Data About Network User Problem example essay topic

Life in a modern technology requires skills in dealing with computers... CH 8 Network Management. 8.1 Network Documentation. Cut sheet diagrams. The first and most critical component for a good network is documentation. Documentation is the most talked about and least performed task in a network. "i'. diagrams that indicate the path of the physical wiring layout; "i'. the type of cable; "i'. the length of each cable; "i'. the type of termination for the cable; "i'. physical location of each wall plate or patch panel, and; "i'.

A labeling scheme for easy identification of each wire. MDF and IDF layouts This is a Physical and logical layout of the Main Distribution Facility and all of the Intermediate Distribution Facilities in the network, layout of rack mounts, auxiliary equipment, and servers in the distribution facility, patch panel labels to identify cable terminations. Identification and configuration details of all equipment located in the distribution facility. Server and workstation configuration details This is any physical detail of the computer, model and serial number, Physical location, user, and network identification.

Software listings Standard and special software used on each machine in the network. This list includes operating system and application software. Maintenance records It is also valuable to keep a list of all repairs that have been done to all equipment included in the network. This will help an administrator predict possible future problems with existing hardware and software.

Security measures Includes 'soft's security, such as user rights, password definition, and firewall support, but also physical security. Physical or hard security includes things as simple as identifying how the MDF and IDF's are locked, who has access to these rooms and why, how the hosts are protected (security cables - alarms), and who has physical access to the system. User policies They contain how the users can interact with the network. These policies include what is and what is not permissible on the network. It should also include what the consequences of violating user policies will be. Other aspects of user policies include what minimum user ID and password length should be, and rules for the content of passwords.

8.2 Network Security includes the following. Network access It involves making the network as secure as possible against unauthorized access. This is done by establishing security policies, such as minimum password length, maximum password age, unique passwords (not allowing the same password repeated), and only allowing the user to logon to the network at particular times of the day or days of the week. Security also involves making sure that users are aware of the company's network policies and follow those policies.

Data recovery. The second part of network security involves protecting data from loss. Three popular data protection methods are Tape Backup of data, fault tolerant disk configurations, and the use of uninterruptible power supplies Back up operations 1. Full backup: All files on the disk are stored to tape and the archive bit for all files is set to off. 2. Incremental backup: Backs up all the files that have been created or modified since the last full backup.

It is important to remember two things about an incremental backup. One, that it only works in conjunction with a full backup and two, which any file created or modified has its archive bit turned back on so it will be saved to tape during the next incremental backup. 3. Differential backup: Backs up all the files that have been created or modified since the last full backup. This sounds the same as an incremental backup, but the difference is that even though the file is saved to tape, the archive bit is not reset. This means that each time a differential backup is done, all of the files modified or created since the last full backup will be stored again.

4. Copy backup: Backs up user selected files to tape. This backup also does not reset the archive bit to off. 5. Daily backup: Backs up only the files that are modified on the day of the backup. Redundancy techniques There are other RAID levels but they are beyond what is needed for the level of understanding we need.

In fact not all network operating systems support the RAID levels. The three RAID levels that are supported by most operating systems are RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 5. The key points to remember are RAID 0 just is used for speed and provides NO data redundancy (backup). RAID 1 provides full data redundancy, but requires twice as much storage space, because all data must be written to two separate disks, and still has a single point of failure in the controller card. This problem is taken care of by the other variation of RAID 1, which is disk duplex ing, where the disk controller is duplicated also. RAID 5 requires a minimum of three disks (in a WinNT system, four because the system and boot partitions cannot be on the RAID set) and the partition size must be the same on each disk.

RAID 5 is popular because it provides very fast data reads from a disk, that gives better throughput to the network. One last important point about RAID 5 and Windows NT, to have full redundancy, this must be done. You need at least five disks, the first two will be set up as RAID 1 (disk mirroring) for the system and boot partitions, and the last three data disk will be set up with RAID 5. This will provide full redundancy, with the speed advantage that RAID 5 will provide.

8.3 Environmental factors. Static, dust, dirt and heat Keep dust and dirt out of the keyboards, disk drives, and equipment air vents. Keeping the environment in which equipment is used clean and free of contaminants does this Power conditioning Protect your equipment from irregularities in your building's electrical wiring. The easiest way to protect your network and computer equipment is to put it on separate circuits in your building.

This will solve some but not all power-related problems. 1. Isolating transformer: Controls voltage spikes and high frequency noise. 2.

Regulators: Maintains a constant output voltage despite changes in the power line's voltage over a long period of time. It handles such problems as brownouts and voltage surges. 3. Line Conditioner: This is a regulator with an isolating transformer but in. 4. Uninterruptible power supply: Basically this is a battery charger that charges a battery that in turn powers the computer.

This device will allow the computer to run even if there is a power failure. EMI and RFI Computer components, such as power supplies and monitors, as well as fluorescent lights, large electric motors, and electrical wiring, can cause Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) that can be picked up by other equipment and improperly shielded cables Software viruses Be careful about getting software, without knowing specifically where it comes from. Many times software that is distributed through illegal channels is a prime carrier of viruses. This is because there is no system established for checking the software. Be wary of other people using your computer with their disks. Any kind of file can carry a virus.

It doesn't have to be a program file; it could just as well be a data file that has a virus infecting it. Use a current virus checker on all computers. There are many companies that sell or provide virus checkers. 8.4 Network Performance Network baseline, updates and change verification Along with network security and redundancy, another important consideration in network management is network performance. Network performance is a measurement of a network's quickness and reliability. To establish a baseline, a network monitor package or tool, such as the Fluke LAN Meter or Windows NT network monitor program can be used.

These tools will record several types of network performance data, including network utilization percentage, collision counts, frame errors and broadcast traffic. By establishing a baseline measurement when the network system is at optimum normal performance levels, the network administrator will have a comparison value to use to determine the health of the network. needs to be periodically updated. As a system is upgraded, it is important to remember that as hardware is upgraded, so should the software drivers that control that hardware, and if an upgrade or new program is installed, the service or repair packs supplied by the software company need to be reinstalled. In the case of the new hardware installation, the old software driver may not take advantage of the new hardware features or may not be compatible at all. This could create a serious performance problem. The reason for the re installation of the service packs is to prevent files, that are part of the new programs installation process, that are older than the file that is in the service pack from causing problems.

When making changes to the network, such as moving a piece of equipment from one location to another. It is important to verify As the network grows and changes, the baseline measurement, just like any other documentation the proper operation of that piece of equipment in its new location before updating your baseline measurement. This is especially important when making changes to reduce network traffic on a particular network segment. Even though the device was working properly on the old segment, it may not for the new segment, and this will have an effect on network performance. Always verify the operation of a device thoroughly after an equipment move; this includes network functionality and all critical applications. 8.5 Server Administration Peer-to-Peer The peer-to-peer network is also known as a work group network.

It is designed for small numbers of workstations; Microsoft recommends no more that ten users in a peer-to-peer network. Advantages of a peer-to-peer network are that it is cheaper to create and operate than a client-server network, it allows users to control their own resources, it does not require a dedicated server, and that no additional software is required, besides a suitable operation system. The disadvantages include, no central point of management is provided and each user must create ID's for each user that shares resources on their machine. Each time a user changes a password, all passwords on shared resources must be changed individually. If a shared workstation is turned off or otherwise unavailable, those resources are not available.

The last disadvantage was mentioned before, that is if there are more than ten users or if the network will grow to more than ten users in the next year, a peer-to-peer network is not a good choice. Client-Server The other type of network is a client-server network. Network operating systems are the heart of the client-server network. These systems control the resources and management of the local area network. The advantages of client-server networks are, they provide a centralized point of user, security, and resource management. Also dedicated servers can be used to more effectively provide specific resources to clients.

They also provide access to all allowed resources with one network ID and password. The disadvantages are that there is now a single point of failure in the network. If the server 'goes down', all server resources are unavailable to the clients. In fact, the clients may not even operate without the server. Network operation and maintenance now require specially trained personnel to maintain the network. This along with special network software and hardware add greatly to the cost of operation.

Network control Network rights, login accounts, passwords, and groups, along with profiles and policies provide a way for the system administrator to control access and restrictions to network services and control the local user workstation. Being a network administrator is also a set of rights and privileges granted on the network. Not all users have the right to change other users rights and privileges, these rights a reserved for certain groups that have been given administrator rights. By being part of a group that has administrator rights you also are an administrator. 8.6 Network troubleshooting Scientific method 1. Identify network / user problem.

2. Gather data about network / user problem. 3. Analyze data to come up with a possible solution to the problem.

4. Implement solution to network to attempt correction to the system. 5. If the problem isn't resolved, undo previous changes and modify data.

6. Go to step 3 Analyze network troubleshooting No matter what type of problems will be encountered on a network system, the process for resolving them will be the same.