Date/s

Face-to-face
Computer Systems Servicing NC II
Setup Computer Networks Engr. Rodolfo G. Doromal, Jr.

Objectives:

The learners demonstrate an understanding of concepts and principles in setting up

computer networks, computer servers and how to maintain and repair computer
networks.

A. Setting-up Computer Networks

In today’s world computer has become a vital part of the business sector for economic
activities, not only for professional activities, but also for personal activities also. As
technologies have evolved networking came into the picture and slowly from initial wired
network technology we moved to this wireless network technology. Now if we will think
then we can know that networking impacts everything.

A computer network is an interconnection between computers linked to each other

which enables one computer to communicate with another computer. It acts as basis of
communication in Information Technology (IT). It is a system of connected computing
devices sharing information and resources between each other. The devices in a network
are connected by communication links (wired/wireless) and share data by Data
Communication System.

There are several types of computer networks. The typical differences in between
different types of computer networks lie in the geographical areas they serve and their
core purpose.

Although setting up a home network is not necessarily an expensive or difficult

project, you just need to have few basic pieces of hardware to connect your computers,
printers, gaming consoles, and assorted gadgets to each other — and to the Internet.
 The following are some of the importance of computer networking:

Streamline communication. Voice over IP (VoIP).

Cost-effective resource sharing. Improving storage efficiency and volume.
Cut costs on software. Sharing of peripherals and internet access.
Cut costs on hardware. Media Center Server.
Utilizes Centralized Database. Overcoming geographic separation.
Increase in efficiency. Flexibility.
Optimize convenience and flexibility. Allowing information sharing.
Allows File sharing. Supporting distributed processing.
Network gaming. User communication.
Provides best way of business Centralize network administration,
communication. meaning less IT support.

1. Networking Hardware Requirements:

A DSL or cable modem connects your computer

to a high-speed DSL or cable internet connection.
Although dial-up modems are still available for
slower dial-up Internet connections, the connection
speeds are far too slow for a home network.

A wired or wireless router connects your DSL

or cable modem to your home network. Many
DSL/cable modems now have built-in routers that
allow you to connect your network directly to
your Internet connection.

A wired or wireless network adapter is the

device in your computer (or printers, gaming
consoles, and other networking equipment) that
connects your computer to your network.

Ethernet cabling is used to connect your wired

network adapters to a router or network switch.
Even if you are using a wireless router, you will
need at least one Ethernet cable to connect your
wireless router to your DSL or cable modem.
 Network Cable Tester is a device designed to
measure and test existing LAN connection. LAN
Testers are a must-have piece of equipment for
every network installer. Whatever it is an existing
cable connection troubleshooting or installation
brand new cable connections, cable tester checks
the signal quality and point at exact cables or
cores that need an attention.
A crimping tool is a device used to conjoin two
pieces of metal by deforming one or both of them to
hold each other. The result of the tool's work is
called a crimp. An example of crimping is affixing a
connector to the end of a cable. For instance,
network cables and phone cables are created using
a crimping tool (shown below) to join RJ-45 and RJ-
11 connectors to both ends of phone or Cat 5 cable.

Click the link below to learn how to crimp.

[Link]

In a network, computers and other devices are connected to share resources.

Network connections vary in many ways depending on the setup the user would want
to, availability of the network devices and the location or map area of links. One may
either use wireless throughput or wired throughput. The next lesson will guide you on
how to setup these connections.

2. Router Basics

Your router is the glue that holds your home network together. It connects all your
computers to one another, either through Ethernet cables or a wireless connection. A
router is different than a modem: your modem connects you to the internet, while your
router connects your computers to one another. When you hook up your router to the
modem, however, you are then able to share that internet connection with all of the
computers on your network. Sometimes modems come with built-in routers.
 Devices that connect to your
router—that is, the computers,
tablets, smartphones, DVRs, game
systems, and so on—are called
clients. Each client on the network
is given an IP address, which helps
your router direct traffic. Clients
within the network get a local IP
address, while your modem gets a
global IP address. Global IP
addresses are like street addresses, while local IP addresses are like apartment
numbers: one lets you find the building in relation to the rest of the world, while the
other lets you find the specific location within the complex. These addresses make sure
the right information from the outside world gets to the right computer on your network.

3. Wireless Throughput

Throughput is the speed at which a router can transfer data. The transfer speed
of your wireless connection is dependent on the wireless standard it uses. The most
common standards today are 802.11g and 802.11n (also known as "wireless G" and
"wireless N", respectively). Wireless N is faster than wireless G, though routers that
support wireless N are also more expensive. Most new devices—like smartphones
and laptops—support the faster wireless N.

4. Wired Throughput

The wired half of your router will come in one of two speeds: 10/100 Mbps and
10/100/1000 Mbps (also known as "gigabit"). 10/100 routers are cheaper, but will not
 transfer data between computers as quickly as gigabit routers will. If you are only using your
router to connect to the internet, 10/100 is fine, since your internet connection is probably
slower than 100Mbps, meaning you will not be able to actually take advantage of the router's
full speed. If you are transferring data between computers, however, you may want to go with
a gigabit router, since it will transfer that data much faster than a 10/100 model.

5. Range

Wireless routers can only reach a limited area of distance. If you have a big
house and have the router on one side, you might not be able to access the network
from the other side of the house. Your range, like your speed, is determined by the
wireless standard you use. Wireless N has a longer range than wireless G, so if
range is important you will want to use wireless N.
That said, there are many other ways to connect to your network from afar.
Wireless extenders (also called wireless repeaters) are products you can buy that do
exactly what the manuals say to extend your network further. Alternatively, you can
buy a power line adapter, which lets you use your home's electrical wiring to hook a
distant device up to your router with an Ethernet cable (and thus get a faster
connection than wireless would allow for).

6. Number of Ports

Routers have two types of ports in the back: LAN ports and WAN ports. Your
WAN port hooks up to your modem (which, again, is what connects to the internet),
while the LAN ports hook up to your computers and other clients. Most routers have
one WAN port, but you will need as many LAN ports as the wired devices you have.
If you have more wired devices than can fit on a router, you can plug them all in
using a wired switch. A switch is like a power strip for your router: it lets you plug in
more devices than the router originally allowed.

7. Wireless Security

Unless you do not mind strangers eating your bandwidth and potentially
accessing your networked files, you should always protect your wireless network
with a password. WPA2 is currently the most secure type of wireless encryption, so
make sure you use WPA2 if you can. Some old wireless devices do not support
WPA, in which case you will have to use the less secure WEP instead. Basically,
every device made in the last four years supports WPA2 encryption.
8. Network Layout Floor Plan

Network layout floor plan" contain 34 symbol icons for drawing computer
network floor plans and communication equipment and cabling layouts.

Networking hardware may also be known as network equipment or computer

networking devices. Units which are the last receiver or generate data are called
hosts or data terminal equipment. All these terms refer to devices facilitating the use
of a computer network. Specifically, they mediate data in a computer network.

Typically, networking hardware includes gateways, routers, network bridges,

switches, hubs, and repeaters. But it also includes hybrid network devices such as
multilayer switches, protocol converters, bridge routers, proxy servers, firewalls,
network address translators, multiplexers, network interface controllers, wireless
network interface controllers, modems, ISDN terminal adapters, line drivers, wireless
access points, networking cables and other related hardware.

The most common kind of networking hardware today is a copper-based Ethernet

adapter because of its standard inclusion on most modern computer systems. Wireless
networking has, however, become increasingly popular, especially for portable and handheld
devices. Other hardware prevalent in computer networking includes data center equipment
(such as file servers, database servers and storage areas), network services (such as DNS,
DHCP, email, etc.) as well as devices which assure content delivery.
Examples of a network plan layout:
9. For more in-depth knowledge on computer networking watch the video in the link below:

[Link]

10. For connecting computers and sharing files via wireless networking watch the video
in the link below:

[Link]

11. To test network connectivity, watch the video in the link below:

[Link]

12. Various types of networks are discussed in the video link below:

[Link]
B. Setting-up Computer Servers
1. Network Operating Systems
A network operating system (NOS) is an operating system that manages network
resources: essentially, an operating system that includes special functions for connecting
computers and devices into a local area network (LAN). The NOS manages multiple requests
(inputs) concurrently and provides the security necessary in a multiuser environment. It may
be a completely self-contained operating system, such as NetWare, Unix, Windows 2000, or
Mac OS X, or it may require an existing operating system in order to function (e.g., Windows
3.11 for Workgroups requires DOS; LAN Server requires OS/2; LANtastic requires DOS). In
addition to file and print services, a NOS may also offer directory services and a messaging
system (email), as well as network management and multiprotocol routing capabilities.

2. Installing Windows Server 2008

Criteria 2008 2008 R2

Minimum Recommended
CPU 1 GHz (IA-32) 1.4 GHz (x86-64 or 2 GHz or faster
Itanium)
RAM 512 MB 2 GB or greater
HDD Other editions, 32-bit: 20 GB Foundation: 10 GB or greater
Other editions, 64-bit: 32 GB Other editions: 32 GB or greater
Foundation: 10 GB

o Windows Server Initial Configuration Tasks

You can complete these tasks by using commands in the Initial

Configuration Tasks window, which opens immediately after the operating
system installation is complete.
o Provide Computer Information

• Activate Windows
Click the Activate Windows link in the Provide Computer Information
area of the Initial Configuration Tasks window to provide the product key
that was included with your copy of this Windows operating system. This
command opens the Windows Activation dialog box.

• Set the time zone

Click the Set time zone link in the Provide Computer Information area
of the Initial Configuration Tasks window to change the time zone in which
the computer is located. For help topics about how to change values on
the Date and Time dialog box, on the Date and Time tab, click How do I set
the clock and time zone?

• Provide computer name and domain

If this is the first time that you have installed Windows Server 2008 R2
on this the setup process assigns your computer a randomly generated
number as a name. If you are reinstalling or upgrading to a newer version
of Windows Server 2008 R2, Setup preserves the existing computer name.
You may find the server easier to access remotely and easier to recognize
in reports and logs if you assign it a name that is meaningful to you and
that fits with the naming scheme for computers in your organization.

• Configure Networking
Network Connections provides connectivity between your computer and
the Internet, network, or another computer. The New Connection Wizard helps
you create Internet connections by using your dial-up modem, ISDN, DSL or
cable modem. You can also create incoming, direct, and virtual private
networking (VPN) connections by using the New Connection Wizard.

• Update This Server

The Windows automatic updating feature simplifies the task of updating
the operating system, and saves administrators time. Other features of the
Automatic Updating and Feedback dialog box allow you to participate in the
Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program and Windows Error
Reporting. Features on the Automatic Updating and Feedback dialog box are
configurable by members of the Administrators group on the local computer.

• In this section (Press Ctrl +Click to go to the topics

below) Windows Error Reporting
Customer Experience Improvement Program
Recommended Settings for Windows Automatic Updating and Feedback

• Downloading and installing updates

o The Microsoft Update Web site runs an automated tool that identifies
any software that installed as part of your Windows operating system
for which there is a more current version available.
 o When updates are available, the site prompts you to choose the
updates you want to install.

• To download and install updates in the Initial Configuration Tasks

window, click Download and install updates.

• In the Windows automatic updating dialog box, click Check for updates.
o Clicking Check for updates connects to the Web-based Windows
automatic updating tool, and verifies that you have the most current
versions of Windows operating system components installed.

3. Step-by-Step Guide to Setup Active Directory on Windows Server

2008 Step 1.
• The first step is to assign a IP to
the server that you going to
deploy the AD. It’s necessary
to install it as DNS server too.
So it’s better to have fixed IP it
doesn't mean you cannot
install AD without fixed IP
address but it will solve lot of
issues if you used fixed IP.
• In here the server IP is
[Link]. Since we going to
make it as DNS server too you
should use the same IP as the
preferred DNS server.

Step 2.
• Click on start menu and select
the server manager.
Step 3.
• Select the roles from the right hand panel and click on add roles option.

Step 4.
• From the roles list select the "Active Directory Domain Services" Role and click "next"

Step 5.
• Review the confirmation and click on "Next"
 Step 6.
• Review the installation confirmation and click on "Next"

Step 7.
• It will take few minutes to complete and when it’s done you will get this
confirmation. and then click on "Close"

• After that you will need to do a reboot.

• After reboot please open up the "Server Manager" again. And then click on
"Roles" there you will see the "Active Directory Domain Services" is
successfully installed in there. click on it then you will get a window like below.
 • In there, please pay attention to this message

• Please click on that link and it will start the DCPROMO wizard.

4. Promoting DNS [Link]

Step 1.
• Type [Link] on
search box.
• To start the installation,
click on "Next"
Step 2.
• Click on "Next"

Step 3.
• Since we going to install
New Domain Controller
in a new forest please
select the option "Create
a new domain in new
forest" option and click
on "Next"
Step 4.
• Now we have to provide
the name for our domain
controller. It must be
FQDN. In our case I used
[Link] as the
domain. Please click
"Next" after it.

Step 5.
• In this window it will ask
you to select which
forest functional level
you need. If you’re going
to add server 2003
domain controller to
your forest later don't
select the function level
as server 2008. If you’re
going to use full features
of 2008 AD, you must
select Windows Server
2008 as forest function
level. In this example,
Windows Server 2008 is
chosen. Click on "Next"
after the selection.
Step 6.

• In next window, since

it's the first DC, we
should make it as DNS
server too. Leave the
default selection and
click on "Next"

Step 7.

• If the wizard cannot

create a delegation for
the DNS server, it
displays a message to
indicate that you can
create the delegation
manually. To continue,
click "Yes"
Step 8.

• In next window it will

show up the database
location. It’s going to be
a bigger AD. It’s good if
you can keep NTDS
database in different
partition. Click on
"Next" after changes.

Step 9.
• In next window its asking
to define a restore mode
password. It’s important
if you had to do a restore
from backup if the server
crashes. Click on "Next"
after filling it.
Step 10.

• Next window is giving

you a brief of the
installation. Click on
"Next"

• Then it will start the

installation of the AD. It
will take some time to
complete. After complete
of the installation
perform a server reboot.

• Server Manager will display the configured ADDS and the Forest you Made
C. Maintain and Repair Computer Systems and Networks
Things to Maintain And Repair Computer System and Networks:

1. Back up your data.

Make a full disk image immediately after reloading the OS and all your programs.
This gives you a clean starting point to go back to if you need to reload everything
again, and will be much faster than redoing everything manually.

2. Clean dust from your computer.

Computers are also dust collectors. Aside from looking gross and possibly
being an allergy hazard, a dusty computer will trap heat, which can reduce its
performance and lifespan. The easy way to clean is by using compressed air:

• open up the case

• take it outside
• blow the dust out. The exterior of the case can be wiped down with a
damp cloth. Be careful about using household cleaners, as they can
easily destroy circuit boards. Computers need cleaning every day

3. Clean up your cabling, and everything else too.

One thing behind your computer: a mess of cables, and dust bunnies. If
you’re moving your computer, take the opportunity to clean your desk and
floor as well. It will certainly improve your peace of mind, and clean cabling
will help prevent snags and stresses on your computer ports. If you have a
lot of peripherals, consider using cable management of some type. Twist
ties work fine, or make a trip to any large office supply store.
• While you’re wiping down your desk, wipe down the monitor too.
CRT screens can be cleaned with any mild glass cleaner, but LCD
screens can’t tolerate it. Use a dampened cloth or a product
specifically made for LCD screens.
• Keyboards can be turned upside down to dump out crumbs and dirt, or
keys can be pried off and the whole assembly cleaned with compressed air.
• It is good to take a look at where your computer is located.
• Smoking will make a mess of a computer faster and there’s usually a
layer of dust and tar on the circuitry that tends to be a giveaway as well.

4. Organize your installation disks

Keep software, peripheral, and driver disks in one place, that is close to the
computer. Before attempting computer maintenance or repairs, Be sure
you have them handy. it’s amazing what can become necessary in the
middle of a troubleshooting session.

5. Run antivirus and spyware and scans regularly.

Computer that connect to the internet needs to have antivirus software. There is a
variety of available, e.g. AVG Free to enterprise-level solutions. Use whichever you
prefer. Most antivirus software will monitor the system for threats in real time, so a
full daily scan probably isn’t necessary, but do make time to run a full scan
 every month at the least. And some antivirus programs also protect against
adware and spyware, but not all. If your computer doesn’t and if you want
extra security you can have AdAware and SpyBot these two of the best
known for free products available.

6. Clean up your software.

If there is software that you don’t use any more, remove it. Be cautious
though, that some system drivers appear in this list, and can cause
hardware to stop working if you remove them.

7. Clean up your OS
Windows is not the most efficient operating system; it needs attention
itself. Because computer saves a large amount of unnecessary information
in the form of ‘temporary’ files in which never get deleted and lists of
recently performed searches, and the like. There is a program called
CCleaner, which will clear out the unneeded data automatically.

8. Defragment
Once your hard drive has been cleaned up, it’s a good time to defragment.
It organizes your files, to faster the disk access times and improved system
performance.
Steps to defrag: (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk
Defragmenter) works well, or there’s a list of open source and commercial
defragmenting software available.

IV. TERMINAL KEY POINTS

In this module you have learned about 3 major activities a computer technician or
an IT professional is commonly expected to be capable of doing. You have learned
about how to setup a network where detailed videos through YouTube links were
provided. You were also given step-by-step instructions on how to setup a computer
server using a network operating system. And finally, you were given an outline of the
basic maintenance and repair procedures for computer systems and networks.