♥ReGeneration♥

Interview your university network specialist. Ask how various parts of the system communicates with each other throughout the university. (Q) Given the chance to redesign the existing setup, enumerate and discuss your keypoints for an effective and efficient network environment ideal for the university.


1. What are the components involved in the system(s) in the university? (hardware, software, technology, etc.)

I am not in the right position to discuss the details of the software components used as there are other assigned personnel for such job. However, talking about hardware component and technology used, basically I, assigned as the network administrator, is entrusted to maintain our different servers to run 24/7. Currently, we have our Web Server hosted here in our University in our HP ProLiant ML350 Server. Its an old but stable server set-up here in our Networks Office and has been active since Engr. Val A. Quimno , not yet a dean, was appointed as the Network Administrator. The said server has the following specification:

* Intel Xeon 3.0 GHz, 3.2 GHz, or 3.4 GHz processors (dual processor capability) with 1MB level 2 cache standard. Processors include support for Hyper-Threading and Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T)

* Intel® E7520 chipset

* 800-MHz Front Side Bus

* Integrated Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI Adapter

* Smart Array 641 Controller (standard in Array Models only)

* NC7761 PCI Gigabit NIC (embedded)

* Up to 1 GB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM with Advanced ECC capabilities (Expandable to 8 GB)

* Six expansion slots: one 64-bit/133-MHz PCI-X, two 64-bit/100-MHz PCI-X, one 64-bit/66-MHz PCI-X, one x4 PCI-Express, and one x8 PCI-Express

* New HP Power Regulator for ProLiant delivering server level, policy based power management with industry leading energy efficiency and savings on system power and cooling costs

* Three USB ports: 1 front, 1 internal, 1 rear

* Support for Ultra320 SCSI hard drives (six hot plug or four non-hot plug drives supported standard, model dependent)

* Internal storage capacity of up to 1.8TB; 2.4TB with optional 2-bay hot plug SCSI drive

* 725W Hot-Plug Power Supply (standard, most models); optional 725W Hot-Pluggable Redundant Power Supply (1+1) available. Non hot plug SCSI models include a 460W non-hot plug power supply.

* Tool-free chassis entry and component access

* Support for ROM based setup utility (RBSU) and redundant ROM

* Systems Insight Manager, SmartStart, and Automatic Server Recovery 2 (ASR-2) included

* Protected by HP Services and a worldwide network of resellers and service providers. Three-year Next Business Day, on-site limited global warranty. Certain restrictions and exclusions apply. Pre-Failure Notification on processors, memory, and SCSI hard drives.

Aside from it, our mail server running under Compaq Proliant ML330 Server, our oldest server, is also hosted here in our Networks Office. Together with other Servers, such as Proxy and Enrollment Servers, both proxy and our enrollment servers are running in a microcomputer/personal computers but with higher specifications to act as servers.

2. How do these communicate with one another? (topology, network connectivity, protocols, etc.) – may include data flow/ UML diagrams to better explain.

All Servers are connected in a shared medium grouped as one subnetwork. In general, our network follows the extended star topology which is connected to a DUAL WAN Router that serves as the load balancer between our two Internet Service Providers. All other workstations are grouped into different subnetworks as in star topology branching out from our servers subnetwork as in extended star topology. At present, we are making use of class C IP Address for private IP address assignments. Other workstations IP assignments are configured statically (example: laboratories) while others are Dynamic (example: offices). All workstations are connected via our proxy servers that do some basic filtering/firewall to control users access to the internet aside from router filtering/firewall management. So, whenever any workstation has to connect to the internet, it has to pass through software and hardware based firewall.

3. What are the processes involved in the communication (each system to other systems)?

As mentioned above, in item 3, all workstations are connected via a proxy server. It means that whenever a workstation is turned on, it requests for an IP address from the proxy server (for dynamically configured IP address) and connect to the network after IP address is acquired. As connection is established, each system can now communicate and share resources within the same subnetwork and to server following the concepts discuss in your Computer Network Class.

4. How do you go along with the maintenance of the system?

Basically, our servers are expected to be in good condition since it is required to be up 24/7. Daily, during my vacant period, monitoring on the servers are observed that includes checking logs, checking hardware performance such as CPU health, etc. If problems are observed, remedies are then and then applied. Once in a week, regular overall checkup is observed as preventive maintenance to ensure not to experience longer downtime if possible.

5. Does the system follow a specific standard? Explain Please.

As I was appointed as the Network Administrator, everything was already in place except for some minor changes. Basically, different networking standards was already observed such as cabling standards, TIA/EIA 568A-B, different IEEE standards as discussed in your Computer Networks Subject, etc.

6. How is the security of the system? Are there any vulnerabilities? Risks? Corresponding mitigation techniques? Access control?

As I have mentioned, we have implemented both software and hardware based filtering/firewall. Basically, Risks or vulnerabilities and different mitigation techniques were considered to increase security in our network. Aside from filtering/firewall, constant monitoring on networks activity also increases the security of the system.

7. Are there any interference? During what (most) times do these occur? Explain their effects especially with regards to the business of the university?

Major Interferences are normally encountered as an effect of unforeseen and beyond our control events such as black outs, and the like. The said interference would of course affect University’s day-to-day businesses for obviously this will paralyze all our activities that rely on electricity and further this might cause damage on our network devices, etc. that may later be the reason for longer downtime. Problems encountered by our providers such as connection to the National/International Gateway also affect University’s business such as correlating to University’s Business Partners outside and within the country.

The enrollment period plays a big role on a university since it is the time that students would be registering as a part of the institution. As my part as a student, the enrollment procedure of the university should have a process that is easy for us to adopt, understand and follow. It is my fourth year of staying here in the university and I observed that for that past seven enrollment periods (2 times for every year) that I have experienced, it was not that easy to adopt and follow. The process is always changing and I know for the fact that it is for the betterment of the process since lots of students and other people involve in the enrollment process have many complaints about it and by that, we all want change. However, changing the enrollment process can make the people involve confused. Fortunately, diagrams were posted on the different areas on the university every enrollment. Those diagrams show the process for the enrollment and serve as a guide for the students, especially for the freshmen students, since they are new comers to the university.














As a student, I can really say that posting those diagrams can be a big help for us not to be confused and to know what processes should be taken for the enrollment. And this assignment that we will be answering in this forum is related to that enrollment process that can be found on those diagrams. Some issues were taken on considerations for the improvement of those diagrams. But those issues would only focus on the enrollment process of the freshmen students since the old students were already used to the different processes on the university. And for the shiftees, since they have the same enrollment process with the new students, I have just generalized the enrollment process. There are some observations, comments, and suggestions that I have to share to everyone and those are the following:

In terms of the images:













1. I have observed that the picture of the student on the beginning part of the enrollment process is different on the image of the student when he/she finishes the enrollment or is now officially enrolled. It should be taken into consideration since on the reality; a student who would be enrolling would not become big or will not enlarge his/her body size on the time that he/she has finished the enrollment procedure. Maybe, it was used to emphasize that a student is now officially enrolled but it is really a little bit funny if applied into reality. If that is the case, maybe by now I am already fat (how I wish! LOL ).












2. On the long arrow pointing below that can be found after the step four of the enrollment process. For me, it can really make students confused since that arrow is pointing down and it would make us think that the next step to be followed can be found below the previous step. But as you can see on the diagram, it is not, is it? In terms of the process:













1. The first step, which is the students accounts part, can just be removed since the processes involve on it, which are checking students accounts and checking balance, are already involve on the clearance signing part. As a student, I know that every time we will be having clearance signing, out student accounts and balances were already checked by the bookkeeper. Of course, if the bookkeeper found something incomplete on the accounts, he/she would not be signing the clearance. So, on the enrollment process, the first step can be not included since the clearance should be already completely signed prior to the enrollment period because of the fact that the people involve on the clearance signing (people who will sign the clearance, e.g. registrar, bookkeeper, etc.) are already busy on the enrollment time so they should not be disturbed for them also to concentrate on the enrollment process alone.













2. On the third step, which involves presenting enrollment requirements, advising, paying other fees, encoding, assessment of fees, and temporary COR printing, the payment of the other fees (e.g. local council, OCSC, headlight, insurance) should be done prior to the presenting enrollment requirements for the advising/pre-registration part. I have suggested it so that the process would be shorter and I know that the receipts for the other fees should be included on the advising part for the adviser to be able to give a pre-registration form to the student. On should be checked so that on the registrar part, students are already assured that they have already the receipts for the other fees.













3. On the sixth step, which is the last step on the diagram, should not serve as the last step since we all knew that we have to go to the library after having the official Certificate of Registration (COR). The library part should be included as the last step on the diagram for the enrollment. The library part should include presenting the COR for validating that a student is officially enrolled and presenting a 1x1 ID picture for the library card.

Consider USEP's pre-enrollment system, develop a use case diagram and write a brief use case description. A use case is a methodology used in system analysis to identify, clarify, and organize system requirements. The use case is made up of a set of possible sequences of interactions between systems and users in a particular environment and related to a particular goal. It consists of a group of elements (for example, classes and interfaces) that can be used together in a way that will have an effect larger than the sum of the separate elements combined. The use case should contain all system activities that have significance to the users. A use case can be thought of as a collection of possible scenarios related to a particular goal, indeed, the use case and goal are sometimes considered to be synonymous.