CHAPTER ONE

Introduction The student industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) was established in 1973 to enable University undergraduates in Nigeria the relevant practical knowledge and industrial exposure they need to fully understand the application of the theoretical knowledge they acquire within the four walls of the lecture halls. I was fortunate to serve my six months industrial work experience at Digital Bridge Institute, utako, Abuja. International Centre for Communications Studies, a telecommunications company involved in Promoting the development of human resources capacity by training personnel in telecoms and ICT sectors of the economy.This report is a comprehensive summary of all that I learnt and was involved in throughout my industrial attachment at the company's information and communication technology department, I was able to learn how the different transmission equipments operate, are installed, troubleshooted and remotely monitored. The chapter one gives a brief introduction to the history and operations of Digital Bridge Institute with an organogram of the company. Chapter two discusses the basics of Networking and all protocols involved in networking. Chapter three talks about how we set up halls for training, crimping of Ethernet cables for LAN, Backing up of computer files for staff and also installation of new desktop computers for staff

BRIEF HISTORY AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

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The Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) was launched in the wake of the phenomenal world-wide growth of the Telecommunications (telecoms) and Information Communications Technology (ICT) sectors, which has been especially well noted in Nigeria. The country has witnessed more than tenfold the growth in teledensity, significant drops in costs, and increased access to data and other IT enabled services. Led by the successful auction of Digital Mobile Licensing by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) - the government regulator, and the subsequesent roll out of mobile services, increased number of operators, and significant increased private capital investment, the sector as a whole has been challenged by a dearth of trained and suitably qualified human resources. Digital Bridge Institute... has trained over 5,000 people in Professional Programs and enrolled more than 300 Postgraduate Students in the Academic Courses. Acknowledging the need to continue to foster the rapid development and growth of the Nigerian telecommunications marketplace, as well as the potentially significant vulnerability as lack of human resources could pose, the NCC established DBI in May 2004, with the following mandate:

The institute shall serve as a focal point for human resource

development and workforce capacity building, as well as as, research drive on matters relating to telecommunications in Nigeria, and Africa in general.

The institute shall offer a comprehensive portfolio of hands-on

engineering and technical training programmes for professionals and practitioners in the telecommunications and IT industry. The program shall encompass every subject matter that affects proper implementation and management of telecom, datacom, internet infrastructures.

The institute shall focus on educating and training manpower in all

spheres of telecommunications and information technology at post graduate and diploma.

OBJECTIVES OF DBI As with all academic institutions, DBI has three central objectives. First to provide students quality education and training, second is to engage in world class research, and is to engage in outreach and public devices. In view of this, the institutes objectives are to:

Promote

the development of human resources capacity by training

personnel in telecoms and ICT sectors of the economy

Establishing training facility with modern infrastructure and technology

for training engineers, ICT professionals, policy makers, and regulators in the relevant related sectors of the economy.

 Educate future leaders in technology industries of all kinds, leading to

several graduates in telecommunications, ICT and related services.

Develop dialogue between telecom service providers, vendors, regulators,

educators and users for on going opportunities through individual courses and certificates, as well as academic degrees. When possible, such discourse should lead to specific industry funded research projects by faculty and by students. (through faculty ad-hoc projects, as well as through studentscapstones and thesis)

DESCRIPTION INSTITUTE

OF

ACTIVITIES

AT

THE

DIGITAL

BRIDGE

Over the past five years, the institute has trained about 4000 professionals in diverse sectors which include over 2000 Nigerian University lecturers in a joint project sponsored by NCC tagged: Advanced Digital Appreciation Program Tertiary (ADAPT). About 98 students have registered in our post graduate programmes. The institute is also involved in Nigerian civil society improvement using the instrument of ICTs. Digital bridge institute has three campuses located in Kano, Abuja, and Lagos. But the Abuja campus has its operations grouped into different business units namely:

Administration unit Client and acquisition and relation unit Finance and cash unit Information and communication technology unit Human resources Institute secretariat Research, education and curriculum.
I worked in the information and communication technology unit which is responsible for internet access and data connectivity within the institute. We are also expected to maintain and troubleshoot the provided services when faults are noted only within the institute. Below is the organizational chart of Digital Bridge Institute, Abuja.
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ORGANIZATIONAL CHART OF DIGITAL BRIDGE INSTITUTE

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL BRIDGE INSTITUTE

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT, ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT, ACADEMICS AND STUDENT AFFAIRS. RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT MULTIMEDIA

CLIENTS ACQUISITION AND RELATIONS GROUP

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS INSTITUTE CASH OFFICE

HUMAN ADMINIST RESOURCES RATION

SOFTWARE SOLUTION 7

Fig 1.1: Organizational Chart of Digital Bridge Institute, Utako District, Abuja.

VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS The various Departments and / or offices are shown in the organisational chart. The functions performed by these departments are as follows; 1. The Office of the President: This office oversees the activities of every other office in the digital bridge institute, to ensure efficiency, quality service and cost effective management of resources. The president is the head of the office and the Chief Executive officer of DBI; he has two personal assistants as well as his secretary. They all help him carry out his work effectively. DBI operates what is called a top down system in management. Hence, the president performs functions that includes but not restricted to planning, developing and implementation of strategies for generating resources and/or revenue for the institute. He approves the institutes operational procedures, policies, and standards; this includes all payments to be made. All incoming mails to DBI are sent to the office of the president and he minutes the mails.
2.

The Office of the Vice President Administration and Operations: This office is the next after the office of the vice president in the hierarchy of DBI. The Vice President Administration reports directly to
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the President. He controls the activities and workings of Information Technology and Management, Finance and accounts and administration departments respectively. The Vice President Administration and Operations controls the administrative operations of DBI. The senior officer in the Admin department reports to him as well as the principal manager of the information technology, principal manager of Finance and Head of Client acquisition and relations group

3. The Office of the Vice President Academics and Student Affairs: This office oversees the academic matters in DBI. The Vice President Academics is the third in the hierarchy of DBI. The department of Research, education and Curriculum Development (REC) is under his immediate control. The office caters for the need of students of the institute and regulates operations of REC. He reports to the President directly.

4. The Client Acquisition and Relations Group: The Client and Acquisition Group was formerly Known as Marketing and Sales department. This department performs the function of marketing the various products and services that the Digital Bridge Institute has to offer. Digital Bridge Institute offers training courses in various areas of Information and Communications Technology as well as Telecommunications. These courses are the products that the Client Acquisition and Relations Group market for DBI. The services that DBI renders can simply be put as facility hire. The facilities include hall for training, laptops, internet access and cafeteria. 5. Finance and Account Department:
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The Finance and Account Unit of DBI has a subunit. The subunit is the cash office. The finance department is headed by the Principal Manger Finance also known as PMF. The cash office handles matters concerning bills and payments. They handle bills payable i.e the cash officer raises vouchers to pay people who ought to be paid. The office also receives money from people and issues receipts to people who DBI rendered services to. The payment office is where the payment vault of DBI is domiciled. This department handles issues concerning payments.

6. Administration Department: The Administration department is headed by the head, administration department. The next in command is the Deputy Manager, administration. The department has some other officers namely head of electrical, maintenance, and mails unit respectively. The institute store which is managed by the store keeper, is under the control of the administrative department. The store keeper reports directly to the head, administration department. Administration department performs the major functions of processing bills. All requisitions from other departments have to come from the administrative department. 7. Human Resources Department: This department is primarily saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that people with the right profile are employed at DBI. They also keep record of very staff which includes time of employment. They also assign any incoming staff to a department that suits him/her depending on your field of study. 8. Information Technology and Management Department:

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This is the Department in which i worked throughout my stay at DBI. This Department is headed by the Principal Manager Information Technology also known as PMIT. This department is split into two units namely IT multimedia and IT software solution. The multimedia unit is in charge of matters concerning networking, server administration and maintenance, hardware installation and personal computer repairs and installation. The software solution unit handles matters pertaining to software development for DBI. I worked specifically in the multimedia department.

CHAPTER TWO ACTIVITIES DURING THE SIWES PERIOD The activities I performed during the period of my Industrial Training Attachment were carried out in the multimedia unit of the Information Technology and Management of Digital Bridge Institute, Utako district, Abuja. On resumption at DBI, I was introduced to the various departments and members of staff. I was posted to the Information Technology and Management Department under which I worked in the Multimedia unit. The activities that I engaged in during the course of stay in the Multimedia department include the following

I received lectures on Networking and the various networking protocols using the CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate) Guide.

Troubleshooting of desktop computers

Installation of new desktop computers for staffs Crimping of Ethernet or Network cables Taking Inventory of Laptops purchased
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The activities I engaged in above are discussed one after the other to give a real indepth analysis of the activities I engaged in during my SIWES period.

NETWORKING (CCNA) From the definition of Networking in CCNA, Networking is defined as a process of connecting two or more networking devices together so as to enable them interact with one another and also enable the process of file sharing. Networking devices includes computers, hubs, routers, e.t.c. Perspectives of Networking The perspectives of networking cuts down to either the user of the network i.e the end user, or the engineer that builds the network. For some people, the end user perspective is the dial up user of the internet. Others may use a computer at school or at a workplace that is connected to a network via an Ethernet cable. The figure below shows the end user perspective of networking
Edraw Trial Version

Edraw Trial Version

Edraw Trial Version

Phone line Home user PC with modem

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Edraw Trial Version

Edraw Trial Version

Edraw Trial Version

Ethernet Cable

The internet

Edraw Trial Version

Edraw Trial Version

Edraw Trial Version

Office user PC with Ethernet card

The top part of the figure shows a typical dial up user of the internet. The user has a PC and the user plugs in the phone line from the wall into a modem in a PC. By dialing the right phone number provided to him by the internet service provider, the user connects to the internet. Similarly, an employee of a company or a student at school connects to the internet via a connection through a wall plug. Typically, this connection uses a LAN (Local Area Connection) called ETHERNET. Instead of a phone cord between a PC modem and the wall plug at your home, you have an Ethernet cable between a PC Ethernet card and a wall plug near where you are sitting at work or at school. The Ethernet connection does not require the PC to dial a phone number. It is always waiting to be used, similar to a power outlet. From the end user perspective, whatever happens behind the wall plug looks like magic. My main focus of study at the Digital Bridge Institute was to study the concepts or the happenings behind the wall plug. The concepts , protocols and devices which i will discuss are covered on CCNA and it used to build the network cloud as shown in the figure above. Mostly, CCNA focuses on things that matters most to what Cisco calls ENTERPRISE NETWORKS i.e networks owned by a single enterprise or
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company. The figure below shows an alternative view of the world of networking with several enterprise networks

E d r a w T r ia l V e r s io n

E d r a w T r ia l V e r s io n

E d r a w T r ia l V e r s io n
Edra Tri a Version w l Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsio n Ed w Trial Ve o ra rsi n Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsi o n

Edraw Tri a Version l

Home user PC with modem

Enterprise Network

Edra Tri a Version w l

Ed w Trial Ve o ra rsi n

Edraw Tri a Version l

Enterprise Network

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsio n

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsio n

Office user PC with Ethernet card 14

When you go to school or your work place and connect to their network, you are most likely to connect to their private network or enterprise network for that school or company. That network in turn is connected to the internet. Conversely, if you dial into some ISP from your home, you are not connected to an enterprise network but you are connected directly to the internet. However, when you browse some sites, that website itself might be inside that companys enterprise network. In conclusion, practically every company or school that uses computers also has an enterprise network. The internet itself is a collection of ISPs that connect to each other. By having the various private networks connect to the internet, most computers can use the application to communicate with each other To get the real logic about how networking came about, we make reference to the Flintstones Network which was regarded as the first computer network. This is discussed in the next sub heading

The Flintstones Network (The First Computer Network) The Flintstones are a cartoon Family that according to the cartoon, lived in prehistoric times. The Flintstones had a company in which they had phones and computers but they have no network. Thus, the employers are always seen running around to give each other disks with files on them and it seems inefficient. So the Flintstones imagined a world in which people can connect their computers and exchange files without having to leave their desks. Thus, the task was started. Firstly, a program named FTP (File Transfer Program) was created. The program uses a network card and also the network card uses a cable with two wires in it. One wire is to send bits and the other is to receive bits. Thus, they
15

put one card in each of the computers and cables the computer together with two wires in it. The FTP software on each computers sends the bits that comprised the files using the network cards. The cable mentioned here is called the ETHERNET CABLE. In the Ethernet cable, wire 1 is used to send the bits while wire 2 is used to receive bits. Thus, wire 1 is used to send bits while wire 2 is used to receive bits, thus wire 1 on PC2 is connected to wire 2 on PC1 and vice versa. The diagram below describes how the first network was created between two(2) computers
Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

Edr aw Tr i l Ver si n a o

PC 1

Network Card

Network card

PC 2

The larger black lines represent the entire cable and the dashed lines represent the two wires inside the cable. The network cards are inside the computer. As time went on, the Flintstones thought of how to connect three(3) or more computers. They then created a device in which when all the computers are connected to it and data is being sent, it would be repeated to the other ports. That device is called a HUB. The way in which a HUB operates is represented diagrammatically below

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

PC 1

When Bits enter any port on wire 1, Repeat them back out the other ports on wire 2.

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Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsi o n
E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsio n

PC 2
E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

PC 3

At this point, when data is being sent, all other PCs would get the information. Furthermore, they (Flintstones) wanted a situation in which data can be sent to a particular PC without the rest PCs getting the data. So they decided to give a unique address such that whenever you want to send a data to a particular PC, the data is sent with the address on the network card such that even if the HUB repeats the information to other ports, only the PC that has the specified address will receive the information. The above scenario is represented diagrammatically below:

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

PC 001
Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsio n

Im receiving bits and it says its for me 002. Ill accept the file

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n
E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsio n

PC 002
17

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Im receiving bits but it says they are for 002. Ill ignore the file

PC 003

NETWORKING MODELS
Networking Models or Networking architecture refers to an organised description of functions needed for useful communication to occur. Protocols and hardware specifications are used to implement the functions described in the networking model. The networking model used today is the TCP/IP networking model (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Infact, it is this model that is found on any computer operating system anywhere in the world from mobile phones to mainframe computers. We also have the OSI networking model (Open System Interconnection). The TCP/IP model is gotten from the OSI model. The OSI model is a system that helps break down network functions. Details of this would be discussed later. But our main focus would be on the TCP/IP networking model.

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TCP/IP NETWORKING MODEL It is practically impossible to find a computer today that doesnt support the set of networking protocols called TCP/IP. Every Microsoft, Linux, and UNIX operating system includes support for TCP/IP TCP/IP defines a large collection of protocols that allows computers to communicate. By implementing the required protocols defined in TCP/IP, a computer can be relatively confident that it can communicate with other computers that also implement TCP/IP The TCP/IP networking model is divided into four layers: 1. Application layer HTTP, POP3, SMTP 2. Transport layer TCP,UDP 3. Internetwork layer IP 4. Network interface layer Ethernet, frame relay.

The TCP/IP Application Layer

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The most popular TCP/IP application layer is the web browser. When the world wide web (WWW) was first created, the application layer protocol was created for the purpose of asking for web pages and receiving the contents from the web pages. Whenever we open the web browser and select a website and the web page appears, we dont really know the concept that allows the web page to appear on our web browser From the diagram below, we would take a look at what happens behind the scenes before the web page is being diaplayed

Nsikak
Ed ra wTri a l Ve rs io n

request for webpage http://www.google.com

Edward

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra wTri a l Ve rsi n o
E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra wTri a l Ve rs i n o

Web Browser Here is the web page.html

Web server

From the diagram above, Edward request asks Nsikak to send the webpage http://www.google.com and the web server software has been configured to know that the file is contained in a file.html. Edward receives the file from Nsikak and displays the contents of the file in the web browser. Taking a closer look at the diagram above, the TCP/IP layer uses the HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) for the request for the file and the actual transfer of the file. That is why whenever request for a web page in your web browser and you key in a website say www.facebook.com, it automatically adds an HTTP header in front of it in the form http://www.facebook.com. The function of the HTTP header is to send the request of the webpage from the web browser
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to the webserver. When the request gets to the webserver, it acknowledges the request that it has the contents of the webpage. HTTP then transfers the file to your web browser and displays it with the help of the HTML (Hyper text Markup Language) which helps to translate the contents of the webpage. That is why whenever you successfully http://www.facebook.com.html get the webpage, it comes in the form

In some cases, you might request for a webpage and if the webpage is unavailable or was not found, or the request was not successfully delivered to the webserver, you will receive an HTTP 404 error not found which means that you received an HTTP return code of 404.

The TCI/IP Transport layer The TCP/IP transport layer includes a relatively large number of protocols with HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) being only one of those. The TCP/IP transport layer consists of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol). To appreciate what the transport layer protocols do, we think about the layer above it which is the TCP/IP application layer. For instance, in the diagram shown under the TCP/IP application Layer, Edward and Nsikak used HTTP to transfer the web page http://www.google.com from Nsikak to Edward. Assuming Edwards HTTP Get request was lost in the transit through the TCP/IP network? Definitely the page would not show up in Edwards browser.
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So, the TCP/IP needs a mechanism to guarantee delivery of data across a network. TCP provides the feature of acknowledgement. The Diagram below outlines the basic acknowledgement logic

Nsikak
Ed ra wTri a l Ve rs io n

Edward

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi n o
E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra wTri a l Ve rs i n o

Web server

web browser HTTP GET

TCP

HTTP GET

TCP ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

TCP

HTTP OK

WEB PAGE

TCP ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

from the figure above, the HTTP software asks for TCP to reliably deliver the HTTP GET request. TCP sends the HTTP data from Edward to Nsikak and the data arrives successfully.
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Nsikaks TCP data acknowledges the receipt of the data and also gives the HTTP GET request to the web server software. The reverse also happens with Nsikaks response which also arrives at Edward successfully.

The TCP/IP Internetwork layer This layer defines this address so that each host computer can have a different IP address. Similarly, IP defines the process of routing so that devices called routers can choose where to send packets of data so that they are delivered to the correct destination. For instance, whenever you want to send a letter to somebody in another location, the most important thing to do is to put the destination address in order for the letter to get to its right destination. Well, the internetwork layer of the TCP/IP networking model works more like the postal service. IP defines addresses so that each host computer can have a different IP addresses IP defines the process of routing so that devices called routers can choose where to send packets of data so that they are delivered to the correct destination. The diagram below shows us a clearer picture of the function of the internetwork layer.

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1.1.1.1

R1

R2

2.2.2.2

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsio n

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsi o n

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Nsikak

R3

Edward

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

HTTP GET

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsi o n

TCP

HTTP GET

IP

TCP

HTTP GET

Destination 1.1.1.1

Source 2.2.2.2

From the diagram, when Edward sends data, he is sending an IP packet which includes the IP header, the transport layer (TCP in this example), the application header (HTTP in this case). The IP header includes both the source and
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destination IP addresses, field with Nsikak IP address as the destination address and Edward as the source address. Edward sends the packet to R2 which makes the routing decision. R2 chooses to send the packet to R1 because the destination address is 1.1.1.1. when R1 gets the packet, it forwards the packet over the Ethernet to Nsikak. In cases where the link between R2 and R1 fails, IP allows R2 to learn of the alternate route through R3 to reach 1.1.1.1

The TCP/IP Network Interface Layer The network interface layer defines the protocols and hardware required to deliver the data across some physical network. The tern Network Interface refers to the fact that this layer defines how to connect the host computer which is not part of the network to the network; it is the interface between the computer and the network. For instance, Ethernet is one example protocol at the TCP/IP network interface layer. Ethernet defines the cabling addressing and protocols used to create an Ethernet LAN. The Network Interface layer includes a large number of protocols. For instance it includes all the variation of Ethernet Protocols and other LAN standards. This layer also includes the WAN standards such as the Point to Point Protocol (PPP) and Frame relay. A typical example is represented diagrammatically below

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1.1.1.1

R1

R2

2.2.2.2

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

Ed ra w Tria l Ve rsi o n

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsio n

Ed ra w Tri a l Ve rsio n

E dr aw Tr i al V er si on

Nsikak IP DATA

Edward IP DATA

ETH

IP

DATA ETH

PPP IP

DATA PPP

ETH

IP

DATA ETH

From the diagram, Edward wants to send the IP packet to Nsikak, but he must first do so by sending the packet to R2. Edward uses the Ethernet to get to the packet to R2. At R2, it strips the Ethernet header and trailer from the IP packet. To get the IP packet from R2 to R1, R2 does not need to use the Ethernet, it instead uses the PPP serial link To send the IP packet from R2 to R1, R2 needs to place a PPP header in front of it and a PPP trailer at the end Similarly, after the packet is recieved by R1, R1 removes the PPP header and trailer because the job of the PPP is to get the IP packet across the serial link. R1 then decides that it should forward the packet over the Ethernet to Nsikak. To do so, R1 adds a brand new Ethernet header and trailer to the packet and forwards it to Nsikak.

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DATA ENCAPSULATION The term encapsulation refers to the process of putting headers and trailers around a data. A computer that needs to send a data encapsulates the data in headers of the correct format so that the receiving computer will know how to interprete the received data. Below are the steps in data encapsulation Step 1- Create the application data and headers This simply means that the application has data to send Step 2 Package the data for transport This means that the transport layer (TCP) creates the transport header and places the data behind it Step 3 Add the destination and source network layer address to the data The network layer creates the network header which includes the network layer addresses and places the data behind it Step 4 Add the destination and source datalink layer addresses to the data The data link layer creates the data link header, places the data behind it and places the datalink trailer at the end Step5 Transmit bits The physical layer encodes a signal into the medium to transmit the frame The five(5) steps are represented diagrammatically below

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DATA

TCP DATA

3 LH IP

IP TCP

TCP DATA BITS

DATA LT 4 5

TRANSMIT

The letters LH and LT stands for the link header and link trailer respectively and refers to the Datalink header and trailer

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OSI REFERENCE MODEL The OSI refers to the open system interconnection. The TCP/IP model was gotten from the OSI model. Infact, the OSI model is a breakdown of the TCP/IP model. OSI Layers The OSI reference model consists of seven (7) layers. Each layer defines a set of typical networking functions. The OSI model can be used as a standard of comparison to other networking models. Comparing OSI and TCP OSI TCP/IP

Application Presentation Session Transport Network Data link Physical Transport Internetwork Network Interface Application

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Comparing the OSI model to the TCP/IP networking model, the application layer, the presentation layer and the session layer in the OSI model makes up for the application layer in the TCP/IP networking model The network layer in the OSI model makes up for the internetwork layer in the TCP/IP model. Lastly, the data link layer and the physical layer in the OSI model makes up for the network interface layer in the TCP/IP model. The table below explains each layer of the OSU networking model and its functions

Layer 7

Functions Layer 7 defines the interface between the communications software and any application that need to communicate outside the computer on which the application. For example, a web browser is an application on a computer. The browser needs to get the contents of the webpage; OSI layer 7 defines the protocols used on behalf of the application to get the webpage The layers main purpose is to define data formats, such as ASCII text, or JPEG. Encryption also is defined by OSI as a presentation layer service. For example, FTP enables you to choose binary or ASCII transfer. If binary is selected, the sender and receiver do not modify the contents of the file. If ASCII is chosen, the sender translates the text from the senders character set to a standard ASCII and sends the data. The receiver translates the back from the standard ASCII to the character set used on the receiving computer The session layer defines how to start, control, and end conversations ( called sessions). This includes the control and management of multiple bidirectional messages so that the application can be notified if only some of a series of messages are completed. This allows the presentation layer to have a seamless view of incoming streams of data. Layer 4 protocols provide a large number of services and it
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focuses on issues related to data delivery to other computer for instance error recovery. 3 This layer defines end to end delivery of packets. To accomplish this, the network layer defines logical addressing so that any end point can be identified. It also defines how routing works and how routes are learned so that packets can be delivered. The data link layer specifications deliver data across one particular link or medium, these protocols are necessarily concerned with the type of media in question. These physical layer specifications deals with the physical characteristics of the transmission medium. Connectors, pins, use of pins, electrical currents, are all parts of different physical layer specifications. For example RJ-45 defines the shape of the connector and the number of wires or pins in the cable.

OSI Layering Concepts and Benefits

1.

Easier to learn Humans can more easily discuss and learn about the many details of protocol specification

2.

Easier to develop reduced complexity allows easier program changes and faster product evolution

3.

Multivendor Interoperability Creating products to meet the same networking standards means that computers and networking gear from the multiple vendors can work in the same network.

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CHAPTER THREE

SETTING UP HALLS FOR TRAINING DBI just like every other Institute has training as her primary/core activity. The training might be for staff, students or for corporate bodies and organizations who hire the various halls in DBI. Such trainings may require internet connection. The structure of DBIs building is such that it has three floors excluding the basement. There are five halls in DBI. The basement has a hall called A100. Two other halls BL40 and BR40 are on the first floor. While the second and third floors have two halls CEXEC18 and D30 respectively. The halls are named from bottom to top i.e. A-D. The numbers 18, 30, 40 and 100 represent the standard capacity of the halls. CEXEC is an executive hall used for executive meetings. BL simply means hall B to the left of the second floor while BR means hall B to the right of the second floor. All the halls in DBI have telecommunication cabinets also known as TCS. Telecommunications cabinets are sometimes referred to as network cabinets. The TC houses network devices like patch panels, switches and Ethernet cables. Patch panels are like switchboards, they house cable connections.Network switches are used primarily to connect network devices, and direct traffic to the destination address only, thus saving bandwidth. The types of switches normally used in the TCs in DBI are usually Cisco Catalyst, Power Over Ethernet (POE) switches. Examples include catalyst 3560 series, 2950 series all POE-24 switches. The TC helps to connect the various halls to the server room of DBI. There are face plates in all the halls. There are different types of face plates, these face plates are categorised according to the number of local area network (LAN) ports they have e.g. single face plates, double face plates, etcetera. The
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halls in DBI use the double face plates. The face plates are mounted on the walls. Straight through Ethernet cables are run from a port on the face plate to the back of another port on the patch panel say port one. From the front of port one on the patch panel, another straight through Ethernet cable is connected and the connection terminates at any of the ports of the switch in the TC. TC is connected to the core switch in the server room by running cables from the switch in TC to the core switch in the server room. The core switch is connected to the router which is used to connect multiple networks; the router may or may not be connected to the firewall. The router is connected to the gateway or media access converter which may also be regarded as a gateway. The gateway connects the DBI local network to the internet. The setup of halls for training involves the pre training activities and post training activities. Pre training activities involves mobilization of laptops and accessories like chargers from the IT store to the hall. Other accessories like extension boxes are sometimes mobilized if need be. Pre training activities also involve registration of the mobilized laptops and connection of the laptops to the internet. The post training activities involves checking to see that number of laptops and accessories supplied is same as the number left after the training as well as movement of the mobilized laptops to the IT store. However, we could do some troubleshooting if any problem arises in the course of the training. Registration of laptop involves recording the serial number on each the laptop, the number of chargers, and the number of extension boxes used, in the requisition book. To connect a computer (laptop or desktop) to the internet via face plates, you plug a straight through Ethernet cable into a port on the face plates and plug the other end of the cable into the LAN port of the laptop or desktop. Once this is done, the computer is connected is connected to the internet via the face plate, patch panel, switch in the TC, core switch in the server, router, gateway and/ or
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media access converter as in the case of DBI. The block diagram showing how the computer is connected to the internet is illustrated in fig 2.1.

COMPUTER

FACE PLATES

PATCH PANEL

SWITCHES

TC

CORE ROUTER FIREWALL

GATEWAY

MEDIA ACCESS

Server room

INTERNET

Fig 2.1: Block diagram illustrating the how a computer is connected to the internet via face plate.

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DBI uses both wired and wireless networks. There are instances where people undergoing training may require laptops instead of the desktops installed in the halls. The operating system of our laptops is windows 7. The computers are also wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) enabled. The laptops are usually kept in the Information technology store room also known as IT store. So there is need to mobilize them down to the various halls when needed. In some cases there may not be connection between the laptop and the face plate due to a faulty switch port to which the cable from the port of the face plate is connected or as a result of poorly crimped Ethernet cables. This reduces the number of computers that can be connected to the internet via wired LAN. To solve this problem we connect some of the computers to the wireless networks available in DBI. A wireless access point (WAP) is used to achieve this. The wireless access point receives wired LAN signals and broadcasts it as wireless signals. We work with officials in REC department, who stay with the trainees during the course of the training. We leave everything in their charge as soon we are through with connecting the laptops to the internet. However if during the course of the training, there is any problem with internet connection we are called upon to resolve it. We troubleshoot or re-establish connection for the trainees. After the training, we make sure all the laptops, chargers, and extension boxes supplied are intact, shut the laptops down if not already shut down, sign them out in the requisition book and return them to IT store room.

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BACKUP OF COMPUTER FILES FOR STAFF Computer file backup means the storing of copies of computer files on a medium other than your hard disk. The medium may be an external hard disk drive or removable hard disk drives such as CDs and tape drives.The primary reason we make computer backups is to protect our files against the event that they are damaged such that they are no longer usable, to preserve your file in case your hard disk crashes or fails, and for the purpose of transfer of files to a new computer. If we have backups of our files, then we can restore these files to our old computers or even new ones. Such files that have been backed up should be kept in a safe place. Choosing the media to use for making your backup requires the following consideration namely; The security of the media in terms of ability to withstand failure. The cost of buying the media. The size of the file that you want to back up. Tape drives are secure in terms of likelihood of failure and can hold as much size of file as you need because you can use several tapes. However, the tape drives as well as the tapes are very expensive. But tape drives are far better than any other media of backup. But at DBI we use external hard drives for our backup. External hard drives are very cheap when compared to tape drives. Though they have a higher rate of failure than tape drives, they are less prone to failure than other backup media like CDs. If you must use an external hard drive for backup, it is better to use one of the same size or of a larger size than the hard disk drive of the computer whose files are to be backed up. Backing up files using external hard drives is quite easy to do.
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The methodology of doing computer back up varies with the type of Operating system that the computer uses. The computers that I backed up their files are Zinox and Omatek desktop computers and Hp Compaq nc600 laptops. Both computers run on windows XP operating system. One can do a manual backup or schedule a backup which the computer does for you. But I opted to do the back up manually. The steps to manually back up files on a windows XP computer whether desktop or laptop are outlined below. Connect the external hard disk drive to the computer and take note of the drive letter (such as E:, F:, or G:) that is assigned to the new hard disk drive.

Click Start, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click
Backup. If the Backup option does not appear on the System Tools menu, you can install it.

Fig 2.2: Accessing the Windows backup Utility in Windows XP.

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 The Back or Restore Wizard appears. Click on the Next button.

Fig 2.2: Activating the backup or Restore Wizard for backup of files.

On the Backup or Restore page, select the Backup files and settings
option by clicking the radio. Click on the Next button to continue. This option is usually selected by default so click on the Next button to continue.

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Fig 2.3: Backup and restore page.

On

the What to Back up page, click on All information on this

computer, and then click on the Next button.

Fig 2.4:

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 On the Backup Type, Destination, and Name page, click on Choose a

place to save your backup, and select your external hard disk drive. Then click on the Next button. Here you select the external hard disk drive as the place you want to save the backup and type the name you want the backup to bear.

Fig 2.5:

On

the Completing the Backup or Restore Wizard page, click on

Finish.

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Fig 2.6:

Windows Backup saves a copy of the files to the external hard disk drive.
When the backup is complete. Click on the Close button.

Fig 2.7: Back up progress page giving details of the backup process.

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For the laptop its the same thing. Some senior DBI staff are given laptops, when new laptops were purchased and they need the files on the old laptop on their new ones we do back up and transfer the files to the new laptop.

INSTALLATION OF NEW DESKTOP COMPUTERS FOR STAFF DBI purchased new desktop computers to replace their old Zinox computers and Omatek desktop computers. That is why we needed to do a back up of files for the various offices in DBI. The brand of the new desktop computers that were purchased is Dell OPTIPLEX 330.These computers were designed to run on Microsofts Windows Vista operating system, but owing to the fact that the operating system of the previous computers we had was Windows XP and given that Windows Vista has problems as regards compatibility with some programs, the order for the purchase of the computer specified that Windows XP be installed rather than Windows Vista.

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Installation of the new desktop computers involves setting up the monitor and connecting it to the Central Processing Unit (CPU), as well as connecting the other peripheral devices such as the mouse and keyboard to the CPU. It also involves restoring of the files that were backed up from the old Zinox or Omatek desktop computers to the new computers. To setup up the Dell 1708FP Flat Panel monitor you follow the steps below. Attach the monitor to the stand until it is locked. Rotate the monitor to connect the cables. Connect the blue Video Graphic Array (VGA) cable or the optional white Digital Visual Interface (DVI) cable to the CPU. A VGA cable carries video signals from a computer display output, normally a computer monitor. VGA carries red, green and blue video signals with two timing signals as well as computer outputs. Digital Video Interface cable (DVI) is a cable with a video interface standard designed to provide very high visual

display quality on digital display devices such as flat panel LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) computer displays and digital projectors.

Connect the Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable from the monitor to the CPU. This is peculiar to this computer because its monitor has two USB ports and this cable helps to link it to the CPU. Connect the power cord firmly to the monitor and to the electrical outlet. Rotate the monitor back and turn on the monitor. If nothing appears on the screen, press the Input Source Select button.
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The monitor is already connected to the CPU, so the next thing to do is to connect the peripheral devices like the keyboard and mouse to the CPU. Once this is done the computer unit is fully installed. Apart from all these activities in which i engaged myself in, I was also given a brief introduction on Microsoft access. I was only thought the basics on ,how to create a database, create a table, adding a data, create a form, modify a form, and also to create and modify a query. It is discussed in the next heading.

ABOUT MICROSOFT ACCESS Microsoft access is a relational database management system designed primarily for home or small business usage. Access is known as a desktop database because its functions are intended to be run from a single computer. This is in contrast with a server database application (such as SQL server), where it is intended to be installed on a server, then accessed remotely from multiple client machines Ms access is like a software package that you can install like any other software package, and is bundled as part of the Microsoft office suite.
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Microsoft access file extension Whenever I create and save a database in Microsoft access, the database is saved with a .mdb extension. This is the file extension used when developing access databases.

.
1.

Whenever you start Microsoft Access, you see the following screen. In this case, you can simply select "BlankDatabase".

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If you already have Access open, you can go to the "File" menu and click on"NewDatabase":

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2.

Choose "Blank Database". (Skip this step if you already chose "Blank Database" at step one).

3.

Choose a location to save the database:

My New Database Once i've completed the above tasks, I will see a blank database, like this:

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This database is blank because it doesn't have any tables. If it did, you would see these tables in the middle pane of the table tab. Now that I have my blank database, I can start adding some tables. With database management systems, I need to create my tables before i can enter data. i will create a table, and this table will have four (4) columns namely Individual Id, First Name, Last name, and Date created. Design View "Design View" enables you to create your database tables and specify the columns and their data types etc. The following steps demonstrate how I switched to Design View and create a table.

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1.

Ensuring you have your blank database open and you're on the following screen (with the "Tables" tab selected), click "New":

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2.

Select

"Design

View"

and

click

"OK":

3.

Fill out the details in the "Field Name" column and the "Data Type" column. Here, I am creating the column names and specifying the type of data that can be entered into them. Restricting the data type for each column is very important and helps maintain data integrity. For example, it can prevent us from accidentally entering an email address into a field for storing the current date. Other options for each column include restricting the length of data (under "Field Size"), setting a default value (this is used if someone leaves the field blank), specifying whether the data is required, and more. Leave these options with their default value for now.

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51

4.

Click the "Save" icon, enter the table name ("Individual"), and click "OK":

5.

When prompted to set a primary key, click "Yes". (A primary key ensures that the data in this column is unique - no two values can be the same. This is important for when you need to select or reference data from this

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column):

Datasheet View I have now created a database table called "Individual". I can now switch between "Design View" and "Datasheet View" as I wish. Datasheet View allows you to see any data that has been entered into the table.

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1.

From the "View" dropdown icon, click "Datasheet View" (this changes the view from Design View, to Datasheet View):

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2.

We would now see something like

this:

I have just created a database table. This table doesn't have any data yet, but I have created the columns that are required before any data is entered. In Microsoft Access, there are two primary methods of adding data to your database. Here's an explanation of the two main methods. Direct entry You can type directly into the table while it's in Data Sheet view. Initially, this may seem like the quickest and easiest method, but it's not suitable if you have lots of data, and/or if non-technical users need to enter data.
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Form You can set up a form, so that non-technical users can enter data into the form. Once they submit the form, the data is automatically inserted into our table. The form could insert data into multiple tables too - saving you from having to open up each table to manually insert the data. Access provides a form wizard, which steps you through the process to building a form. We'll cover this in the next lesson.

Here are the steps involved in creating a form in Access. 1. Ensuring the "Forms" tab is selected, click "New".
2.

Select "Form Wizard" and click "OK". (For now, we'll use the "Form Wizard" to create a form. Once you become comfortable with creating
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forms,

you

can

choose

another

option

if

you

prefer).

3.

Select the fields that you need on your form and click "Next". In this case, we only need the user to enter first name and last name, so we

57

choose those two fields:

58

4.

Choose which layout you'd like your form to use. Leave this at the default ("Columnar") and click "Next":

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5.

Choose which style you'd like your form to use. Leave this at the default ("Clouds") and click "Next":

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6.

Choose a name for your form and click

"Finish":

The form will now look something like this:

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This is a very basic form and in most cases, we will have a lot more fields on your form. The form is already presenting the first record in the Individual table.

To jump to the next record, click the To jump to the last record, click the to be entered, click the button.

button. button.

To jump past the last record so that it's blank and ready for a new record

Selecting "Design View" To switch to Design View, we select "Design View" from the "File" menu:
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Enlarging the Form To make the form taller,we click on the "Form Footer" panel and drag it down. To make the form wider, we click on the edge of the form and drag it across:

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Adding a Field Let's say we want to add the IndividualId field to the form. To do this:

64

1.

Select "Field List" from the "View"

menu:

2.

You should now see a "Field List" panel. From this panel, click and drag the field you want onto the form area. When you release your mouse, the

65

field will be added to the form:

Re-arranging the Fields You might have noticed that the label for our fields appear exactly as the name of the field. This is OK, but we have no space between multiple words (i.e. "FirstName" appears instead of "First Name"). we can fix this by simply clicking in the label area and re-wording the label. Also, while we're changing the form around, let's move the IndividualId field to the top of the form. To move the fields around, click on the edge of the field and

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hold your mouse down. When you see the cursor turn into a hand, reposition the field to the new location, then release the mouse. This is what I learnt so far on ms access during my stay at Digital bridge Institute. MS Access Access is more suited for desktop use with a small number of users accessing it simultaneously. One reason you might choose to use Access over SQL Server is for compatibility/sharing. You might need to email someone a copy of your database. People are more likely to have Access on their desktop computer than SQL Server. You'll generally only find SQL Server on developers' computers/servers or on production server machines. Another reason you might use Access instead of SQL Server is money. You might already have installed Access as part of the Microsoft Office suite. Purchasing SQL Server would be an extra expense that may not be necessary depending on your situation. SQL Server can also be quite expensive. MS SQL Server SQL Server is a more robust database management system. SQL Server was designed to have many hundreds, or even thousands of users accessing it at any point in time. Microsoft Access on the other hand, doesn't handle this type of load very well. This makes SQL Server perfectly suited for database driven websites. You should never use Access for a database driven website - unless it has a very small amount of traffic (like you and a few of your friends). Even then, you may find yourself getting errors due to multiple users trying to access the database at the same time.
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SQL Server also contains some advanced database administration tools that enable organisations to schedule tasks, receive alerts, optimize databases, configure security accounts/roles, transfer data between other disparate sources, and much more.

CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Conclusively, the SIWES industrial work programme has given me the opportunity of learning the fundamentals of networking and the protocols associated with it. I learnt how the first computer networking was created and the networking devices associated with it. Indeed, it has given me an insight on what I am to expect when I run my masters programme on Computer networking. Apart from networking, I also learnt a little on Microsoft access. But due to time, we couldnt go far. Furthermore, I also engaged in some other activities like installation of new desktop computers, Backing up of files, and also setting up of halls for training. The experience and knowledge I have gained during the SIWES will greatly be beneficial to my career as a Computer Network Engineer. I will like to make the following recommendations to make the SIWES programme more effective

The Universities should partner with Companies in order to send them in a specified pattern, some students from relevant departments to undertake their SIWES at those companies. This will help lessen the problem of students not getting a company that will provide experience that is relevant to their field of study.
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The monthly stipend promised by the Industrial Training Fund (as stated in the SIWES placement request letter) should be promptly paid to ease financial pressure on students during the SIWES programme.

The SIWES supervisors should be made to visit every student at their company at least twice.

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