Unit 3 Assignment Exemplar2

Unit 3 - Equipment and Systems Installation

Max Barraclough, # Centre 61101

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Hardware and Systems Installation

Table of Contents Introduction..........................................................................................................................................3 Timing the Move..............................................................................................................................3 Health and Safety Considerations....................................................................................................3 Risk Assessment.........................................................................................................................3 Legal Regulations.......................................................................................................................3 Pre-Installation.................................................................................................................................5 Desktop Computers..........................................................................................................................5 Choice of Desktop Computers' Operating-System.....................................................................5 Choice of Desktop Computers' Software Packages....................................................................6 New Desktop Computers' Hardware and Supplier.....................................................................8 Custom Made or Pre-Built.....................................................................................................8 Supplier and Model................................................................................................................8 Installation.....................................................................................................................................10 Quality Control.........................................................................................................................10 Desktop Computer's Configuration...........................................................................................10 Plan for Upgrade of Desktop Computers..................................................................................10 1 Unpacking New Components............................................................................................11 2 Initial Quality Control.......................................................................................................11 3 Hardware Assembly..........................................................................................................12 Plan..................................................................................................................................12 Potential Problems...........................................................................................................12 4 Additional Quality Control................................................................................................12 Plan..................................................................................................................................12 Potential Problems...........................................................................................................12 5 Installing the OS................................................................................................................12 Plan..................................................................................................................................12 Potential Problems...........................................................................................................13 6 Additional Quality Control & Assurance..........................................................................13 Plan..................................................................................................................................13 Potential Problems...........................................................................................................14 7 Running for the first time..................................................................................................14 Plan..................................................................................................................................14 Potential Problems...........................................................................................................14 8 Installation of Drivers........................................................................................................14 Plan..................................................................................................................................14 Potential Problems...........................................................................................................14 9 Configuring.......................................................................................................................15 Plan..................................................................................................................................15 Potential Problems...........................................................................................................15 10 Moving the Desktop Computer to its Proper Location and Connecting Up...................15 Plan..................................................................................................................................15 Potential Problems...........................................................................................................15 11 Final Quality Control.......................................................................................................15 Network Configuration Plan..........................................................................................................15 Logical Architecture of Network..............................................................................................15 Office IP Scheme......................................................................................................................16 Servers...........................................................................................................................................16 Installation of Server's Operating-System, Configuration, and Physical Installation...................16

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OS Installation...........................................................................................................................16 Plan.......................................................................................................................................16 Possible Issues......................................................................................................................17 Configuration............................................................................................................................17 Plan.......................................................................................................................................17 Potential Problems................................................................................................................18 Physical Installation..................................................................................................................18 Plan.......................................................................................................................................18 Potential Problems................................................................................................................18 Installation of Network..................................................................................................................18 Physical Installation of Networking Devices............................................................................18 Plan.......................................................................................................................................18 Possible Issues......................................................................................................................18 Configuration of Networking Devices......................................................................................18 Plan.......................................................................................................................................18 Possible Issues......................................................................................................................18 Appendix............................................................................................................................................19 ............................................................................................................................................................22 Source List..........................................................................................................................................23 Glossary..............................................................................................................................................24

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Introduction SELCON is a travel agency company. It offers holidays and business trips, which are sold through a web-site and through telephone. The company is soon to hire 15 more employees, to bring its total to 55; it is moving to a bigger site for this reason. The company has 3 technical support staff: a network manager, and two assistant technicians, including myself. The company's managing director has a personal assistant. The sales manager and finance manager do not have personal assistants. Of the remaining 48 employees, 30 work in sales, and 18 in finances. I have been assigned the task of planning the move of IT equipment from the current site to the new one, purchasing and installing new equipment for new staff or as replacements for current equipment, and planning and implementing the configuration of the equipment in the new site.

Timing the Move The company is to be moved into the new site by Monday August 25 2008. It will be necessary to perform the move over the preceding week-end; if it were done during the week, staff would have to be deprived of their IT facilities, which would greatly harm productivity. As much as possible should be done before this time, to reduce the chance of running out of time at the week-end when completing the move. New furniture and workstations should be installed before hand, as there is no reason this should be left late.

Health and Safety Considerations Risk Assessment Risk assessment form: see Appendix.

Legal Regulations The company will have to comply with health and safety legislation, specifically the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The General duties of employers to their employees section of the act states that

2. (1) It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees. (2) Without prejudice to the generality of an employer's duty under the preceding subsection, the matters to which that duty extends include in particular ●

the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health;

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arrangements for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances;

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the provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of his employees;

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so far as is reasonably practicable as regards any place of work under the employer's control, the maintenance of it in a condition that is safe and without risks to health and the provision and maintenance of means of access to and egress from it that are safe and without such risks;

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the provision and maintenance of a working environment for his employees that is, so far as

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is reasonably practicable, safe, without risks to health, and adequate as regards facilities and arrangements for their welfare at work. (3) Except in such cases as may be prescribed, it shall be the duty of every employer to prepare and as often as may be appropriate revise a written statement of his general policy with respect to the health and safety at work of his employees and the organisation and arrangements for the time being in force for carrying out that policy, and to bring the statement and any revision of it to the notice of all of his employees. (4) Regulations made by the Secretary of State may provide for the appointment in prescribed cases by recognised trade unions (within the meaning of the regulations) of safety representatives from amongst the employees, and those representatives shall represent the employees in consultations with the employers under subsection (6) below and shall have such other functions as may be prescribed. (5) Regulations made by the Secretary of State may provide for the election in prescribed cases by employees of safety representatives from amongst the employees, and those representatives shall represent the employees in consultations with the employers under subsection (6) below and may have such other functions as may be prescribed. (6) It shall be the duty of every employer to consult any such representatives with a view to the making and maintenance of arrangements which will enable him and his employees to cooperate effectively in promoting and developing measures to ensure the health and safety at work of the employees, and in checking the effectiveness of such measures. (7) In such cases as may be prescribed it shall be the duty of every employer, if requested to do so by the safety representatives mentioned in subsections (4) and (5) above, to establish, in accordance with regulations made by the Secretary of State, a safety committee having the function of keeping under review the measures taken to ensure the health and safety at work of his employees and such other functions as may be prescribed. All employees are covered by this act so, in compliance with Section 3, standard procedures should be established for staff to follow in order to ensure that they are not put at risk of injury. The General duties of employers and self-employed to persons other than their employees section of the act reads as follows

3. (1) It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety. (2) It shall be the duty of every self-employed person to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that he and other persons (not being his employees) who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety. (3) In such cases as may be prescribed, it shall be the duty of every employer and every selfemployed person, in the prescribed circumstances and in the prescribed manner, to give to persons (not being his employees) who may be affected by the way in which he conducts his undertaking the prescribed information about such aspects of the way in which he conducts his undertaking as might affect their health or safety. These requirements should be satisfied by establishing standard safety procedures for the staff

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to follow.

Pre-Installation Desktop Computers This, the time of the move, is an appropriate time to perform upgrades to the hardware and software of the company's desktop computers, as it will cause less disruption than if it were done during (and thus interrupting) a normal working week. Currently, the company makes use of several desktop operating-systems. The use of a single operating-system on all desktop computers in the company would provide benefits, even irrespective of the operating-system chosen; it would eliminate the confusion possible when multiple operating-systems are used, by eliminating the possibility of incompatibility issues and by simplifying troubleshooting by desktop computers being more uniform (allowing technical support staff to become familiar with the one platform). For these reasons, it would benefit the company to upgrade all desktop computers to a the same desktop operating-system. The same applies for software applications. It also applies for hardware, but it would not be a worthwhile investment to upgrade all computers' hardware to the same. In order to decide on the choice of operating-system, other software packages, and hardware, the requirements of their users must be established: In both the Finances and Sales departments, desktop computers see normal office use; email, web-browsing, word-processing and spreadsheet work. None of these applications are particularly computationally demanding, but use of a modern operating-system and application suite require reasonably powerful hardware. The physical positioning of the desktops is important in creating a productive working environment, and so should be carefully planned. Factors to consider when planning the positioning of desktops are: ●

Enough physical space must be available to the user

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The desk used must be of appropriate height

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Power sockets must be available

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Lighting must be appropriate

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Legal requirements must be met

Choice of Desktop Computers' Operating-System Operating System

System Requirements

Cost

Staff familiarity with the OS

Other Advantages

Other Disadvantages

Windows 98 Low Recommended minimum spec:

No longer Some – was once manufactured a popular choice limited availability. of desktop OS ≈£20.

No longer supported by Microsoft. Has fewer features, is less stable, and is much less secure online than newer OSs. May not support some software – for example, Microsoft Office 2007 requires Windows XP or Vista

Windows XP

Home Edition: RRP Great – this is the High availability of £117.99Source 8 most commonly software used desktop Professional operating-system Edition: RRP £289.99Source 9

Support to be dropped in April 2009Source 12

Medium Recommended minimum spec: 128 MB RAM 300 MHz processor

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High 1 GB RAM, or 512 MB for Home Basic edition 1GHz processorSource 13

RRP £69.99Source10 to £220.99Source 11 depending on edition. Is often included in new pre-built computers

Mac OS X 10.5

Medium/high Computer systems must be of Apple Mac brand 512MB RAM 1.5GHz Intel Core SoloSource 14

£85.00 for a single Some – many licenceSource 13 people use Is included with all Mac OS X new Mac computers

Ubuntu Linux 8.04

Medium-Low 700MHz processor 384MB RAMSource

Free of charge. Professional support costs $250US/yearSource 7

15

Some – the latest High availability of Windows software operating-system, Vista's popularity is growing, and is expected to replace Window XP in the long term

Little - few people use Ubuntu

●

Very secure if used correctly. Microsoft Office is available for OS X.

Lock-in to Apple Mac brand, which is expensive and does not give the option of low-end hardware

Very secure if configured and used correctly Free-of-charge nature avoids inconvenience of software licensing and affords obvious cost-savings

Although it can be run nonnatively through either virtualisation or Wine, many popular software packages, such as Microsoft Office, are not available as native Linux applications

Windows XP is the best choice, as the end-users are familiar with it, there is much software available for it, and it is faster and more secure than Windows Vista.

Choice of Desktop Computers' Software Packages ●

For an office-suite, there are two main options: Microsoft Office, and OpenOffice. The staff are familiar with Microsoft Office 2003; although there are many new features available in the 2007 version and the user-interface has been changed significantly. The new features may go unused, and it may be not worthwhile to retrain staff, so continuing to use Office 2003 may be a better choice than upgrading to 2007. OpenOffice has limited support for the file-format of Microsoft Office, and so could be problematic in working with existing documents. Its user-interface is fairly similar to that of Microsoft Office 2003. Its main advantage is that it is available free-of-charge, but this is outweighed by its disadvantages. For these reasons, Microsoft Office 2003 will be used for word-processing, spreadsheets, and computerised presentations, as the staff are familiar with this software and have existing work in the proprietary file formats of Microsoft Office.

●

Firefox will be used as the web-browser, as it is is standards-compliant, fast, and can have advanced functionality added as needed with Firefox add-ons.

A number of desktop computers currently in use at the company do not meet Windows XP's minimum hardware requirements, so in order to achieve the goal of running Windows XP as the operating system on all desktop computers, new hardware will be required. Desktop Computers will not only have to meet the minimum system requirements of Windows XP, but also those of the software to be run on them. The software package with the highest system requirements is Microsoft Office 2007, so this is what desktop computers should be at least as powerful as is necessary run MS Office 2007 on Windows XP. Preferably, they should also be powerful enough to run MS Office 2007 on Windows Vista, to allow for a future upgrade without replacing hardware.

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XP's Minimum recommended specsSource 18

Office 2007's* required specSource 20

CPU

300 MHz

CPU

RAM

128 MB

RAM

Hard-disk drive

1.5 GB

Hard-disk drive

Optical-drive

CD reader

500 MHz 256 MB 1.5 GB

†

Optical-drive

CD reader

*Office 2003 requires 400MB of hard-drive space, and otherwise matches Windows XP's requirementsSource 22, and so need not be listed in full. †

to run MS Office 2007 on XP would therefore require 1.5 GB+1.5 GB = 3.0 GB of hard-disk drive space.

In practice, the hard-disk drive capacity requirement will be much higher than 3 GB, as other applications will have to be installed and data will have to be stored. 40 GB should be sufficient for modern office use. Preferably, the desktop computers should meet the minimum requirements for running MS Office 2007 on Windows Vista, in order that Vista can be installed in future without modifying the desktop computers' hardware. Of the total of 9 underpowered desktop computer, 5 feature these specifications: Minimum required specs for office use in SELCON

Specs of aforementioned desktop computers

CPU

500 MHz

CPU

200 MHz

RAM

128 MB

RAM

32 MB

Hard-disk drive

2.0 GB

Hard-disk drive Optical-drive

40 GB CD reader

Optical-drive

CD reader

The desktop computers' CPU, RAM, and hard-drive capacity are insufficient. Although it would be possible to upgrade all 3 to meet the specs, they would even then be far inferior to modern desktop computers; the computers' motherboards are of an old CPU-socket type, so they cannot be upgraded to the same spec as a modern desktop computer; they would always perform much slower, and this would harm productivity. For this reason, it would be better to instead replace these desktop computers with new ones, capable of running MS Office 2007 on Vista. The 4 other underpowered computers meet the minimum requirements of Windows XP + MS Office 2007, but would run notably slower than a modern desktop computer. Their specifications are shown below, compared with the minimum requirements as before. Required specs for office use with good performance

Specs of aforementioned desktop computers

CPU

1500 MHz

CPU

600 MHz

RAM

512 MB

RAM

256 MB

Hard-disk drive

4.0 GB

Hard-disk drive Optical-drive

40 GB CD reader

Optical-drive

CD reader

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These computers' motherboards have the CPU-socket-type of AMD Socket A, and so their CPUs can be upgraded to a much faster chip. (The fastest Socket A-type CPU, the AMD Athlon XP 3200+, has a clock-speed of 2250MHz.) The hard-disk drive capacity of only 2.0GB is insufficient, so their hard-drives should be replaced by ones with capacity of at least 40 GB.

New Desktop Computers' Hardware and Supplier Custom Made or Pre-Built New desktop computers must be either ordered in component form and built by SELCON technicians, or ordered pre-built from a supplier. The latter has the advantage that the supplier should offer support for the computer in the form of a limited-term warranty and help-lines. This option also saves technicians' time that would otherwise be spent in assembling computers. For these reasons, pre-built computers will be used. Supplier and Model Previously, SELCON have used Dell as their supplier for all desktop computers, and has been satisfied with their products, value, and support. For this reason, Dell would be the most sensible choice of supplier, unless an alternative supplier can offer substantial benefits. The choice of desktop computer should be decided on the following factors: ●

In the interests of future upgradability, the computer must meet the minimum technical requirements for Vista+Office 2007, specifically, it must have a at least ●

1GHz CPU

●

1GB of RAM

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40 GB of hard-drive capacity

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The computer must have at least a 1 year warranty, and this warranty must be extendable

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The computer must be reasonably priced

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A small form-factor would be beneficial in the interests of saving space, but is not a requirement

Comparison of Dell with Acer for business desktop computersSources 23 & 24 Attribute:

Dell

Acer

Product Model Name Vostro 200ST

Veriton L410

Price

£109

£193.97

Warranty

1 year

1 year

Included OS

Vista Home Basic or XP Home

Vista Home Basic

Monitor

Not included

Not included

CPU

2GHz Dual-core Pentium

2GHz Sempron 3600+

RAM

1024 MB

1024 MB

Hard-drive

80GB

140 GB

The Acer computer exceeds the hardware requirements; the additional power of the computer is not likely to be very beneficial, and so is something the company would be best not investing in. Unfortunately, Acer does not offer a less-powerful alternative. The Dell computer meets, but does not excessively exceed the required specifications, and is

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cheaper for this reason. It also has the option of shipping with Windows XP installed - this saves the time and money that would be involved in licensing and manually installing Windows XP, as would have to be done in the case of the Acer computer where Vista Home Basic is included. For these reasons, Dell's Vostro 200ST would be the best choice of desktop computer. The system does not include a monitor, however; this will have to be purchased separately. For space-saving and ease-of-use, a widescreen flat-panel monitor should be used. 19"-diagonal is an appropriate size. Dell sells theseSource 25, but at a much higher price than other resellers such as eBuyerSource 26. As support is not as great an issue in the case of monitors as it is with computer-systems, it would be better for the company to buy monitors at the cheaper price offered by eBuyer, even if their support may be inferior to Dell's. Dell include a keyboard and mouse with the desktop system, so it will not be necessary to buy these separately. It will not be necessary to invest in speakers for the computers, as these are not necessary for their use in the company and would cause unnecessary clutter on users' tabletops.

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Hardware and Systems Installation

Installation Quality Control Quality control is of utmost importance in IT support, as it is the foundation of preventive maintenance. With proper quality control procedures, faults are less likely to occur in both software and hardware, as they both can be assured to have been properly functioning at the time of installation. Although faults may develop afterwards, faults will occur less frequently; for example, if a quality control procedure is in place which forbids use of improperly packaged computer components, there will be fewer intermittent faults caused by ESD. This is important to the business, as it means there will be fewer failures in their computers – such failures cost the business time and money. For this reason, quality control should be carried out throughout the upgrade. Quality control should be present in all stages of the installation of a new computer system: Its delivery, component assembly, OS installation and configuration, software package installation and configuration, and physical installation. By ensuring that all the stages of the computer's set-up are completed satisfactorily and that it performs as required once installed, the quality of the system is assured. As well as specific quality control measures, all stages of the installation should be properly documented; this may prove useful if a fault arises in future, as it may provide some indication as to the cause of the fault.

Desktop Computer's Configuration The desktop computer will be configured to use DHCP to acquire an IP address. This is used in the office in preference to manual configuration of IP addresses on desktop computers, because it ●

is much simpler to manage, as the computer's IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway are all assigned automatically

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affords a small security benefit, as desktop computers' IP addresses change

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greatly eases configuration and reconfiguration (in case of a change to the IP addressing scheme) as only the (re)configuration of the DHCP server is necessary; desktop computers' IP addresses are updated automatically

Plan for Upgrade of Desktop Computers 1. Unpacking New Components 2. Initial Quality Control 3. Assembly of the Hardware 4. Additional Quality Control 5. Installation of the Operating-System 6. Additional Quality Control 7. Running for the First Time 8. Installation of Drivers 9. Configuration 10. Moving the Desktop Computer to its Proper Location and Connecting Up 11. Final Quality Control

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1 Unpacking New Components When unpacking, bear in mind the environmentally-friendly disposal of packaging; recycle as much of it as possible. Computer components are normally packaged in readily-recyclable cardboard boxes but are padded with low-density plastics such as expanded polystyrene padding and ldpe cushions; for which there are few recycling facilitiesSources 2 & 6. When unpacking, ensure that the packaging used is appropriate for the component. Motherboards, RAM, CPUs, and internal cards such as graphics cards, should be packaged in anti-static bags (to prevent ESD damage) within protective padding in a cardboard box (to prevent physical damage). If not suitably packed, the component should not be used. The component should not even be tested; even if it passed component testing it is possible that it would suffer intermittent faults, so testing the component would be pointless.

2 Initial Quality Control ●

Physically inspect every hardware component to be used in the computer system. If a component is not in satisfactory condition, do not proceed with the computer's construction using this component. Just as in the case of inappropriate packaging, there is no point testing the component, as this would not rule out the risk of intermittent faults. Instead, establish to where the component should be returned, and return it for a refund or replacement. Unless an equivalent component is available, construction of the computer system will have to be postponed until the arrival of the replacement component. If this is delay is unacceptable, it may be necessary to purchase a replacement component from a computer store like PC World. This will be more expensive, and less convenient, than ordering online, but is the only way to avoid delivery delays and acquire the replacement component within a matter of hours rather than days.

●

Test the monitor by connecting it to a properly functioning desktop computer. In the case of a TFT monitor, test for dead pixels and stuck pixels by filling the screen with a colour and carefully checking the screen for small imperfections – do this for red, then green, then blue. (How the screen is filled is unimportant – simply ensure that all areas of the screen are tested with every colour.) If you spot a small imperfection and it takes the form of an invariably dark point on the screen, this is a dead pixel. If the imperfection instead takes the form of a wrong colour being shown (for example, if the pixel shows blue when it ought to show red), this is a stuck pixel. Dead pixels cannot normally be fixed, but it may be possible to 'unstick' stuck pixelsSource 1 . This is done by rapidly changing the colour being displayed on that pixel, which can be done using a specialised applicationSource 14. These applications function by very quickly changing the colour to be displayed on the subject area of the screen; this has been known to 'un-stick' subpixels, ///small-area should be ok for epileptics, right?///. Another technique is to firmly but carefully rub circles over the pixel; this technique may damage the screen and void its warranty, and so should not be used If there are a great many dead or stuck pixels, it may be possible to return it for a replacement or refund.

●

Test the hard-drive: ●

Earth yourself - put on, and properly connect, an anti-static wristband

●

Place the motherboard on a clear, clean, non-static surface. (For example, a wooden tabletop is non-static, where carpet could cause static.)

●

Wear a properly connected anti-static wrist-band to eliminate the risk of ESD causing damage to hardware (see glossary for elaboration on ESD)

●

Place a correctly functioning computer, one with support for the IDE interface of the hard-drive, on a non-static surface. Do not connect the computer to

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peripherals or to the mains. ●

Connect the hard-drive to the computer. Power up the computer and run a SMART test on the hard-disk drive. (In Windows XP, this can be done using a freeof-charge Microsoft utility from

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb961145.aspx) If there is a fault in the hard-drive, this test will detect it. Generally, hard-drives only fail after months of use, but this test should still be run as part of quality control: to ensure the quality of the hardware being used.

3 Hardware Assembly Plan {{{timing!}}} ●

Set up ESD prevention, as specified in its glossary entry

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As shown in the flowchart on page 21, unpack and check the components to be used in the computer assembly.

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Place the motherboard on a non-static surface such as a wooden tabletop

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Unpack and install the PSU

●

Unpack and install the CPU

●

[[[go through every component?]]]

Potential Problems If a component is damaged during installation, a replacement will have to be used. If none is available, installation cannot continue.

4 Additional Quality Control Plan ●

Test the system's RAM using Memtest86+. This open-source utility is available free of charge from its official web-site at memtest.org. The utility takes the form of a minioperating-system on either a CD or a floppy-disk; it can be run before the computer has an operating-system installed on its hard-drive, or even if the computer has no hard-drive. Doing this now, rather than after Windows XP is installed, has the advantage that it makes a RAM fault apparent earlier.

Potential Problems 5 Installing the OS Plan After the desktop computer computer has been assembled, it will be necessary to install on it a desktop operating-system. The desktop computer is to run Microsoft Windows XP Professional, as this is the desktop operating-system with which the office staff are familiarised. The operating system, and its “SP2” service pack, are installed from a CD. Installation of the

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operating-system is done as shown below: ●

Set up the computer at a convenient location; connect a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and connect to mains power

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Power-up the computer and immediately open the optical-drive, insert the Windows XP SP2 CD-ROM, and close the optical-drive

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When prompted, press any key to begin installation of Windows XP SP2

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When prompted, press enter to continue with the installation

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When prompted to agree to the EULA, do so. The company is familiar with the EULA, and is prepared to agree to the conditions.

●

[[[and the rest, with estimate timing. commented screenshots should be postinstallation]]]

Potential Problems One problem that can arise when installing an operating-system is where the installer does not support the computer's hard-drive interface chipsets. For example, older versions of the Windows XP installation CD do not, by default, support some common SATA adapter chips. This issue is resolved by providing the installer with a driver for the chip. In the case of Windows XP, this can only be done by floppy-disk. This solution can cause a problem in modern computer systems, many of which use SATA hard-drives but do not have floppy-disk drives. There are two solutions to this problem. 1. Temporarily install a floppy-disk drive in the computer. This may be inconvenient; it is a possibility that there will not be a floppy-disk drive available. Temporarily removing the floppy-disk drive from another computer is an option, but this could cause inconvenience, and relies on a computer with a floppy-disk drive being available. 2. Use a more up-to-date version of the installation disc. In the case of Windows XP, recently made discs include Service Pack 2 (to provide a number of updates to the operating-system's security, stability, features, and performance) and include more device drivers (including those for hard-drive adapter chips) and are therefore less likely to have issues installing to a SATA hard-drive. This is unlikely to be an issue, as the hard-drive being used has an IDE interface.

6 Additional Quality Control & Assurance Plan After the operating-system has been set up, we will run additional quality control and assurance procedures, specifically: ●

Check the motherboard manufacturer's web-site for firmware updates. Motherboard firmware upgrades are dangerous; a failed upgrade can irreparably render a motherboard unusable. For this reason, manufacturers generally recommend not to upgrade unless absolutely necessarySource 27. Upgrade the motherboard's firmware only if the benefits justify the risk, and do making use of a UPS, so that if a power-failure occurs it does not lead to an incomplete upgrade (which would entail corrupted motherboard firmware).

●

Installation of Windows XP SP3.

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This should be done using the 'offline' installer. The offline installer should be downloaded and written to physical media (CD or USB flash-drive), and installed from this physical media. This is faster and uses less Internet bandwidth than would Windows Update, which would be the equivalent of downloading the offline installer once for each computer to be upgraded. ●

Run Windows Update to update the operating-system to the latest version.

Potential Problems None foreseeable.

7 Running for the first time Plan Boot Windows XP on the desktop computer, for the first time. In Windows XP, initial configuration of the desktop computer is performed on first boot-up; this is covered in Section 9, below.

Potential Problems One problem that can arise when running a computer for the first time after assembling it and installing on it an operating system is that, although its drivers allow it to boot, it may not have the necessary drivers to perform its intended function. For example, many wireless adapters are not supported by Windows XP out-of-the-box; this could easily prevent a laptop from performing its intended function. The solution is to download and install the latest driver from the device manufacturer's website and install it. This should be done in preference to using the driver disc included with the device, as that driver is likely to be an old version, where the driver downloaded from the website will be the latest; using the latest driver may provide benefits such as improved stability, security, and/or performance.

8 Installation of Drivers Plan The following must be installed: ●

●

The latest drivers for the hardware components. These will be available from the websites of their respective manufacturers. It is preferable to install the latest drivers, rather than the ones provided with the components or operating-system, as the latest drivers are normally improved versions of the older drivers, and are likely to be faster and more stable. Specifically, the latest drivers are to be installed for the following hardware components: ●

Video card

●

Sound card

●

Network interface card

●

USB adapter

the various software packages required for office-use: a firewall, office suite, and the company's choice of web-browser

Potential Problems If driver installation fails, use Windows XP's "driver rollback" feature to revert to the driver that was in use before installation of the replacement.

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9 Configuring Plan In Windows XP, the desktop computer will, by default, use DHCP to acquire an IP address. Configure the desktop computer to join the relevant domain.

Potential Problems Assuming the local-network is operating correctly and the desktop computer is configured correctly, there are no problems possible for this stage.

10 Moving the Desktop Computer to its Proper Location and Connecting Up Plan Move the computer and its peripherals to its proper location, as planned. Connect the computer's peripherals and connect the computer and monitor to mains power.

Potential Problems If a desktop computer or peripheral is damaged when being transported, a repair or replacement will have to be arranged at a later time; until then, the unit will be unavailable. Another possible problem is that physical space or power-sockets may be unexpectedly unavailable. If one of these issues does arise, it is unlike that it will be possible to continue with the installation of the system. It may be necessary to re-evaluate the floor-plan for the room. If mains power is unavailable, it may be possible to make use of a multipoint to provide it.

11 Final Quality Control Power up the computer system and test that word-processing and web-browsing work as intended.

Network Configuration Plan Logical Architecture of Network The network should be designed to be as usable (i.e. reliable and fast) and manageable as possible. For these reasons, the company network should be divided into a number of subnets/VLANs (the two overlapping entirely). The company's staff can be easily categorised into Sales, Finances, IT Support and a special group for the company's managing director and his personal assistant. Subnet/VLANs should be created for each of the Sales, Finances, and IS groups, to divide the network into more manageable sections and to improve security and performance by making use of several broadcast domains and IP subnets rather than just one. The managing-director and his personal-assistant should be placed on the Finances VLAN, as it is not worthwhile creating a fourth VLAN just for these 2 users, and as Finances is a more appropriate classification than Sales. A router must be used to enable communication between the subnet/VLANs. A router will be necessary also to provide PAT to share the Internet connection across the network. There is no reason that both these tasks could not be performed by the same router. The company's existing Cisco router can be used for this task.

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Due to there having always been more than 10 employees in the company, SELCON has always used a client/server model rather than peer-to-peer. The company currently uses, and will continue to use, 3 servers - one for each department. Each will serve as the department's DHCP server, DNS server, file-server, POP3 email server, database server (for that department's database), domain controller, and print server. The role of DHCP server is assigned to the department servers rather than to the router, in order to conserve the router's more limited resources and to ease configuration and reconfiguration (as these are easier in Windows Server 2003 than in Cisco IOS), and for a cleaner network design (as each department handles its own DHCP). See illustration in Appendix, page 22.

Office IP Scheme The IP addressing scheme for the office is as follows: The SDSL modem's cat5e interface, and the router's cat5e interface connecting thereto, will each have a manually configured static IP address – 192.168.0.254 and 192.168.0.253 respectively. Desktop computers will have their IP addresses assigned by the server, through DHCP. This affords a slight security improvement, as desktop computers' IP addresses will change with each boot. A lease time of 24 hours will be used to ensure that workstations' IP addresses change regularly (thus improving security). The desktop computers will have IP addresses from 192.168.X.1 to 192.168.X.230, where X is 1 for Finances, 2 for Sales, and 3 for IS. Other devices requiring static network addresses, such as printers and wireless access points, should be assigned the highest available IP address (i.e. starting with 192.168.0.252). There are 22 addresses available for this purpose (192.168.0.231 – 192.168.0.252 inclusive), which should be more than enough even if more devices are added in future – reserving any more would needlessly reduce the number of addresses available for automatic assignment to desktop computers, although there will never be 230 desktop computers at the office.

Servers The use of one server per for each department will be sufficient even with the 15 new employees; no new servers will be necessary. SELCON's servers currently run Debian Sarge. Windows Server 2003 will now be the operatingsystem used on the server, as it provides better integration with Windows XP (for file- and printer-sharing) than do the alternatives.

Installation of Server's Operating-System, Configuration, and Physical Installation As the hardware is already functional, no hardware assembly, repair, or upgrade is necessary. All that must be done is the installation and configuration of the new operating-system, as well as the loading of the necessary files for file-sharing.

OS Installation Plan Start Backup the file-sharing shared files to 2 other computers This should be performed by simply downloading all the files onto the other computers. As these files are of critical importance, at least 2 computers should hold the data, in case of hardware or software failure in one that might prevent data recovery.

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5 minutes later Begin installation the new operating-system proper Put the Windows Server 2003 disc in the server's optical-drive, reboot, and when prompted, press any key to begin installation. Configure and perform installation When prompted, configure a single NTFS partition to occupy the full capacity of the server's hard-drive. When prompted, configure UK QWERTY keyboard type When prompted, configure London-GMT as the time-zone, with daylight-savings When prompted, configure a secure hash for the administrator password 45 minutes later Windows 2003 will load for the first time.

Possible Issues As with Windows XP, a driver issue could cause a problem in installation. This potential problem should be handled just as it is in the case of Windows XP.

Configuration Plan Plan for Domains Each server is to act as the domain controller for that department's domain. In the case of the Sales and Finances departments, the department managers should be given rights to both read and write from/to the server's shared-files folder, whereas the other staff of the department should only be given the right to read. All staff should be given permissions to use their department's printers. In MS Access, this should be implemented through use of groups - SalesStaff, FinancesStaff, SalesManager, and FinancesManager groups should be configured with the appropriate rights. Use of groups for the managers is preferable to use of customised user objects, as it allows for easier adding of staff with their permissions in future (for example, if the Finances manager is given a personal assistant). The managing director and his assistant should both be given read-only rights to both departments' shared files and read+write rights to a special shared folder only for their use. They should also be given permissions to print on any server in the company. In MS Access, this should be configured by use of ManagingDirector group, of which both the MD and his PA should be members. IS staff should be given read-only rights to the shared files on the IS department server, apart from the network manager who should be given full read/write rights on all servers to help him to resolve issues. Configure the server for use as a file-server (with the correct levels of rights), DHCP server, DNS server, POP3 email server, database server (for that department's database), domain controller, and print server. Upload the file-sharing files to the server, from one of the desktop computers onto which the files were backed-up.

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Potential Problems None foreseeable.

Physical Installation Plan Move the server to its safe and secure location, connect it to power and the local network, and power it up.

Potential Problems If power or physical space is not as expected, the server will have to be temporarily set-up somewhere else, as it is critical to the company and must be operational. If the server is physically damaged in transit, it should be repaired as soon as possible, as it is of critical importance to the company.

Installation of Network Physical Installation of Networking Devices Plan Install all networking devices in their planned locations, and connect to mains power. Lay cabling and physically connect-up to networking devices. Ensure that appropriate cable is used - plenum-grade cabling must be used when cabling is being run through a plenum, for fire-safety reasons. Ensure also that the distance of cat5e cable between any two devices does not exceed 100m, as this is the specification's maximum length.

Possible Issues A hardware-failure during installation in either the router or one of the switches would require that the company's backup router or switch be used in its place. The company has already invested in a backup router and a backup switch, in order to allow rapid networking-devicereplacement and so minimise the impact that a device failure could have on their critically important local network and Internet connection.

Configuration of Networking Devices Plan Configure the network devices by connecting a computer to the networking devices' console ports by means of a DB-9 adapter and a rollover cable.

Possible Issues If the router or a switch does not behave as expected when configuring a certain feature or service, consult the device's documentation. The web may also provide a useful source.

Hardware and Systems Installation

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Appendix

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Illustration 1: Quality Control - Taking a Delivery

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Illustration 2: Quality Control - Computer Assembly

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Illustration 3: Logical Topology of the New LAN

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Source List Source 1 - “How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor”, http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-StuckPixel-on-an-LCD-Monitor Source 2 - RSSI's recycling FAQ, http://www.recycle.com/faqs.html, see #4 to "What do the little numbers on the bottom of plastic containers represent or stand for?" Source 3 - 2007 Microsoft Office system requirements, http://office.microsoft.com/enus/products/HA101668651033.aspx Source 4 - “Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974”, http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm Source 5 - “Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974”, http://www.healthandsafety.co.uk/haswa.htm Source 6 - "The Expanded Polystyrene Packaging Group", http://www.eps.co.uk/recycling/recycling_main.htm Source 7 - "Professional support services from Canonical Ltd", http://www.ubuntu.com/support/paid Source 8 - Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade with Service Pack 2 on Amazon.co.uk, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-Home-Upgrade-Service-Pack/dp/B00061H57Y Source 9 - Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 on Amazon.co.uk, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-XP-Professional-Service-Pack/dp/B00061H58I/ Source 10 - Windows Vista Home Basic Edition on Play.com, http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/-/684/891/-/5375162/Microsoft-Windows-Vista-Home-Basic-withService-Pack-1/Product.html Source 11 - Windows Vista Ultimate Edition on Amazon.co.uk, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-Vista-Ultimate-Service-Pack/dp/B0013O77GM/ Source 12 - "Microsoft announces extended support for XP", http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070124-8691.html Source 13 - Mac OS X v10.5 'Leopard' on Apple's UK store http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=MB427 Source 14 - Subpixel-unsticking programs, http://killdeadpixel.com/ Source 15 - Windows Vista system requirements http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx

Source 16 - Mac OS X 10.5 system requirements, http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs/

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In reference to the processor requirements of Mac OS X 10.5: it runs on any Intel Mac, the weakest processor of which is a 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo in the first version of the Mac Mini Source 17 - Ubuntu system requirements, https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements Source 18 - Windows XP system requirements, http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/sysreqs.mspx Source 19 - Windows 98 system requirements, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/182751 Source 20 - Microsoft Office 2007 system requirements, http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101668651033.aspx Source 21 - Windows Server 2003 system requirements, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/bb430827.aspx Source 22 - Microsoft Office 2003 system requirements http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822129 Source 23 - Dell's 'Vostro' series of business desktops http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/4x_vostro_200st?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1 &l=en&s=bsd Source 24 - Acer's 'Veriton L410' business desktop (a supplier's web-site) http://www.acerdirect.co.uk/Acer_Veriton_L410_Desktop_PS.L41C2.U01/version.asp Source 25 - http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?category_id=6198 Source 26 - http://www.ebuyer.com/product/128645 Source 27 http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/BIOS_Model.aspx?ProductID=1622

Glossary Corrective Maintenance Refers to the remedying of a fault that has developed in an existing system, i.e. repairs. Compare with preventive maintenance. ESD Electro-Static Discharge. This is where static electricity in the human body discharges into a computer component, potentially causing it irreparable damage; it is a serious risk in computer assembly, repair, and upgrade. To prevent this from happening, the person assembling the computer should always be earthed when handling computer components, so that static electricity discharges to earth rather than the hardware components. This can be achieved by wearing an anti-static wristband connected to a mains power socket. Equivalent means, such as connecting the person to a radiator (i.e. earth) by means of securely-tied wire, are also effective. EULA End User Licence Agreement. The terms and conditions that must be agreed to before you may use of a software package. The company should be familiar with any EULAs that it is agreeing to. Preventive Maintenance Refers to maintenance performed on a properly functioning existing system, in order to prevent faults arising. Compare with corrective maintenance. Wine A software-package for GNU/Linux (and related operating-systems) which allows for Windows

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applications to be run, without use of a Microsoft Windows operating-system.

Computer-Equipment Delivery Report Form Computer ID: Name of staff-member signing for delivery: Date (DD/MM/YY) and time: ____/____/____ ____:____

Components List Component

Number of Boxes Expected

Number of Boxes delivered

Number of Boxes in Unacceptable Condition

If any components were in an unacceptable condition: Component

Description of box condition

Risk Assesment Risk

Severity (mark appropriate) Minor Little Some Significant Hazardous

Minor Little Some Significant Hazardous

Minor Little Some Significant Hazardous

Minor Little Some Significant Hazardous

Affected Staff and Devices

Handling