Unit 36 Internet Server Management

· Aim

To enable learners to implement and manage secure internet technologies for networking systems.

· Unit abstract

As more organisations adopt internet-aware software there is an increasing need to understand the implications of internet technologies. In addition many organisations are now creating their own internet and intranet sites and therefore the successful management of sites and servers is becoming fundamental to network managers. The aim of this unit is to provide an introduction to internet server management within the context of a network operating system.

Internet technologies play an important role in all modern businesses operations. They are used extensively to strengthen the competitive edge of organisations and businesses and their position in the current marketplace climate. They allow businesses not just to market their products and services, but also to undertake business transactions with their partners and customers.

Internet servers are the backbone on which these internet technologies are implemented; these servers are at the heart of modern business operations. In this unit learners will discuss and analyse modern internet technologies used to establish internet services such as web, FTP, mail, proxy, certificate servers, directory servers, and many others. Learners will install, maintain and secure internet servers using tools and techniques available.

· Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit a learner will:

1. Understand internet technologies
2. Understand internet server architectures
3. Be able to implement internet server and services
4. Be able to manage internet server and services.

Unit content

1         Understand internet technologies

Internet technologies and communication protocols: protocols eg TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), OSI (Open Systems Interconnection), DNS (Domain Name System), DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol); routing and remote access; telnet; ports and addresses; internet organisations eg ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center), IEEE (Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers); subnetting and supernetting

Internet services: services, eg intranet, email, e-Commerce, instant messaging, wikis, blogs, certificate services, directory services; internetworking servers eg ISP (Internet Service Provider), World Wide Web, FTP (File Transmission Protocol), database servers, e- Commerce servers, news servers, email servers, proxy servers, media servers, directory servers

Networking technologies and concepts: devices, eg hub, switch routers; network management concerns, eg client/server environment, user and group management, resources management, security, network attacks, firewall, ethical and legal issues, servers and server performances, user access issues

2         Understand internet server architectures

Internet server technologies: architecture eg modular; server structure eg core units, basic functionality, request handling mechanisms, performance and access issues; examples eg IIS (Internet Information Services), Apache

Hardware and software: required components eg CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, storage devices, network connectivity, operating system; cost of running an internet server

3         Be able to implement internet server and services

Planning installation: procedures, eg examine and evaluate network infrastructure, select a suitable internet server, undertake pre installation activities, eg downloading and extracting the required files, preparing the required installation scripts, configuring the network server and the operating system for internet server inclusion; plan server required information, eg domain names, URLs (Uniform Resource Locators); consider customisation issues

Installation: tools eg GUI (Graphical User Interface) and command line; activities eg create web site, create virtual directory, install FTP services, create FTP sites

Configure internet services: services eg web services, FTP, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), proxy; certificate authority; configure site properties eg site bindings, IP (Internet Protocol), address hosting, port numbers hosting, host header hosting, default document filenames, directory browsing; publish websites

Testing: documentation, eg test plan (test data, expected results, actual results); test results

4         Be able to manage internet server and services

Websites and services: web applications eg CGI (Common Gateway Interface), ISAPI (Internet Server Application Programming Interface); server-side eg Active Server Pages (ASP), ASP.NET; activities eg installing UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration), configuring FTP, SMTP and other services, implement and secure network access

Internet services security: activities eg configuring web site security; configuring IP address and domain name restrictions, enabling and configuring authentication methods, configuring anonymous access, using operating system authentication, enabling forms authentication, creating URL authorisation rules, using access control and file permissions, enabling and implementing certificate authentication and creating certificates Using VPN (Virtual Private Network) and secure sockets layer to protect integrity and authenticity and data exchange

Monitoring and troubleshooting: procedures eg configuring sites and applications logging, configuring centralised and remote logging, identifying log file and format, analysing log file; trace and diagnose problems; troubleshoot and solve common problems; monitor internet server performance; use server tools to measure and enhance internet server resources performance; document internet servers and services configurations and usage

Learning outcomes and assessment criteria

Learning outcomes   On successful completion of this unit a learner will:	Assessment criteria for pass   The learner can:
LO1 Understand internet technologies	critically evaluate different internet technologies and communication protocolscritically compare different internet services and internetworking serversdiscuss network management concerns and make recommendations to sustain network security, reliability and performance
LO2 Understand internet server architectures	critically analyse different internet server technologies and their performanceexplain the hardware and software components of an internet server
LO3 Be able to implement internet server and services	produce a system specification to meet a given requirementevaluate the suitability of internet server componentsbuild and configure an internet server including services to meet a given requirementcritically review and test an internet server
LO4 Be able to manage internet server and services	install and manage websites and services to meet a given requirementimplement secure network access to meet a given requirementmonitor and troubleshoot an internet server and servicescritically evaluate the performance of an internet server.

Guidance

Links to National Occupational Standards, other BTEC units, other BTEC qualifications and other relevant units and qualifications

The learning outcomes associated with this unit are closely linked with:

Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
	Unit 24: Networking Technologies	Unit 44: Local Area Networking Technologies
	Unit 25: Routing Concepts	Unit 45: Wide Area Networking Technologies
	Unit 26: Design a Small or Home Office Network	Unit 46: Networking Security
	Unit 27: Network Operating Systems

This unit has links to the Level 4 and Level 5 National Occupational Standards for IT and Telecoms Professionals, particularly the areas of competence of: