ICT171 - Introduction to Server

Environments and Architectures

David Murray
Welcome
● Unit Coordinator
− David Murray D.Murray@murdoch.edu.au
● Laptops, smartphones, desktops and tablets are everywhere, however
they are increasingly useless without the servers, software and back-end
infrastructure that store our files, send our email, deliver the world wide
web and implement social networking.
● This unit is an introduction to the servers and infrastructure that supports
these applications
● Students will implement Windows and Linux servers, learn scripting and
DNS in virtual and cloud environments. The technical content is hopefully
also learned through a business lens.
Welcome
● The unit is driven by extensive hands-on activities. The activities are
accompanied by readings and pre-recorded lectures that expand on the
concepts, issues or decisions associated with the activity.
● In this way the theory elements of the unit never stray far from the
hands-on activities. It is hoped that students will learn by doing rather
than merely remembering.
– The following is a wikipedia definition of DNS:
• DNS. (Domain Name System) The Internet's system for converting
alphabetic names into numeric IP addresses

– But I want more from you. I want you to sign up for a DNS entry. I
want you to actually link it to an Internet machine that you own and I
want you to experience all the quirks of this process so that you can
implement DNS for an organisation with confidence.
Welcome
● Helping you through those quirks will be our tutors
– Jay Donovan - Also the tutor for external students

– Aubrey Adams

– James Mcutcheon

– Zach Bensley

– Pema Choejey

– Meisam Samadi

● On completion of this unit, students will own a cloud based server using their own
domain name, offering Internet services of their choosing. They will be “builders”
of the Internet not just users.
● At the beginning I want you to understand what the end game is. The topic list
builds towards you owning, running and managing your own Infrastructure as a
Service (IaaS) cloud based Internet server.
The end point
● You will have your own online server, accessible with a DNS entry, and will be able to run it
using the command line. Pretty awesome!

● Understand that this is different from signing up for your own wordpress site, or even a
hosted web page.

● You will run the Infrastructure as opposed to getting someone else to host your web page,
your Internet server could be a wordpress site, a VPN server, a teamspeak server, a
minecraft server, whatever you like…. All in one box.
No Lectures
● Really, no lectures? Yes, this is the one and only lecture in Introduction to
Server Environments and Architectures
● Lecture content will be delivered to you via online videos
● In this unit, the lecture content supports and supplements the lab
activities not the other way round. Getting you to learn from doing is the
primary goal
● We feel that our time is best spent supporting students one-on-one while
they are actually engaged in learning.
− For stronger students the instructors may be able to assist you in
exploring more advanced areas/ideas
− For students who are having difficulty with a particular lab or concept
there is the opportunity to work through problems as they are
encountered
Flipped learning
● The approach we are using is part of a new philosophy in education called
flipped learning
● Its flipped because the basics of every topic are learnt in your own time,
we do the interesting extension or problem solving stuff in class
● Short video lectures should be viewed by students at home before the
class session
● In-class time is devoted to exercises and discussions.
● Our hope is that the really high value instructor-student time will be
maximised through this approach
● All of the staff in this unit want to finish labs feeling run off our feet
helping people, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s what we are here for.
Flipped learning - Advantages
● Videos are as big as the topic or subtopic requires – as opposed to a 2
hour fits all allocation
● You can watch them anytime anywhere
● You can pause and rewind if you tuned out for a few minutes, or did not
understand
● You can follow along with pen and paper or your computer, pausing as
required
● They have been set to download and then play. We reccomend using VLC
● We aimed to keep every video below 15 mins... certainly the limits of my
attention span
Flipped learning
● Many styles have been used to replace the traditional face to face
lecture. Talking heads
Flipped learning
● Demonstrations that enable you to follow along
Flipped learning
● Virtual Chalk and Talk
Flipped learning
● Virtual Chalk and Talk
Feedback
● As the approach we are using is quite different from traditional university
units we want constant feedback
● Let us know if we can change anything to make things easier/better
● We will also be sending out surveys at the end of the the semester.
● If something can be improved, tell us.
Feedback
● Some students have had issues with some videos, the answer is to use
VLC https://www.videolan.org/ it is available on all Linux, Windows, OSX,
iOS and Android.
● One of the comments that we have received in the past is that they didn’t
see how the topics linked together, as if individual topics were random
and did not build on each other.
● In other units such as, programming based units, each for week will build
upon the previous week with the goal of becoming proficient in
programming as quickly as possible.
● In this unit, many topics do not rely on the information in previous topics.
Instead each topic is building towards or providing a component required
for the end goal of owning your own cloud based Internet service.
Attendance
● While the unit is designed so that students can complete the activities on
their own, attendance at a physical or online lab session is strongly
recommended for internal students. If you are an external student then
this means having frequent contact with your external tutor.
● There is a very high correlation between non-attendance and unit failure.
● In addition to getting help from us, attendance at tutorials also means
that you can get help from and collaborate with peers – This is strongly
encouraged in this unit
Where is everything?
● Everything is accessible via our LMS system called moodle
● Every week you must:
− Watch the videos, follow any examples where possible
− Complete any readings
− Attend your lab time
● Attempt your labs
● Ask us questions
● Help your peers
− Recheck your unit guide regarding assignment dates and schedule of
topics
The structure of a topic
● Each topic is structured in the
same way
● We have put in quite a bit of work
to be really clear about what
needs to be done each week.
● As a general rule, there are videos
before each workshop; the
workshop we will work on some
lab content and there will be a
online quiz after each workshop
The Topics
The Topics
Peers
● Talking to us and engaging with us in tutes is super important
● Your peers are also important. Not only are the people sitting around you
possible future colleagues, but their assistance could help you:
− Breakthrough concepts that you may have struggled over for hours
− Clarify things you are pretty sure about, but not certain
− Sometimes in servers, the issues we might have are tiny and can be fixed
easily with another set of eyes.
● If you are already sitting next to friends, I want you to introduce
yourself to the people in front or behind you.
− Ask them what degree they are doing and if this is their first
semester?
− Ask them whether flipped learning sounds great or terrible?
Assessment
Weekly Quizzes 10%

● Tutorial participation will be measured based on a post workshop quiz.

● Each quiz will close 23:55 Sunday following the teaching week to
encourage students to keep up with the work.
● All quizzes 1-12 are assessed and your marks will take your best 10 of the
12 quizzes. This means that, in theory, each student may miss 2 of the 12
submission and could still get 100% for this part of the unit.
● No extensions will be provided for computer, internet, health or life
reasons. The weekly quizzes are worth very little, and as stated you could
miss 2 and still get 100%.
 Project Proposal and TCO Report 15%

● In this assignment, you will demonstrate that you have made a start and put some
thought into the Cloud Server Project.
● You will also demonstrate that you can evaluate the difference between two different
cloud based offerings using a total cost of ownership as a guide.
● This activity should reinforce that the idea behind IT solutions is overwhelmingly cost
● IT students and professionals may be interested in one approach or technology over
another but decision makers will often look at the total cost of ownership
● The IT staff at murdoch have an industry advisory panel to advise on how to best
teach modern IT professionals. One of the comments about many graduates is that
the fail to see the business implications of IT initiatives. This assignment should force
you to engage with the technical and business drivers of IT
● Finally, you will also show that you have put some thought into how you license the
content (copyleft, copyright, public domain et cetera)
Cloud Server Project 25%
● Students must implement a cloud based server that delivers a number of online
services. The server must be accessible via a domain name over which the
student has control. We will also check whether your machine has a SSL/TLS
certificate and is reachable over HTTPS.
● Students are encouraged to consider the server a long term proposition and
something that could be developed as they progress throughout their degree.
Some ideas:
− A personal Internet presence that showcases your experience and technical
capabilities to potential employers.
− An Internet presence for a club, a volunteer group or charity.
● There will also be a scripting component where students will integrate their own
script/program into their internet server.
● All assignments are marked are based on published rubrics in LMS
Final Examination 50%
● The final examination will be conducted using LMS.
● Questions will cover the breadth of the unit using multiple choice, short
answer and paragraph style questions.
● You will be provided with a sample online exam so that you can be
comfortable with the testing environment as well as the
● It is University policy that students bring identification to the exam
● After the results have been released, students have the right to see the
marked examination script.
Assignment Submission
● All assignments must be submitted in electronic form via the links in
Moodle.
● There is no need to use the coversheet that is commonly required for
paper based submissions.
● All submitted assignment documentation must be in PDF form. The
formatting of source documents such as DOCX is heavily dependent on
the settings present on the computer that opens them.
● If an assessment document is submitted in a format other than PDF it will
graded on the basis of how the document looks when it is opened on the
graders computer, using whatever application is present.
● It is the responsibility of students to keep a copy of all assignments
submitted for assessment.
Plagiarism
● We are good at picking up on this. Best not to test us.
● We feel that we are lenient markers so there really is no need, do the
work and reap the benefits.
● Remember that whatever we are trying to teach you in this unit, we
expect that you will need it in future units and in your work life so best to
do the work.
Writing well
● Although you are all IT students, there really is a
workplace ceiling for students who don’t master
written oral communications skills, as well as
some insight into the way IT can strategically
help the business.
● Can I strongly recommend that students get
themselves a copy of “The Elements of Style”
● This is the best short (~60 pages) book on how
to write well.
● Reading it at regular intervals will force you to
think carefully about how you write.
● The fourth edition is under 70c on Amazon
Late Submissions
● The LMS assignment submission link will specify the date the assessment
is due and may indicate a period during which late submissions will be
accepted.
● Late submissions will attract a penalty. See the marking rubric for details.
● Once any graded assessments have been returned to students no further
late submissions will be accepted.
Things you need – Credit Card
● This unit makes use of Amazon EC2 virtual machines. Amazon allows a 12
month free trial of this service which is sufficient for the needs of this
unit. However, the registration process requires the provision of credit
card details. The card would be billed if the service is used beyond the
free trial period or if non-free services are used. If this is likely to cause a
problem for you, please discuss it with your Unit Coordinators.
● Students will need to purchase a domain name of their choosing. These
are usually available for less than $10 for a 12 month registration. Domain
registries require either a credit card or PayPal™ for payment. Please
make use of the relevant forum to share any great deals (or bad
experiences) with your fellow students.
● Credit Card not required until the second half of the unit
Things you need – Computer &
Internet
● This information is mainly relevant for external students
● Reliable Internet access with sufficient bandwidth and quota to allow for
weekly lecture content
● A computer and operating system capable of running VirtualBox and
Windows Server within a virtual environment.
● This machine can be your day-to-day desktop or laptop. It is
recommended that the computer have at least 8GB of RAM.
Tasting plate in Server Admin
● This is a hands on unit! The videos and readings are your first objective to
get the nuts and bolts. The labs are for extending this learning and
addressing difficulties
● You will be given a taster of many skills:
− Virtualisation

− The Linux and Windows Command line

− Traditional and modern physical server design and storage
− Cloud Computing
− DNS & SSL/TLS
− Scripting Server in Linux and Windows Servers - Bash and Powershell
− An understanding of the server environment
− The business context that drives IT as well as licencing of software and online content
Advanced Students
● Remember that this is a first year unit and while we want to push
students to do more, we have to be realistic and ensure that all students
achieve the goal of owning their own server in the cloud.
● If you are third year student coming to complete this for credit or you
work in the field or do this stuff for fun, please try to push the boundaries
with us in the lab as well has providing a helping hand to your peers in the
lab.
● Sometimes explaining something to someone else can make you question
whether you really understand it. It can also solidify that concept or idea
in your mind.
Struggling?

● Remember that you tutor, and many of your peers are here to help you.
Please make use of them as much as possible.
● If you are falling behind by week 4, please contact me
(D.Murray@murdoch.edu.au) I will most likely offer you the ability to
attend multiple tutorial sessions.
Want to work in your own time

● All internal students will find and see the lab environment this week, in
building 245. Keep in mind that this is heavily booked out for teaching
● In Building 460, see below, there is a lot of time available for self study.
Studying this unit – What to do
● Every week, we expect that you will
− Watch all the online videos.
● Where a practical or hands on component is being shown, you should
try to follow on your own computer
− Complete any readings
− Attend your weekly tutorial
● Contribute to the discussion
● Complete your lab work and ask lots of questions
● Do them all in the order listed... tutors will not be terribly tolerant of
students playing the videos in class
● Come prepared!
 Thanks for listening

We are really excited about this unit and are really looking forward to the
semester

We wish you the best of luck in your studies

Any Questions?