MAKERERE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SCIENCES

SCHOOL OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

A REPORT ON

FIELD ATTACHMENT/INTERNSHIP AT

STRATCOM COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER SOLUTION LTD

BY

AMES

16/U/72/EVE

Field attachment report submitted to the school of computing and information technology college of
computing and information science.

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY of

Makerere University Kampala.

Name ........................................................................……………

Signature .......................................................................………….

Name of Field Supervisor.……………………………………………………..

Signature .................................................................................…

(Stamp and Date)

Name of Academic Supervisor…........................................................

Signature …………………………………………………………

(Stamp and Date)

DECLARATION

I AMES hereby declare that the internship report presented is my original work and is uniquely prepared
by me after the completion of a training at Stratcom Communications and Computer Solutions Limited and
has not been presented by anyone at Makerere University or any other Institution for the purpose of
Academic award.

Signature......................................................…

Date.............................................…
ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The internship opportunity I had with Stratcom Communications and Computer Solutions Limited was a
great chance for learning and professional skills development. I therefore consider myself as a very lucky
individual as I was provided with an opportunity to be part of it. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to
Stratcom for giving me the opportunity to do my internship training with them. I express my deepest gratitude
to Mr. Stuart McCarthy Sebulime, my field supervisor and the head of Stratcom for organizing us this training
and putting up into place all the required tools and materials that have enabled me acquire all the skills I have
gained through the training. I also wish to extend my sincere thanks to the Stratcom team for their time and
assistance during my internship. Thanks to Dr. Has, my academic supervisor for his time and sharing of his
knowledge with me. I also thank my fellow trainees for their assistance and encouragement. Lastly, thanks to
my mother Ms. Josephine , relatives and friends for the support they accorded me during my internship
training.
ABSTRACT

This report gives an account of my stay at Stratcom under the supervision of Mr. Stuart McCarthy Sebulime.
The internship training lasted 9 weeks starting from 28th May to 24th July 2019. Among the purposes of the
internship included; providing an opportunity to students and academic staff so as to interact with the
stakeholders and potential employers. Appreciate field situations that will also generate information for
curricular review and improvement. Enable the student get hands-on experience in real-life situations as they
are expected to work in after graduation. Provide an opportunity to students to apply the principles and
techniques theoretically learnt into real-life problem solving situations. Develop student understanding of
work ethics, employment demands, responsibilities and opportunities. Enhance and strengthen linkages
between Makerere University and various stakeholders. In addition, the objectives of my training are also
included in the report as listed below;

 Putting into practice what has been taught theoretically in class.

 Learning how to work with others.
 More training about Networking and Configurations with real devices.
 Linux System administration practices.
 Windows System administration practices.
 Computer repair and maintenance e.g. desktops and laptops
 Software Installations such as Operating systems and application software.
 Learn how to relate with different kinds of people.

During the entire period of training, most areas were covered, we opened both the desktop casings and
laptops and identified the various parts that form the computer system, assembled and disassembled them.
This report has two sections including the preliminary pages and the main report having four chapters,
references and appendices.

Chapter one spells out an overview of the field attachment exercise, its objectives as to why the exercise is
carried out, structure of the organization, background, main activities and ongoing IT projects.

Chapter two contains student’s experience that is the position that the intern occupied in the organization,
duties and responsibilities

Chapter three contains evaluation on the field attachment, my most interesting experiences, challenges
faced and how they were managed and some of the benefits derived from the exercise.

Chapter four ends with the conclusions and recommendation drawn from the field attachment among
which some belong to the organization and to the student.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ............................................................................................................................... 3
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................... 4
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... 5
LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................... 7
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ 7
LIST OF ACRONYMS/ ABBREVIATIONS...................................................................................................... 8
CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Introduction. ....................................................................................................................................... 9
Background of the Field Attachment. ................................................................................................... 9
Objectives of the Field Attachment ...................................................................................................... 9
Background of the Organization of Field Attachment ........................................................................... 9
Vision ................................................................................................................................................ 10
Mission.............................................................................................................................................. 10
Aims and Objectives of Stratcom. ...................................................................................................... 10
Aims .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Objectives...................................................................................................................................... 10
Core Values: ...................................................................................................................................... 10
THE STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION. .......................................................................................... 11
MAIN ACTIVITIES AND ONGOING IT PROJECTS. .................................................................................. 11
Key activities and target population served by the organization. ........................................................ 11
Key activities served by the population. ......................................................................................... 11
Our target population includes; ..................................................................................................... 12
2.0 CHAPTER TWO: STUDENT'S EXPERIENCE. ......................................................................................... 12
2.1 Introduction. ................................................................................................................................ 12
2.2 Title and position occupied. ......................................................................................................... 12
 2.3 Duties and responsibilities. .......................................................................................................... 12
2.4 Orientation. ................................................................................................................................. 13
2.5 Hardware. .................................................................................................................................... 13
2.5.1 Power supply. ....................................................................................................................... 13
2.5.2 Motherboard. ....................................................................................................................... 14
2.5.3 CMOS battery........................................................................................................................ 14
2.5.4 Processor/ CPU. .................................................................................................................... 14
2.5.5 RAM. ..................................................................................................................................... 15
2.5.6 Hard drive. ............................................................................................................................ 15
2.5.7 Optical drive.......................................................................................................................... 15
2.5.8 Expansion slots...................................................................................................................... 15
2.6 Software: ..................................................................................................................................... 15
2.7 Disassembling and assembling: .................................................................................................... 16
2.8 OS installation.............................................................................................................................. 16
CHAPTER THREE: EVALUATION OF FIELD ATTACHMENT ......................................................................... 24
3.0 Introduction. ................................................................................................................................ 24
3.1 Activities completed. ................................................................................................................... 24
3.2 Skills gained. ................................................................................................................................ 25
3.3 Most interesting experiences. ...................................................................................................... 25
3.4 Relatedness of University’s taught programs to the field of work ................................................. 25
3.5 Challenges faced and how managed. ........................................................................................... 26
3.5.1 Challenges............................................................................................................................. 26
3.5.2 How the challenges were managed. ...................................................................................... 26
3.6 Benefits derived from Field Attachment. ...................................................................................... 26
3.7 Adequacy in University's preparing the student for field Attachment. .......................................... 27
3.8 Preparedness of the organization to receive and manage students for field Attachment.............. 27
3.9 Carrier Motivation. ...................................................................................................................... 27
CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. ........................................................................... 27
4.2 Recommendation. ........................................................................................................................... 27
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 28
APPENDICES. ......................................................................................................................................... 28
Appendix 2: Pictorial.............................................................................................................................. 30
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Showing structure of the organization……………………………………………………………………………………11

Figure 2 & 3 showing motherboards of different form factors……………………………………………………………..14

Figure 4 showing a CMOS battery………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15

Figure 5 showing a processor…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15

Figure 6 showing RAM mounted onto the Motherboard……………………………………………………………………….15

Figure 7 showing a laptop hard disk……………………………………………………………………………………………………..16

Figure 8 showing the systems unit and its components…………………………………………………………………………16

Figure 9 windows server 2012 installations…………………………………………………………………………………………...19

Figure 10 showing routing protocols……………………………………………………………………………………………………..23

Figure 11 showing already configured router…………………………………………………………………………………………30

Figure 12 showing the disassembled devices of a motherboard .…………………………………………………………..30

Figure 13 showing router configuration..……………………………………………………………………………………………….30

Figure 14 showing how to use putty software..……………………………………………………………………………………..30

Figure 15 Configuring using putty software..………………………………………………………………………………………….31

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: showing OS requirements…………………………………………………………………………………………………17

Table 2: shows the files and directory permissions……………………………………………………………………………18

Table 3: Showing colors that form network cables…………………………………………………………………………………20

Table 4: Showing order of lighting while using a tester …………………………………………………………………………21

Table 5: Showing classes and subnets……………………………………………………………………………………………………22

Table 6 showing advantages of static and dynamic routing……………………………………………………………………23

Table 7 showing differences between static and dynamic routing…………………………………………………………24

LIST OF ACRONYMS/ ABBREVIATIONS
CoCIS - College of Computing and Information Sciences

BIST - Bachelor of Information Systems and Technology

MUK - Makerere University Kampala

OS - Operating System

PC - Personal Computer

IP - Internet Protocol

DNS - Domain Name System

DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

AD DS - Active Directory Domain System

CV - Curriculum Vitae

IT - Information Technology

CCNA - Cisco Certified Network Associate

NIC - Network Interface Card

GB - Gigabytes

CD/DVD - Compact Disk/ Disk Versatile Disk

CMD - Command Prompt

FS - File System

RAM - Random Access Memory

IGP - Interior Gateway Protocol

EGP - Exterior Gateway Protocol

RIP - Routing Information Protocol

EIGRP - Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol

OSPF - Open Shortest Path First

BGP - Border Gateway Protocol

VLANs - Virtual Local Area Networks

AT - Advanced Technology

ATX - Advanced Technology Extended

Micro-ATX - Micro–Advanced Technology Extended

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction.
This report is to give a clarification of industrial training undertaken at Stratcom where I undertook my
internship from. It describes the activities I carried out in the nine weeks. This report reveals my experiences
gained during my internship period and details all the field work activities, research findings, summary,
conclusions and recommendations gathered during my internship training.

Background of the Field Attachment.

Internship is an opportunity offered by an employer to potential employees called Interns, to work at a given
organization for a limited period of time and later if possible retained as full time employees. Interns are
usually University undergraduates. The field attachment involves field based practical work carried out by
students in conjunction with the staff to enhance students improve on their skills by applying the acquired
knowledge into solving real world problems and creating innovative solutions. It is a full time work experience,
closely aligned with the student’s specialization and arranged with an employer who believes it is desirable to
aid and help the University in training and educating students.

Objectives of the Field Attachment

• To enable each student, get hands-on experience in a real-life situation expected to work in after
graduation.
• To enable each student have an opportunity to apply the principles and techniques theoretically
learnt into real-life problem-solving situation.
• To provide an opportunity for students and academic staff to interact with the stakeholders and
potential employers to appreciate field situations that will also generate information for curricula
review and improvement.
• To develop student understanding of work ethics, employment demands, responsibilities and
opportunities

Background of the Organization of Field Attachment

Stratcom Communications and Computer Solutions Ltd is privately owned and registered IT Company in
Uganda that began business operations in July 2014. The company offers a range of Computer services such
as; Home & office Networking, IT support, Software development, Website design & development , IT
Consultancy, Computer Training (All levels), Stationery & Computer supplies, Information technology
business activities and IT skills training (internship) for University students. Through our annual internship
program, we train and equip Computing and Engineering University students with hands-on skills and
practical competence needed by employers. Stratcom has a Business Centre which also doubles as the head
office, and an ICT training facility. The business Centre has a Web Cafe with high-speed internet/ Wi-Fi,
International call shop, secretarial bureau and a fast foods restaurant. The ICT Training Facility is a modern
spacious Computer lab equipped with fully configured desktop PCs, peripherals, projector, work space for
personal laptops, and a whiteboard. The lab can accommodate up to 40 persons and is available for hire on
a full-day, half- day, or long term basis. At Stratcom, we strive to make sure that all our clients leave with a
smile, and find reason to come back for business.

Vision
To be a leading provider of IT solutions in Uganda.

Mission
To make ICT possible in Uganda through provision of affordable IT services and practical hands–on skills
training.

Aims and Objectives of Stratcom.

Aims
To provide relevant industrial hands-on skills to anyone interested in acquiring Computing skills hence
competing favorably for jobs.

Objectives
 To offer systems design, network design, web and custom software development.
 To offer ICT Consultancy services, IT support, networking services and Computer Training.
 To offer workshop services such as maintenance and repair of computers, laptops, printers and other
related equipment.
 To offer hands-on training on various computer systems and software products.
 To equip university students with hands on practical skills through ICT internship training.
 To carry on the business of selling and supplying Computers, Computer accessories, and stationery.

Core Values:
• Teamwork: At Stratcom, employees provide support to one another, working co-operatively,
respecting one another’s views, making our work environment fun and enjoyable.
• Honesty: At Stratcom, we look at the core value of honesty as the soul of our company. We are
always open and honest in all dealings and maintain the highest level of integrity at all times.
• Excellence: At Stratcom, we always do what we say we shall do and we strive for excellence and quality
in everything we do.
• Ownership: At Stratcom, we take ownership of our customers’ needs and we are always accountable
for delivering friendly and professional services.
• Professionalism: At all times, we act with integrity, providing quality service, being reliable and
responsible.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION.
CEO

Company Secretary

Marketing Expert
ICT Trainers Web Designer
And Developer

Café Admin Café Admin

Figure 1: Showing structure of the organization

MAIN ACTIVITIES AND ONGOING IT PROJECTS.

Stratcom is actively involved in a wide range of capacity building and research projects, collaborations and
advisory services. Ongoing projects include;

 Extension of the web cyber cafe section.

 Setting up an International call shop using VoIP technology.
 Hotel booking system.
 Designing a dynamic website for a new clothing business.

Key activities and target population served by the organization.

Key activities served by the population.

The company offers a range of computer services such as;

• Home & office Networking

• IT support
• Software development
• Website design & development
• IT Consultancy
• Computer Training
 • Stationery & Computer supplies. Target population.

Our target population includes;

• University students. Through our annual internship program, we train and equip University students
with hands-on skills and practical competence needed by employers.
• Primary and High school students interested in acquiring computer skills.
• Businesses, organizations and Companies interested in assessing and evaluating IT staff.
• Local population interested in secretarial services like typesetting, printing, scanning etc.

2.0 CHAPTER TWO: STUDENT'S EXPERIENCE.

2.1 Introduction.
In this chapter, as an intern at Stratcom, I reveal my experience acquired and this goes further to explain the
duties and responsibilities accomplished, supervision levels, relationship with supervisor, team work, its
composition and the relationship among team members.

2.2 Title and position occupied.

I worked as an intern at Stratcom Communications and Computer Solution Limited.

2.3 Duties and responsibilities.

Throughout my internship, I carried out a number of activities together with my fellow interns. The different
activities carried out helped me acquire a lot of hands-on skills and also applied my theory acquired while in
class. I was under supervision of Mr. Stuart McCarthy Sebulime as my field supervisor.

Below are the activities I undertook during my stay as an Intern at Stratcom for the nine weeks.

 Cisco practicals (VLANS, RIP, EIGRP, OSPF, DHCP).

 Installing configuring windows server OS.
 Configuring a Voice over IP System i.e. setting a VOIP solution using CISCO devices with merits
such as; saving money since PCs and IPhones use the same network infrastructure.
 Mobile phone repair and maintenance.
 Electronics repair and servicing (laptops and desktops).
 Wireless network and security.
 Linux System Administration (Ubuntu distribution).
 Cable termination.
 Designing an IP addressing scheme.
 Basic router configurations using simulation software (Packet Tracer).
 Used Putty software to perform router configurations on physical routers, switches and desktops.
 Configuring routes on the router i.e. manually using a keyboard and automatically using routing
protocol programs such as; IGP (RIP, EIGRP, OSPF) and EGP (BGP).
 Inter-vlan routing i.e. Configured on layer 2 devices such as switches to group users, using the router
on stick method.
2.4 Orientation.
This occurred on 27th June 2019 and during our orientation, we were given hints on how our stay at Stratcom
would be catered for. We were also introduced to the rules and regulations that we had to follow throughout
our training. The orientation exposed me to the activities done at Stratcom, and they also briefed us on the
Core Values and Mission Statement.

2.5 Hardware.
These are described as the physical/ tangible components the make up a computer system. We looked at
almost each and every component. These range from the motherboards and its form factors (XT, AT, Baby-
AT, ATX, micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, Nano-ITX, Pico-ITX), RAM, Processors (pin grid array, land grid array
and onboard processors), mouse, keyboard, system case, monitors, hard drives (HDD and SSD), power
supply unit, video cards/ graphics cards, modems, scanners, printers, flash drives, ROM, sound cards, NIC
among others. We went on and looked at the motherboard (circuit) all components directly and indirectly
connected to it, these include the following respectively: Ports such as; PS2, parallel, serial, HDMl, USB,
VGA, sata and IDE. Slots such as; RAM,, power, expansion slots (PCI, PCIe, graphics), processor socket,
heat sink, funs. NOTE: slots and ports are all the same.

We went on looking at a couple of things and more of these included:

 Computer types (personal, super computers, mainframe and tablet computers)

 Generations (Pentium 2, 3 and 4,Dual cores, core i3, i5 and i7)
 Manufactures of CPUs and GPUs(AMD, Intel and Nvidia for graphics)
 ROM: First software that displays on the computer once powered on.
 ROM chips such as BIOS and UEFI. These store firmware
 Firmware interface: A program that runs when a computer is powered. It’s not on a hard drive,
integrated on the motherboard through a chip. Shows basic information such as processor type,
RAM, storage.
 Hyper-threading: Creating of a virtual core in the existing CPU. Established in Pentium 4
 Software types such as system, programming and applications software.
 What to expect while using software (Infections, corruption and errors)
 Computer problems (Display, software, network, power, hinge, USB-port, fiber, touch-pad and
battery problems)
 How to determine the live of a hard drive using software called sentinel
 How to install an operating system (Windows 7, 10 and Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS for Linux). • How to
use diagnostic software such as HBCD, anti-viruses/cleaners.
 How to make a flash bootable.
 How to determine power of a processor.
 Hardware tools such as Hot air blower, dust blower, soldering iron, screw drives, tweezers, pliers,
laptop tool kit.
 How to troubleshoot computer problems (display, power and motherboard problems).

2.5.1 Power supply. This converts outlet power, which is alternating current to direct current which is what
the internal components require as well as providing appropriate voltages and currents for the various internal
components.
2.5.2 Motherboard. An electronic centerpiece of the computer also known as a circuit board composed of
peripherals components, those not directly connected and primary devices connected directly. For example;
processor, RAM, sound card, video card, North Bridge, South Bridge, BIOS chips among others. The
motherboard has a number of form factors; XT (Extended Technology), which is the old model of
motherboards, AT (Advanced Technology), Baby AT, which is a combination of both the XT and AT form
factors, ATX (Advanced Technology Extended), micro ATX and ITX which is the latest motherboard form
factor and small in size.

Figure 2 & 3 showing motherboards of different form factors

2.5.3 CMOS battery. This keeps the system settings such as year of manufacture, time and date. Note:
Without CMOS, you can’t change time or date.

Figure 4 showing a CMOS battery

2.5.4 Processor/ CPU. This works as the brain of the computer, most actual computation takes place here.
It is of three types, the Pin less Grid array/ land grid array with a low insertion force, it has no pins therefore
pins are found in the socket whereas the pin grid array have pins on them and finally the onboard processors
found on laptop motherboards.

Figure 5 showing a processor

2.5.5 RAM. It’s used by the CPU to store program instructions and data upon which it is currently operating.
Data in RAM is lost when the computer is powered off thus necessitating a hard drive. Helps display a
computer. Helps power on a computer. RAM types include; SDRAM, DDR1, DDR2, DDR3, DDR3L and
DDR4

Figure 6 showing RAM mounted onto the Motherboard.

2.5.6 Hard drive. It’s the long-term memory of the computer used for persistent storage i.e. the things
stored on it remain even when the computer is powered down. The OS and all your programs are stored
here permanently. Hard disk, It is either an IDE or SATA hard disk. Types of hard drives include; Hard
disk drives (HDD) and Solid state drives (SSD).

Figure 7 showing a laptop hard disk

2.5.7 Optical drive. It’s a device for reading/writing optical disks. May read CDs DVDs or other optical
media, depending on the type. It’s essential for installing many operating systems and programs.

2.5.8 Expansion slots. These are used at a time of addition of any peripherals that are not on board such
as network card and TV cards.

2.6 Software:
Program set that commands the computer to execute a given set of tasks. An OS is a software that comprises
of a given set of software components for-example; MS office is a software and MS word, excel, power point
are its programs. Types include;

• System software: For example Firmware such as BIOS and UEFI, OS such as Windows, MAC OSX,
IOS and Linux.
• Application software: For example VLC, Windows media player, Skype etc.
• Program software: For example Compilers such as Java Script.
2.7 Disassembling and assembling:
Thanks to Mr. Tagoola Denis who took us through the procedures of how to disassemble and assemble a
system Unit. I disassembled a Samsung desktop System unit using a couple of tools such as a screw driver.
This session was more of practical session. After we had disassembled the system Unit, we looked at each
component in detail as elaborated below.

Figure 8 showing the systems unit and its components

2.8 OS installation
We did installation of Operating Systems such as Windows 7 Ultimate, windows 10 and Ubuntu 18.04.2
LTS version (Bionic beaver).

Steps on how to install an Operating System;

• Installation media such as a CD, flash drive, DVD

• Type of OS to install.
• Press a key/ a combination of keys to start the boot menu. Note: These keys change depending on
the PC type for example Dell, Acer and Toshiba use F12 as the boot key while HP uses F9 and
F10 for BIOS.

The installation methods used where a virtual box installation and performing a Dual Boot. I installed
Ubuntu alongside Windows 7 Ultimate. Systems requirements for Windows 7 ultimate – minimum
installation requirements were; 1Ghz or faster 32 bit or 64 bit processor, 1GB of RAM (for 32 bit) and 2GB
RAM (for 64 bit), 16 GB of hard disk (for 32 bit PCs) or 20 GB for 64 bit and DirectX9 graphics device
with Windows Display Driver Module (WDDM).

Ubuntu 18.04.2 -with minimum requirements; 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 10GB of hard disk space
and a CD/DVD drive or USB port for installation. To successfully carry out the above installations, I used
the PowerISO software to make a bootable flash disk, having got some of the images from our field
supervisor. I had to install Windows first then Ubuntu last. This is because Ubuntu can take care of the file
system that Windows use unlike Windows which doesn't know some of the File system that Ubuntu Uses.
 Operating System Recommended RAM Recommended Processor
Operating System
Windows XP RAM Hard Disk 1.5GB or Greater 300MHz
128MB 300MH
Windows 7, 8 & 8.1 1GB (32Bit) and 2GB 16GB (32 bit) and 1 GHz
(64Bit) 20GB (64 bit)
Windows 10 2GB for both 32bit and 16GB (32 bit) and 20 1GHz
64 bit GB (64 bit)
Ubuntu 14.0.4 512MB 5GB or more 700MHz
Windows Server 2012 2GB 40GB 2 GHz
R2
Table 1 showing OS requirements.

Linux: As an operating system. We began by looking at the history of Linux OS, the different distributions
such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Sus, Cent OS, Debian, Red-hat, Mint and Kali for ethical hackers and
requirements for installing a Linux Server. Linux is an open source operating system that is a version of
UNIX that was created by Linus Torvalds. This operating system is a free software and open source.
Introduction to the Linux shell: We looked at couple of commands for manipulating files in Linux
environment. When installing this server OS, you must be carefully in the steps for example creating a swap
space and also a root directory. Swap space in Linux is used when the amount of physical memory (RAM)
is full. If the system needs more memory resources and the RAM is full, inactive pages in memory are
moved to the swap space. While swap space can help machines with a small amount of RAM, it should not
be considered a replacement for more RAM. Swap space is located on hard drives, which have a slower
access time than physical memory.

Permissions: Provides security to a file. I assigned permissions (read, write, execute, etc.) to the various
users within the system.

NB: When assigning permission use numbers. The chmod command enables to change permissions given
to users to a particular file or directory. SYNTAX: chmod UGO <filename> i.e. U – User, G – Group, O –
Other. (chmod 445 file.txt).
 Number Permission Type Symbol
0 No permission -
1 Execute -x
2 Write -w-
3 Execute + Write - wx
4 Read r-
5 Read + Execute r-x
6 Read + Write rw-
7 Read + Write + Execute rwx
Table 2 shows the files and directory permissions

A few of the Linux commands included the following:

• pwd – view current directory

• ls – listing, displays what is in the directory
• ls -a – Views hidden files
• whoami – Checks the current user
• uname – Information about the PC
• mkdir – Creating directories/ folders
• cd ../<directory name> – Navigate directly to another directory
• touch <filename> – Creating a file in a directory
• gedit <filename> – Opens a file and able to edit it.
• cp <filename> <filename> – Copy from one file to another
• sudo apt-get <package name> – Downloading a software while online
• sudo apt-get update/ upgrade – Update or upgrade a system. among others

Windows Server Administration.

With the help of Mr. Galabuzi Kelvin as our windows server OS and messaging trainer. We began with
the Installation of Windows Server 2012 R2. This runs in a Hypervisor Tech which enables to emulate an
OS. Examples of virtual machines include; Vmware for Dell, Hyper-V for Microsoft and Oracle Virtual
box. We started the installation process on our laptops. It provided an interface that had an option of
install now, selected that then tempted us to agree to the terms and conditions of Microsoft product.
After accepting the agreement, we continued to the interface in the figure below that allowed us to
select the version of windows server 2012 we wanted to install. Among the options provided included
windows server 2008 enterprise edition, windows server 2012, standard edition data center in both 32-
bit and 64-bit version for which we selected windows server 2012 enterprise edition x86 or 32 bit which
I installed as seen in the print screens.
 Figure 9 windows server 2012 installations

After installing the windows server 2012 on the computers, we learnt the different server features
which included. Server Manager, the server manager is a component that provided us with an interface
where we added roles and features to the server and adding other servers to manage a network,
services such as Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), DNS and DHCP. This is the user interface for
the server manager.

Configuring the Server.

After the installation, firstly we tried to ping other network objects to see if the server could reach the
computers connected on the network. I used the command on the CMD ping 192.168.1.25 (IP address of
the server) on the computer on the network. The IP address of the server was assigned manually by
opening the network and sharing center, right click on Ethernet settings and gave the server a static IP.
After confirming that the remote machine was reachable, we turned off the windows server 2012
firewall to enable another network to reach the server. Still at the server manager interface, we added a
role to the server known as AD DS and installed it. AD DS stores information about the users and also
enabled us to manage a user and finally promoted the server as a Domain Controller. We made the
server an update server, created organization units and added users. Users included the following; Sarah
Nakitende, Lucy Bahati, Rosemary Seninde, Ronny Kigundu , Martha Magara, Shafik Kirungi among
others. We then accessed them via a client machine (windows 7). We made this client machine receive
updates from the server using a remote desktop control from the client machine. We created
Organization units that included departments such as: Accounts, IT, Security, Human Resource,
Executives and Engineering. We joined the client computer to the domain by going to computer
properties, change settings and filled in and entered the domain as “stratcom.local”, at first an error
occurred as “An Active Directory Domain Controller problem”, this happened because there was no link
(DNS) between the client and the server and this was solved by giving the IP address of the server as the
DNS of the client hence enabling the link by going to the network adapter settings on the client
computer, then properties, IPv4 and finally under the preferred DNS, we put the IP address of the server
and clicked OK.

DHCP
 Purpose of the DHCP role in the network on the server was to assign IP addresses automatically to
those machines that configured to obtain IP addresses in order to save the burden of configuring a static
IP address on computers/ hosts on a network manually. We gave the server a static IP address because
the server must always be available to client requests.

Exchange Server 2013

This is an iteration of Microsoft’s Exchange server and also similar to Exchange server 2010 in that the
messaging platform can be deployed on-premises, in the cloud or as a hybrid solution in which some
servers exist on-premises while others reside in the cloud. It is Microsoft official email server used for
the exchange of emails inside and outside of an organization.

Exchange server three has roles and these include:

• Mail server roles.

• Client access server roles.
• Edge server roles.

Cable Termination

Network cables, wires T568A and T568B.

T568A T568B
White Orange White Green
Orange Green
White Green White Orange
Blue Blue
White Blue White Blue
Green Orange
White Brown White Brown
Brown Brown
Table 3: Showing colors that form network cables

NB: White orange and white green change positions. A to A or B to B form a straight through cable and A
to B or B to A form a crossover cable and this is used to connect laptop to laptop or router to PC.
While using a tester.

Straight through cable Cross Over cable

1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7
8 8 8 8
Table 4: Showing order of lighting while using a tester

During cable termination.

I pulled the cable off the reel to the desired length and cut off. If you are pulling cables through holes,
it’s easier to attach the RJ-45 plugs after the cable is pulled. The total length of wire segments between
a PC and a hub or between two PCS cannot exceed 100 meters (328 feet) for 100BASE TX and 300
meters for 10BASE-T. I started on one end and strip the cable jacket off using a stripper. I spread,
untwisted the pairs and arrange the wires in the order of the desired cable type. Flatten the end
between my thumb and fore finger. I then trimmed the ends of the wires so that they are even with one
another leaving only half in wire length and made sure wires are of equal length before inserting into
the RJ-45 plug with the Crip facing down. I pushed the wires firmly into the plug and then checked the
order of the wires in accordance to the cable type. Checked that the jacket is fitted right against the stop
of the plug. Carefully I held the wire and firmly crimp the RJ-45 with the crimper. I checked the color
orientations and that the crimped connection is not about to come apart. After all, I tested the cable
after termination using the cable tester to see if all works well. Colors where lighting depending on the
cable type. I worked on cross over cable and my partner worked on a straight through cable. After
switching it on I noticed that all the numbers were lighting continuously from number 1 to the last and
left out only G which proved it was working.

Designing an IP addressing scheme:

An IP address is a unique number that identifies a host on a network for example; laptops, PCs, IPhones,
smart phones and network printers. We looked at the two primary types of IP address formats used
today – IPv4 and IPv6. NB: 127.0.0.1 is reserved loop backup for testing machines to be configured with
an IP address. IP addressing classes and these are; A – used in big networks, B – medium sized networks
& C – small networks such as internet cafes or offices. Looked at subnet masks used by hosts to
determine the network and host portion of an IP address.
 A 1-126 255.0.0.0
B 128-191 255.255.0.0
C 192-223 255.255.255.0

Table 5: Showing classes and subnets

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Also called IP telephony, is a methodology and a group of technologies for the delivery of voice
communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet.
Router series 2811, a switch series 2950, IP phones and cables are the CISCO devices needed to setup a
VoIP solution.

Benefits of VoIP include the following;

• Service mobility. Wherever the phone goes, the same services could be available, such as call
features, voice mail access, call logs, security features, service policy, and so on.
• Integration and collaboration with other applications.
• User control interface. Typically a web GUI, to customers by VoIP service providers.
• No geographical boundary. VoIP service area becomes virtualized without geographical limit.
The area code or country code is no longer bound to a specific location.
• Rich features like click-to-call on a web page, Find-Me-Follow-Me (FMFM), selective call
forwarding, personalized ringtones (or ringback tone), simultaneous rings on multiple phones,
selective area or country code, and so on.
• Cost saving.
• Rich media service.
• Phone portability.

Routing Protocol. Is the implementation of routing algorithm in software or hardware. These enable a
router learn about distant/ remote networks automatically and examples include;

• Border Gateway Protocols (BGP)

• Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGP)
• Enhanced Interior Gateway Protocol (EIGRP)
• Open Shortest Path First. (OSPF)
• ISO IS-IS (IS-IS)

There three classes of routing protocols:

• Distance Vector Routing Protocols such as RIP and IGRP

• Link State Routing Protocols such as OSPF
• Hybrid Routing Protocols such as EIGRP
 PVP BGP

RIP

DVP IGRP EIGRP

Routing
OSPF
LSRP
IS-IS

Figure 10 showing routing protocols

KEY:

PVP: Path Vector Protocol

DVP: Distance Vector Protocol

LSRP: Link State Routing Protocol.

IGP protocols include; OSPF, IS-IS, RIP and EIGRP whereas EGP protocols include; BGP.

Advantages

Static routing. Dynamic routing

Easily implemented in a small network like LAN More complex in completion
Provide more security no advertisement send Less secure than static than static routing
with data as like dynamic routing because of multicast routing change
Very predictable, as the route to the destination An additional configuration setting is required as
is always the same a routing protocol
No complex algorithm is required Require additional resources like memory
Require no extra resources like CPU and memory
Require no extra resources like CPU and memory
Table 6 showing advantages of static and dynamic routing
Difference between static and dynamic routing

Basis for compression Static routing Dynamic routing

Configuration Manually done Automatically done
Building of routing tables Routing location by hand typed Dynamically fill all locations in a
table
Routers User defined Update according to change in
topology
Routing algorithm Doesn’t support complex Supports more complex
algorithms algorithms for routing purposes
Used in Small networks Large networks
Failure of link Disturb rerouting Don’t disturb rerouting
Security More secure because no Less secure because sending
advertisement send with data multicast and broadcast
Routing protocol No routing protocols are added Routing protocols such as RIP,
in routing process EIGRP etc.
Extra resources No need for extra resources like Require extra resources like
memory and CPU CPU, memory etc.
Table 7 showing differences between static and dynamic routing.

CHAPTER THREE: EVALUATION OF FIELD ATTACHMENT

3.0 Introduction.
This chapter explains the level of accomplishment of duties and responsibilities I was assigned during my
nine weeks training at Stratcom. It also examines the new knowledge and skills gained in each of the
duties and responsibilities, most interesting experiences at the organization, challenges faced, benefits
derived from the training and much more to reveal my evaluation on field Attachment.

3.1 Activities completed.

During my internship training, my fellow interns and I were assigned different activities, some of which
we did as a group and others individually. Below are some of the activities that I was able to complete.

 OS installation.
 Disassembly and assembly of Computer Desktop and laptops
 Windows server 2012 R2 installation
 Cable termination
 Linux system Administration
 Creating a remote desktop access
 Configuring a DHCP, DNS and Active Directory Server roles.
3.2 Skills gained.
Throughout my training at stratcom, I have been able to acquire a couple of skills in relation to my
carrier and everyday life. These include; Research skills enhancement and this was due to the different
research work we were tasked to do. Basic system administration skills such as troubleshooting
computer problems. Basic networking skills such as cable termination, router configuration, switch
configuration and connecting different nodes on a network. I acquired work experience skills such as
arriving early at place of work, regular attendance at place of work.

3.3 Most interesting experiences.

Throughout my training as now a Stratcomist, some of my most interesting moments were as follows;

• Basically working with physical devices such as routers, switches and IP phones.
• Disassembling a system Unit and removing all the components and assembling it.
• Use of telnet (plain text) and secure shell (Encrypted information) to make changes in a
different Local Area Network environments.
• Installing of Windows server 2012 R2 and configuring remote desktop access whereby I was
able to access my computer on another computer and my files, application software.
• Terminating a straight through cable whereby I connected it onto a switch.

• Throughout those two months I gained valuable experience that I can now proudly speak
about to future employers. I was able to improve my time management skills, I became
comfortable with cold calling, and I have a better overall appreciation of teamwork. All in all,
the atmosphere at Stratcom is simply uplifting and fun and I enjoyed working with such a
great and impressive team.

3.4 Relatedness of University’s taught programs to the field of work

In the field the skills i gained are highly related to the programs that the university teaches for example;
networking, system Administration, web designing and security management.

During my two years, I have studied quite a number of course units such as Introduction to IT,
Communication Skills, System Administration, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), OS,
Communication Technology and Internet, to mention but a few. All these course units are clearly related
to duties I engaged in while at Stratcom and they are clearly explained in detail below. CCNA was
applied in basic Router Configuration and Switch Configuration. It was also applied in Cable termination
and connecting different nodes on a network. System Administration was applied in OS installation and
troubleshooting, we also applied it in PC maintenance, Disassembly and Assembly of the system Unit. I
applied Communication Skills, which is a theoretical Course unit. It was a fundamental prerequisite in
communication and interaction with my field supervisor and my fellow interns. It was applied since
communication skills were evaluated. Dress code, time management were also evaluated.
3.5 Challenges faced and how managed.

3.5.1 Challenges.
Many challenges faced during the internship period as they are discussed below.
 Spending long hours in the study room. I faced a problem of spending long hours in the study
room from 7:00 am to 01:00 pm
 Poor introduction of the course unit. For example in embedded system course the instructor
gave us a poor introduction to it which harden my understanding that course yet it was new to
me so the instructor maybe was rushing to finish.
 Inadequate materials at the place. In embedded system the materials we were used was not
enough like the Arduino boards, the bread boards, the LCDs so we had to work on groups then
some had to stand aside others connecting the components. This affected my understanding to
that course.
 Failure of the instructors to explore the entire course unit. Like in web development we left out
many things we would have covered. In JavaScript we just covered little yet it is very important
in web development.
 Failure of some software to install on my PC. Like the After Effects failed to install on my PC
which affected my proper following in the After Effects learning and the illustrator at the first
failed to install but it installed at last.

3.5.2 How the challenges were managed.

• I begged for a pardon where I had not understood and seek for a better explanation for the
point that I hadn’t understood well.
• For the problem of inadequate equipments we tried to use the little available by working in
simple groups and making sure that every person in the group is following.
• I tried to use available resources like the notes that were given to me and the use of google
to get a better and more explanations of the course.
• I used the company’s computers to use the software that is failed to install on my computer.

3.6 Benefits derived from Field Attachment.

Besides the knowledge and skills talked about, the internship training gave me opportunity to connect
and interact with people in the same profession and other people in the different fields such as
networking, Linux and Windows administration.
 • I gained knowledge in Linux administration, Windows administration and troubleshooting
different hardware components.
• I gained a skill of time management and responsiveness of the duties and activities assigned
to me.
• I acquired basic networking knowledge like cable termination, assigning dynamic and static
IP addresses to devices on a network.
• I also got opportunity of being exposed to challenges at places of work and how they can be
resolved.

3.7 Adequacy in University's preparing the student for field Attachment.

The efforts of the University in preparing us for the field Attachment cannot go without being talked
about. First the University issued us with introductory letters that we presented to organizations were
we applied for our training. The University through its lectures briefed us on what we should expect
from the field attachment and always encouraged us to bare it in mind that we are representatives of
the university in those organizations. The university went on to assign us with academic supervisors who
visited us to ensure that our training went on smoothly. The University also went on to provide us with
log books which have guided us in writing our reports.

3.8 Preparedness of the organization to receive and manage students for field Attachment
Stratcom was well prepared to receive Interns all over the country. On 27th June, an orientation
conducted for interns. This was done by Mr. Stuart McCarthy, we were briefed about the dos and
don’ts, we were given the organization's mission, vision, objectives and guidelines. They conducted an
evaluation on our expectations and this showed the organization's preparedness to manage us
throughout our stay.

3.9 Carrier Motivation.

While at Stratcom, I've been motivated to work harder, be creative and innovative in different aspects
of life.

I am prompted to get fully certified in networking after my stay at the University. My internship
attachment also helped me gain more professional skills that aren't gained in lecture rooms. This
encouraged me to equip myself with all basic skills and enhance my CV in the future.

CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

This chapter talks about my conclusion and recommendations based on all my experience at Stratcom.
4.1 Conclusion My field training at Stratcom has been a life changing experience in my IT carrier. It has
been motivating and educative. I have gained more practical skills than I would have imagined while on
at the University. I conclude by saying that the training at Stratcom has been relevant to me. I wish to
extend my gratitude to Mr. Stuart McCarthy, Stratcom staff at large and my academic supervisor Dr.
Hasifa Namatovu.

4.2 Recommendation. From the experience acquired, I whole heartedly recommend internship at
Stratcom. I recommend the following to the university my fellow interns. To the University. The
university should help students in getting them some placements in different organizations. There's a
need to revise the curriculum so as to add more practical course units than the theoretical ones. This
will enable students to compete in the job market.

To Stratcom. All I can say about Stratcom is that you people have done me great, thank you very much.
Experience is the way in life indeed. To my fellow interns All that is needed is to be focused, be humble,
be eager and ready to learn, don't be egotistic. I would advise them to look at this training as a great
opportunity.

REFERENCES
• Training Guide – installing and configuring Windows Server 2012, available at http://www.it-
ebooks.info .
• Guide to Linux for beginners – Linux installation available at http://www.control-
escape.com/Linux/Lx-install.html
• Mr. Stuart McCarthy Sebulime - Email: [email protected] +256 752373023.
• Dr. Hasifa Namatovu +256 705049030.

APPENDICES. Appendix 1: Computer hardware and components found in the System Unit

Collection of physical components that constitute a computer system such as monitor, keyboard, hard
drives, graphic card, sound card, motherboard all of which are tangible objects. These include the
following.

Power supply

A Power Supply Unit (PSU) converts Alternating Current (AC) electric power to low–voltage DC power for
the internal components of the computer. Laptops are capable of running from a built-in battery,
normally for a period of hours.

Motherboard

The main component of a computer, a board with integrated circuitry that connects the other parts of
the computer including the CPU, RAM, disk drives (CD, DVD, hard disk, solid state drives) as well as any
peripherals connected via the ports or the expansion slots

Components directly attached to or part of the motherboard include:

CPU (Central Processing Unit): This performs most of the calculations which enable a computer to
function, (the brain of the computer). It is usually cooled by a heat sink and fan or water-cooling system.
Most new CPUs include an on-die Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The clock speed of CPUs governs how
fast it executes instructions and measured in GHz. Typical values lie between 1GHz and 5GHz. Many
modern computers have the option to over clock the CPU which enhances performance at the expense
of greater thermal output and thus a need for improved cooling. The chipset includes; North bridge
which mediates communication between the CPU and RAM, which stores the code and data that are
being actively accessed by the CPU. For example, when a web browser is opened on the computer it
takes up memory that is stored in the RAM until the web browser is closed. RAM usually comes on
DIMMs in the sizes 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB but can be much larger.

Read-Only Memory (ROM): This stores the BIOS that runs when the computer is powered on or
otherwise begins execution, a process known as Bootstrapping or "booting” or "booting up". Newer
motherboards use Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) instead of BIOS.

CMOS battery: This powers the memory for date and time in the BIOS chip. This battery is generally a
watch battery.

Expansion cards: A printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer
motherboard or backplane to add functionality to a computer system via the expansion bus. Expansions
cards can be used to obtain or expand on features not offered by the motherboard.

Storage devices: Any computing hardware and digital media that is used for storing, porting and
extracting data files and objects. It can hold and store information both temporarily and permanently
and can be internal or external.

Fixed media: Data is stored by a computer using a variety of media. Hard disk drives are found in
virtually all older computers due to their high capacity and low cost but Solid-State drives are faster and
more power efficient, although currently more expensive than hard drives.

Removable media: To transfer data between computers, a USB flash drive or optical disc may be used.
Majority of machines have an optical disk drive and virtually all have at least one USB port.

Input and output peripherals: These are typically housed externally to the main computer chassis. The
following are either standard or very common to many computer systems.

Input devices: Allow the user to enter information into the system. Such as Mouse and keyboard, laptop
systems use a touchpad instead of a mouse. Other input devices include webcams, Microphones,
joysticks, and image scanners.

Output devices: These display information in a human readable form. Such devices could include
printers, speakers, monitors or a Braille embosser.
Appendix 2: Pictorial

Figure 11 showing already configured router Figure 12 showing the disassembled devices of a
motherboard.

Figure 13 showing router configuration. Figure 14 showing how to use putty software.
Figure 15 Configuring using putty software.