Enterprise Linux one of the most certified
operating systems available.
Integral security
As a host, a guest, or in the cloud, applications can be secured with a common and comprehensive suite
of technologies and policies - backed by Red Hat's global Security Response Team.

Security Technologies in Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Develop and deploy with confidence knowing that all the packages shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux
are supported and maintained. In addition to the LAMP stack, the application development portfolio
Stable application

includes scripting languages such as PHP, the TurboGears2 framework, the Eclipse IDE, and
debugging/tuning tools. Not only is deployment easy, but architects can use advanced caching

development and
production platform

technologies to scale as needed without additional complexity.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides comprehensive application support across cloud services, middleware,
web applications, and enterprise applications.

Your Web Applications

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is designed to be both a superior virtualization host and guest on any of the
Integrated virtualization

major hypervisors. With virtualization incorporated into the kernel, the complete breadth of system
management, security tools, and certifications are available for your administrators to use.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Consolidation (pdf)

Page 24

Red Hat provides two categories of control for datacenter operations. Our Smart Management Add-On
Enterprise

and Red Hat Network Satellite servers centralize and automate common management functions so
datacenters can scale systems without burdening staff.

manageability
Red Hat also packages the platform in system administer-friendly packages that allow the tailoring of
installations to application needs.

(RHEL, 2010)