Unit title: Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure

Transcription

1 Higher National Unit Specification General information for centres Unit code: DG0D 36 Unit purpose: This Unit is designed to introduce candidates to the issues involved designing directory services and network infrastructure. It is intended for candidates undertaking an HNC or HND in Computing or a related area who require a detailed knowledge of directory services and network infrastructure. On completion of the Unit candidates should be able to: 1. Create the conceptual design by gathering and analysing business and technical requirements. 2. Create the logical design for a directory services infrastructure. 3. Create the logical design for a network services infrastructure. 4. Create the physical design for a directory services and network infrastructure, Credit value: 2 HN credits at SCQF level 9: (16 SCQF credit points at SCQF level 9) *SCQF credit points are used to allocate credit to qualifications in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Each qualification in the Framework is allocated a number of SCQF credit points at an SCQF level. There are 12 SCQF levels, ranging from Access 1 to Doctorates. Recommended prior knowledge and skills: Access to this Unit will be at the discretion of the Centre. There are no specific requirements but candidates would benefit from knowledge of operating systems and computer networks. This may be demonstrated by the possession of HN Units such as DF9N 34 Network Server Operating System, DF9R 35 Network Infrastructure 1: Implementation and Management and DG00 35 Network Infrastructure 2: Planning and Maintenance. Core skills: There may be opportunities to gather evidence towards core skills in this Unit, although there is no automatic certification of core skills or core skills components. Context for delivery: This Unit is included in the framework of a number of HNC and HND group awards. It is recommended that it should be taught and assessed within the context of the particular group award to which it contributes. Assessment: Evidence for the knowledge and/or skills for the entire Unit must be produced using a set of 50 restricted-response questions, based on one or more network design case studies, to assess candidates knowledge and understanding. This may be administered as a single end-of unit test, or as several subtests, each covering one or more outcomes. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 1

2 General information for centres (cont) Candidates must answer at least 70% of the questions correctly in order to obtain a pass. If subtests are used, they must also score at least 70% in each subtest. Testing must take place in a closed-book environment where candidates have no access to books, handouts, notes or other learning material. Testing can be done in either a machinebased or paper-based format and must be invigilated by a tutor or mentor. There must be no communication between candidates and communication with the administrator must be restricted to matters relating to the administration of the test. If a candidate requires to be reassessed, a different selection of questions must be used. At least half the questions in the reassessment must be different from those used in the original test. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 2

3 Higher National Unit specification: statement of standards Unit code: DG0D 36 The sections of the Unit stating the Outcomes, knowledge and/or skills, and evidence requirements are mandatory. Where evidence for Outcomes is assessed on a sample basis, the whole of the content listed in the knowledge and/or skills section must be taught and available for assessment. Candidates should not know in advance the items on which they will be assessed and different items should be sampled on each assessment occasion. Outcome 1 Create the conceptual design by gathering and analysing business and technical requirements Knowledge and/or skills Analyse the impact of directory services on the existing technical environment. Analyse DNS for directory service implementation. Analyse existing network operating system implementation. Analyse security requirements for the directory service Design the directory services infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements. Design the network services infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements. Identify network topology and performance levels. Analyse the impact of the infrastructure design on the existing technical environment. Evidence requirements Restricted response test The knowledge and skills component of Outcome 1 must be examined by sixteen questions, based on one or more network design case studies. Two of the questions must be derived from each of the eight items listed below. Each question must be derived from a single item. 1. Analyse the impact of directory services on the existing technical environment. Hardware and software requirements, interoperability requirements, level of service, network administration model, network requirements. 2. Analyse DNS for directory service implementation. DNS infrastructure, namespace 3. Analyse existing network operating system implementation. Domain model, domain controllers, server configuration details HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 3

4 Higher National Unit specification: statement of standards (cont) 4. Analyse security requirements for the directory service Security policies, standards, and procedures, security infrastructure, trust relationships 5. Design the directory services infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements. Administration model, forest structure, domain structure, replication strategy, organisational unit (OU) structure 6. Design the network services infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements. DNS infrastructure, WINS infrastructure, DHCP infrastructure, remote access infrastructure 7. Identify network topology and performance levels. Constraints, baseline performance requirements for major subsystems 8. Analyse the impact of the infrastructure design on the existing technical environment. Hardware and software requirements, interoperability requirements, level of service, network requirements. The test may be administered on its own as a subtest or be combined with other outcome subtests in the Unit. Alternatively, the 16 questions for this outcome may contribute towards a single end-of-unit test of 50 questions. Assessment Guidelines It is suggested that all the above concepts be presented and explained within the context of current real-world practice and applications. The suggested time allocation for a restricted response test based on case studies is 3 minutes for each question plus 5 minutes starting-up time and 5 minutes finishing-off time, thus a total of 160 minutes should be allocated for a 50-question end-of-unit test. Although individual outcome tests are permissible, it is suggested that if subtests are to be used, outcomes should be combined to produce tests of no fewer than 10 questions. A 10- question test would therefore have a time allocation of 40 minutes. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 4

5 Higher National Unit specification: statement of standards (cont) Outcome 2 Create the logical design for a directory services infrastructure. Knowledge and/or skills Design an organizational unit (OU) structure. Design a security group strategy. Design a user and computer authentication strategy. Design user and computer account strategy. Design a directory services naming strategy. Design migration paths to directory services. Design a strategy for group policy implementation. Design a directory services site topology. Evidence requirements Restricted response test The knowledge and skills component of Outcome 2 must be examined by sixteen questions, based on one or more network design case studies. Two of the questions must be derived from each of the eight items listed below. Each question must be derived from a single item. 1. Design an organizational unit (OU) structure. Group Policy requirements, delegating authority. 2. Design a security group strategy. Scope, resource access requirements, administrative access requirements, user roles. 3. Design a user and computer authentication strategy. Authentication requirements, authentication mechanisms, optimisation 4. Design user and computer account strategy. Account policy requirements, account requirements for users, computers, administrators and services. 5. Design a directory services naming strategy. Domain name registration, use of hierarchical namespace, NetBIOS naming requirements HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 5

6 Higher National Unit specification: statement of standards (cont) 6. Design migration paths to directory services. In-place upgrade, domain restructuring, migration to new directory services environment. 7. Design a strategy for Group Policy implementation. Administration and deployment strategy of Group Policy Objects (GPOs), configuring user and computer environments 8. Design a directory services site topology. Sites, site links The test may be administered on its own as a subtest or be combined with other outcome subtests in the Unit. Alternatively, the 16 questions for this outcome may contribute towards a single end-of-unit test of 50 questions. Assessment Guidelines It is suggested that all the above concepts be presented and explained within the context of current real-world practice and applications. The suggested time allocation for a restricted response test based on case studies is 3 minutes for each question plus 5 minutes starting-up time and 5 minutes finishing-off time, thus a total of 160 minutes should be allocated for a 50-question end-of-unit test. Although individual outcome tests are permissible, it is suggested that if subtests are to be used, outcomes should be combined to produce tests of no fewer than 10 questions. A 10- question test would therefore have a time allocation of 40 minutes. Outcome 3 Create the logical design for a network services infrastructure. Knowledge and/or skills Design a DNS name resolution strategy. Design a NetBIOS name resolution strategy. Design security for remote access users. Design a DNS service implementation. Design a remote access strategy. Design an IP address assignment strategy. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 6

7 Higher National Unit specification: statement of standards (cont) Evidence requirements Restricted response test The knowledge and skills component of Outcome 3 must be examined by twelve questions, based on one or more network design case studies. Two of the questions must be derived from each of the six items listed below. Each question must be derived from a single item. 1. Design a DNS name resolution strategy. Namespace design, interoperability (with directory services, WINS, DHCP, BIND), zone requirements, DNS security 2. Design a NetBIOS name resolution strategy. WINS replication strategy. 3. Design security for remote access users. Security host requirements, authentication and accounting provider, remote access policies, logging and auditing settings 4. Design a DNS service implementation. Zone storage, server options, registration requirements 5. Design a remote access strategy. Remote access method, authentication method 6. Design an IP address assignment strategy. DHCP integration with DNS infrastructure, interoperability with client types. The test may be administered on its own as a subtest or be combined with other outcome subtests in the Unit. Alternatively, the 12 questions for this outcome may contribute towards a single end-of-unit test of 50 questions. Assessment Guidelines It is suggested that all the above concepts be presented and explained within the context of current real-world practice and applications. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 7

8 Higher National Unit specification: statement of standards (cont) The suggested time allocation for a restricted response test based on case studies is 3 minutes for each question plus 5 minutes starting-up time and 5 minutes finishing-off time, thus a total of 160 minutes should be allocated for a 50-question end-of-unit test. Although individual outcome tests are permissible, it is suggested that if subtests are to be used, outcomes should be combined to produce tests of no fewer than 10 questions. A 10- question test would therefore have a time allocation of 40 minutes. Outcome 4 Create the physical design for a directory services and network infrastructure. Knowledge and/or skills Design DNS service placement. Specify server specifications to meet system requirements. Design the remote access infrastructure. Evidence requirements Restricted response test The knowledge and skills component of Outcome 4 must be examined by six questions, based on one or more network design case studies. Two of the questions must be derived from each of the three items listed below. Each question must be derived from a single item. 1. Design DNS service placement. Directory services implementation plan, placement of domain controllers, global catalog servers and flexible operations masters, domain controller creation process. 2. Specify server specifications to meet system requirements. Internet connectivity, network and routing topology, TCP/IP addressing scheme, IP subnets, placement of routers, IP address assignment using DHCP, perimeter network 3. Design the remote access infrastructure. Capacity, network settings required to access resources, availability, redundancy and survivability. The test may be administered on its own as a subtest or be combined with other outcome subtests in the Unit. Alternatively, the 6 questions for this outcome may contribute towards a single end-of-unit test of 50 questions. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 8

9 Higher National Unit specification: statement of standards (cont) Assessment Guidelines It is suggested that all the above concepts be presented and explained within the context of current real-world practice and applications. The suggested time allocation for a restricted response test based on case studies is 3 minutes for each question plus 5 minutes starting-up time and 5 minutes finishing-off time, thus a total of 160 minutes should be allocated for a 50-question end-of-unit test. Although individual outcome tests are permissible, it is suggested that if subtests are to be used, outcomes should be combined to produce tests of no fewer than 10 questions. A 10- question test would therefore have a time allocation of 40 minutes. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 9

10 Administrative Information Unit code: DG0D 36 Unit title: Superclass category: Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure CB Date of publication: May 2004 Version: 01 Source: SQA Scottish Qualifications Authority 2004 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes provided that no profit is derived from reproduction and that, if reproduced in part, the source is acknowledged. Additional copies of this Unit specification can be purchased from the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The cost for each Unit specification is (A handling charge of 1.95 will apply to all orders for priced items.) HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 10

11 Higher National Unit specification: support notes This part of the Unit specification is offered as guidance. The support notes are not mandatory. While the exact time allocated to this Unit is at the discretion of the centre, the notional design length is 80 hours. The suggested time allocation for each outcome (including assessment) is as follows: Outcome 1: Outcome 2: Outcome 3: Outcome 4: 25 hours 25 hours 20 hours 10 hours Guidance on the content and context for this Unit During the delivery of this unit it is important that every opportunity is taken to introduce real-world examples, opportunities for whole-class and group discussion and practical demonstrations wherever possible. Concepts and terminology should be presented in context throughout the Unit. Video presentations should be used where appropriate for providing an alternative explanation of a difficult topic, or as a focus for class discussion or group work. Given the theoretical nature of this Unit, it is intended that a significant amount of time will be made available as a central part of the course for revision, tutorials and formative assessment exercises. Candidates should be strongly encouraged to undertake further reading, and opportunities for individual or group research should be provided. The most important overall emphasis should be on the relevance and currency of content in such a rapidly-evolving field. The following notes assume that the unit will be delivered using a Microsoft operating system, such as Windows 2000/2003 Server. However, no restriction is placed on the operating system to be used and centres are free to choose alternative operating systems such as Linux/Unix, although this may require significant changes in terminology. This Unit may assist candidates in preparing for Microsoft examination : Designing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure. Vendor certifications can change rapidly and candidates should be encouraged the check the current details at to ensure that all objectives have been covered. This examination can contribute towards the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) award. The content of this unit may be delivered using vendor-supplied materials, such as Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC). As these materials are under continuous development, centres should check carefully to ensure that such materials meet all the requirements for the unit. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 11

12 Higher National Unit specification: support notes (cont) Outcome 1 This Outcome is about creating the conceptual design by gathering and analysing business and technical requirements. 1 Analyse the impact of directory services on the existing technical environment Candidates should be able to analyse the impact of Active Directory on the existing technical environment, analyse hardware and software requirements, analyse interoperability requirements, analyse current level of service within an existing technical environment, analyse the current network administration model and analyse network requirements. 2 Analyse DNS for directory service implementation Candidates should also be able to analyse DNS for Active Directory directory service implementation. This includes analysing the current DNS infrastructure, analysing the current namespace. 3 Analyse existing network operating system implementation Candidates should be able to analyse the existing network operating system implementation, including identifying the existing domain model, identifying the number and location of domain controllers on the network and identifying the configuration details of all servers on the network. Server types might include primary domain controllers, backup domain controllers, file servers, print servers, and Web servers. 4 Analyse security requirements for the directory service Candidates should also be able to analyse security requirements for the Active Directory directory service. This includes analysing current security policies, standards and procedures, and identifying the impact of Active Directory on the current security infrastructure and identifying the existing trust relationships. 5 Design the directory services infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements Candidates should be able to design the Active Directory infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements, including designing the envisioned administration model, creating the conceptual design of the Active Directory forest structure, creating the conceptual design of the Active Directory domain structure, designing the Active Directory replication strategy and creating the conceptual design of the organisational unit (OU) structure. 6 Design the network services infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 12

13 Higher National Unit specification: support notes (cont) Candidates should be able to design the network services infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements. They should know how to create the conceptual design of the DNS infrastructure, create the conceptual design of the WINS infrastructure, DHCP infrastructure and the remote access infrastructure. 7 Identify network topology and performance levels Candidates should be able to identify network topology and performance levels, including identifying constraints in the current network infrastructure and interpreting current baseline performance requirements for each major subsystem. 8 Analyse the impact of the infrastructure design on the existing technical environment. Candidates should also be able to analyse the impact of the infrastructure design on the existing technical environment, including analysing hardware and software requirements, interoperability requirements, current level of service and network requirements. Outcome 2 Outcome 2 is about creating the logical design for an Active Directory infrastructure. 1 Design an organizational unit (OU) structure Candidates should be able to design an Organizational Unit (OU) structure, including identifying the Group Policy requirements for the OU structure and designing an OU structure for the purpose of delegating authority. 2 Design a security group strategy Candidates should also be able to design a security group strategy, including defining the scope of a security group to meet requirements and defining resource access requirements, administrative access requirements and user roles. 3 Design a user and computer authentication strategy Candidates should be able to design a user and computer authentication strategy, including identifying common authentication requirements, selecting authentication mechanisms and optimising authentication by using shortcut trust relationships. 4 Design user and computer account strategy Candidates should be able to design a user and computer account strategy including specifying account policy requirements and account requirements for users, computers, administrators, and services. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 13

14 Higher National Unit specification: support notes (cont) 5 Design a directory services naming strategy They should be able to design an Active Directory naming strategy, including identifying Internet domain name registration requirements, specifying the use of hierarchical namespace within Active Directory and identifying NetBIOS naming requirements. 6 Design migration paths to directory services Candidates should be able to design migration paths to Active Directory and defining whether the migration will include an in-place upgrade, domain restructuring, or migration to a new Active Directory environment. 7 Design a strategy for group policy implementation Candidates should also be able to design a strategy for Group Policy implementation, including the administration of Group Policy objects (GPOs) and the deployment strategy of GPOs and create strategies for configuring the user and computer environments with Group Policy. 8 Design a directory services site topology Candidates should be able to design an Active Directory directory service site topology, including designing sites and identifying site links. Outcome 3 This Outcome is about creating the logical design for a network services infrastructure. 1 Design a DNS name resolution strategy Candidates should be able to design a DNS name resolution strategy, including creating the namespace design, identifying DNS interoperability with Active Directory, WINS, and DHCP, specify zone requirements and DNS security and designing a DNS strategy for interoperability with UNIX Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) to support Active Directory. 2 Design a NetBIOS name resolution strategy Candidates should also be able to design a NetBIOS name resolution strategy, design a WINS replication strategy. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 14

15 Higher National Unit specification: support notes (cont) 3 Design security for remote access users Candidates should also be able to design security for remote access users, including identifying security host requirements and the authentication and accounting provider, designing remote access policies and specifying logging and auditing settings. 4 Design a DNS service implementation Candidates should be able to design a DNS service implementation, including designing a strategy for DNS zone storage, specifying the use of DNS server options and identifying the registration requirements of specific DNS records. 5 Design a remote access strategy Candidates should also be able to design a remote access strategy, including specifying the remote access method and the authentication method. 6 Design an IP address assignment strategy Candidates should be able to design an IP address assignment strategy, including specifying DHCP integration with DNS infrastructure and DHCP interoperability with client types. Outcome 4 Outcome 4 is about creating the physical design for an Active Directory and network infrastructure. 1 Design DNS service placement Candidates should be able to design DNS service placement, including designing an Active Directory implementation plan, designing the placement of domain controllers and global catalog servers, planning the placement of flexible operations master roles and selecting the domain controller creation process. 2 Specify server specifications to meet system requirements Candidates should also be able to specify the server specifications to meet system requirements, including designing Internet connectivity and network and routing topology for a company, designing a TCP/IP addressing scheme through the use of IP subnets, specify the placement of routers, design IP address assignment by using DHCP and designing a perimeter network. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 15

16 Higher National Unit specification: support notes (cont) 3 Design the remote access infrastructure Candidates should be able to design a remote access infrastructure including planning capacity, ascertaining network settings required to access resources and designing for availability, redundancy, and survivability. Guidance on the delivery and assessment of this Unit This Unit is likely to form part of a group award which is primarily designed to provide candidates with technical or professional knowledge and skills related to a specific occupational area. It is highly technical in content and should not be adopted by group awards in other areas or delivered as a stand-alone Unit without careful consideration of its appropriateness. It is a Unit which candidates are unlikely to find accessible at an introductory level; it is suggested that it be delivered only as part of an HNC/HND program in Computing or a related area. It should be delivered in tandem with other Computing Units and opportunities for teaching and assessment integration explored. To minimise assessment overhead, one or more sets of closed-book restricted-response questions, totalling 50 questions in all, should be used to provide evidence of candidates knowledge for all Outcomes. It is suggested that multiple-choice questions should be used as the preferred assessment method as well as reducing the time required for assessment and marking, these reduce the need for candidates to memorise details and encourage understanding. 70% of the questions must be answered correctly. Open learning If this Unit is delivered by open or distance learning methods, additional planning and resources may be required for candidate support, assessment and quality assurance. A combination of new and traditional authentication tools may have to be devised for assessment and re-assessment purposes. For further information and advice, please see Assessment and Quality Assurance for Open and Distance Learning (SQA, February 2001 publication code A1030). Special needs This Unit specification is intended to ensure that there are no artificial barriers to learning or assessment. Special needs of individual candidates should be taken into account when planning learning experiences, selecting assessment instruments or considering special alternative Outcomes for Units. For information on these, please refer to the SQA document Guidance on Special Assessment Arrangements (SQA, 2001). HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 16

17 General information for candidates This is a 2-credit Unit at Level 9 intended for candidates undertaking a Computing or ITrelated qualification who require a detailed knowledge of directory services and network infrastructure. It is designed to develop an understanding of the issues involved designing a directory services and network infrastructure. On completion of the Unit you should be able to: Create the conceptual design by gathering and analysing business and technical requirements. Create the logical design for a directory services infrastructure. Create the logical design for a network services infrastructure. Create the physical design for a directory services and network infrastructure. In the first part of the course, you ll learn how to create the conceptual design by gathering and analysing business and technical requirements. This includes analysing the impact of directory services on the existing technical environment, analysing DNS for directory service implementation, analysing existing network operating system implementation, analysing security requirements for the directory services, designing the directory services infrastructure and network services infrastructure to meet business and technical requirements, identifying network topology and performance levels and analysing the impact of the infrastructure design on the existing technical environment. The second section covers creating the logical design for a directory services infrastructure. You ll learn how to design an organisational unit (OU) structure, design a security group strategy, design a user and computer authentication strategy, design user and computer account strategy, design a directory services naming strategy, design migration paths to directory services, design a strategy for group policy implementation and design a directory services site topology. The third section is about creating the logical design for a network services infrastructure. You ll learn how to design DNS and NetBIOS name resolution strategies, design security for remote access users, design a DNS service implementation, design a remote access strategy and design an IP address assignment strategy. The final section covers creating the physical design for a directory services and network infrastructure. You ll learn how to design DNS service placement, specify server specifications to meet system requirements and design the remote access infrastructure. There will be a closed-book multiple-choice assessment covering all outcomes. You will be presented with a total of 50 questions and expected to answer 70% of these correctly. This Unit may assist you in preparing for Microsoft examination : Designing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure. Vendor certifications can change rapidly, so you should check the current details at to ensure that all objectives have been covered. This examination can contribute towards the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) award. HN Unit (DG0D 36): Network Design: Directory Services and Network Infrastructure 17