Training, Teaching and Learning Material Development Care for Networks and Computer Hardware ICT ITSS2

This learning guide is developed to provide you the necessary information regarding the
critical aspects of Competence that must ensure the ability to –

 Establish safe work practices

 Establish sitting requirements for system hardware and associated peripheral
devices
 Establish maintenance practices and determine appropriate hardware quality
standards
 Determine, select, explain and use hardware components, peripheral equipment and
consumables correctly and efficiently according to the task requirement
 Identify and monitor threats to network

This guide will also assist you to attain the learning outcome stated in the cover page.

Specifically, upon completion of this Learning Guide, you will be able to –

 Identify and confirm client peripherals in accordance with organizational standards.

 Document the client requirements and peripherals in line with organizational
standards and findings are reported to the appropriate person.
 Verify the client requirements with appropriate person in line with organizational
standards and reporting procedures
 Ensure client support expectations are covered by vendor and support services.

Learning Activities

1. Read the specific objectives of this Learning Guide.

2. Read the information written in the “Information Sheets of all learning objectives”.
3. Accomplish the “Self-check” in each of all learning objectives.
4. Submit your accomplished Self-check. This will form part of your training portfolio.
5. Read and perform the “Operation Sheets”.
6. If you earned a satisfactory evaluation proceed to LAP Test.
7. Do the “LAP test” (if you are ready) and show your output to your teacher
8. However, if your rating is unsatisfactory, see your teacher for further instructions.

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*Your teacher will evaluate your output either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. If unsatisfactory,
your teacher shall advice you on additional work. But if satisfactory you can proceed to the
next topic.

LO 1

1. Identify computer hardware components

1.1. Internal and External hardware peripherals

Internal hardware peripherals

The internal hardware parts of a computer are often referred to as components, while
external hardware devices are usually called peripherals. Together, they all fall under the
category of computer hardware. Software, on the other hand, consists of the programs and
applications that run on computers. Because software runs on computer hardware, software
programs often have system requirements that list the minimum hardware required for the
software to run.

Note: Peripheral devices are the devices that are attached to the computer’s system unit

Hardware

Computer Hardware is the physical part of a computer, as distinguished from the computer
software that executes or runs on the hardware. The hardware of a computer is infrequently
changed, while software and data are modified frequently. The term soft refers to readily
created, modified, or erased. These are unlike the physical components within the computer
which are hard. When you think of the term computer hardware you probably think of the guts
inside your personal computer at home or the one in your classroom.

Inside Computer

The motherboard

The motherboard is the key circuit board holding the essential processing
parts of a computer. It allows all the parts of your computer to receive power
and communicate with one another.
The form factor describes the shape and layout of the motherboard. It affects
where individual components go and the shape of the computer's case.
Attached directly to the motherboard are the CPU, RAM, expansion cards,

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networking, video, and audio components.

 It is the body or mainframe of the computer, through which all other components
interface.

 It is the central circuit board making up a complex electronic system.

 A motherboard provides the electrical connections by which the other

components of the system communicate.

 The mother board includes many components such as: central processing unit
(CPU), random access memory (RAM), firmware, and internal and external
buses.

The form factors of motherboard

 AT (Advanced Technology) an IBM PC introduced in 1984 that was the most advanced
PC at that time, with an Intel 80286 processor, 16-bit bus, and 1.2MB floppy drive.
 ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended) is an open specification from Intel for a
motherboard form factor developed by Intel in 1995. That is a further evolution of AT,
giving more space for expansion slots and input/output. The ATX supports multimedia
and USB, in this design the power supply blows air over the processor chip instead of
pulling air through the cases.
 A full-size ATX board is 12 × 9.6 inch (305 × 244 mm). It was the first big change in
computer case, motherboard, and power supply design in many years, improving
standardization and interchangeability of parts.
Standards: ATX, standards for smaller boards: microATX, FlexATX and mini-ITX.

Components directly attached to the motherboard include:

 The central processing unit (CPU)

o Performs most of the calculations which enable a computer to function, and is sometimes
referred to as the "brain" of the computer. It is usually cooled by a heat sink and fan.
Newer CPUs include an on-die Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).

 The chip set

o Facilitates communication between the CPU and the other components of the system,
including main memory.

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 RAM (random-access memory)

o Stores resident part of the current running OS (OS core and so on) and all running
processes (application parts, using CPU or input/output (I/O) channels or waiting for CPU
or I/O channels).

 The BIOS includes boot firmware and power management.

o BIOS (Basic Input Output System): A set of instruction stored on a ROM chip, which
handles all input-output functions.

o The Basic Input Output System tasks are handled by operating system drivers. Newer
motherboards use Unified Extensible Firmware Interface instead of BIOS.

 Internal buses

Central Processing Unit

The Central Processing Unit (CPU; sometimes just called processor) is a machine that
can execute computer programs. It is sometimes referred to as the brain of the
computer.

o Connect the CPU to various internal components and to expansion cards for graphics
and sound.

There are four steps that nearly all CPUs use in their operation: fetch, decode, execute, and write
back.

 The first step, fetch, involves retrieving an instruction from program memory.

 In the decode step, the instruction is broken up into parts that have significance to other
portions of the CPU.

 During the execute step various portions of the CPU, such as the arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
and the floating point unit (FPU) are connected so they can perform the desired operation.

 The final step, write back, simply writes back the results of the execute step to some form of
memory.

There are several types of CPU chips found on motherboards:

8088 CPU; inputs 8 bits of data Processes 8 bits of data Outputs 8 bits of data

80286 CPU; inputs 16 bits of data Processes 16 bits of data Outputs 16 bits of data

80386SX CPU; inputs 16 bits of data *at a time Outputs 16 bits of data
Processes 32 bits of data

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80386DX CPU; inputs 32 bits of data Processes 32 bits of data Outputs 32 bits of data

80486SX CPU; inputs 32 bits of data Outputs 32 bits of data

Processes 32 bits of data
80486DX CPU; inputs 32 bits of data ** Processes 32 bits of data Outputs 32 bits of data

'586 CPU; inputs 32 bits of data Processes 32 bits of data Outputs 32 bits of data
Pentium/P6/K5 CPU; inputs 64 bits of data Processes 64 bits of data Outputs 64 bits of data

Pentium Pro CPU; inputs 64 bits of data Processes 64 bits of data ***Outputs 64 bits of data

* The 80386SX CPU takes 2 clock cycles to input 32 bits of data to process; this CPU is a
hybrid between an 80286 and an 80386DX.
**The 80486DX is the first CPU to integrate a math co-processor chip into the CPU itself. All
CPUs before this had separate math co-processors.
***The Pentium Pro will only run 32-bit applications.

Heat Sinks/Fans

 As processors, graphics cards, RAM and other components in computers have

increased in speed and power consumption, the amount of heat produced by
these components as a side-effect of normal operation has also increased.
 These components need to be kept within a specified temperature range to
prevent overheating, instability, malfunction and damage leading to a shortened
component lifespan. Other devices which need to be cooled include the power
supply unit.
 A heat sink is a heat exchanger component attached to a device used for
passive cooling. It is designed to increase the surface area in contact with the
cooling fluid surrounding it, such as the air thus allowing it to remove more heat
per unit time. Other factors which improve the thermal performance of a heat
sink are the approach air velocity, choice of material – usually an aluminum
alloy due to its high thermal conductivity values, forecast design and surface
treatment.
 A fan-cooled heat sink on the processor of a PC. To the right of it is a smaller
heat sink cooling another integrated circuit of the motherboard.
Power supply

Inside a custom-built computer: the power supply at the bottom has its own cooling
fan.

 A power supply unit (PSU) converts alternating current (AC) electric power to low-
voltage DC power for the internal components of the computer.

 Some power supplies have a switch to change between 230 V and 115 V. Other
models have automatic sensors that switch input voltage automatically, and are
able to accept any voltage between those limits.

 Power supply units used in computers are nearly always switch mode power
supplies (SMPS). The SMPS provides regulated direct current power at the
several voltages required by the motherboard and accessories such as disk drives
and cooling fans.

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Case:

 A computer case (also known as a computer chassis, cabinet, box, tower,

enclosure, housing, system unit or simply case) is the enclosure that contains
most of the components of a computer (usually excluding the display, keyboard
and mouse). If you are building your own computer selecting the case will be
one of your first choices to make: the type of case, its size, orientation etc.
Sizes

 Cases can come in many different sizes (known as form factors). The size and
shape of a computer case is usually determined by the form factor of the
motherboard, since it is the largest component of most computers.
Consequently, personal computer form factors only the internal dimensions and
layout of the case.
 For example, a case designed for an ATX motherboard and power
supply may take on several external forms, such as a vertical tower
(designed to sit on the floor, height > width) or a flat desktop (height <
width) or pizza box (height ≤ 2 inches, designed to sit on the desk under
the computer's monitor). Full-size tower cases are typically larger in
volume than desktop cases, with more room for drive bays and
expansion slots. Desktop cases—and mini-tower cases designed for the
reduced microATX form factor—are popular in business environments
where space is at a premium.

Video (Graphics) Card:

A dedicated video card (or video adapter) is an expansion card installed inside your
system unit to translate binary data received from the CPU or GPU into the images
you view on your monitor. It is an alternative to the integrated graphics chip.
Modern video cards include ports allowing you to connect to different video
equipment; also they contain their own RAM, called video memory.
Video cards also come with their own processors or GPUs. Calls to the CPU for
graphics processing are redirected to the processor on the video card, significantly
speeding up graphics processing. Updating to a dedicated graphics card offloads
work from the CPU and system RAM, so not only will graphics processing be faster,
but the system’s overall performance will improve.
The video card also controls the number of colors your monitor can display. The
number of bits the video card uses to represent each pixel on the monitor (referred
to as the bit depth) determines the color quality of the image displayed. The more
bits available, the better the color detail of the image.

Mostly there are 4 main kinds of video cards:

Hercules: Monochrome & high-res graphics (now obsolete)

CGA: Color & low-res graphics (now obsolete)

EGA: More colors and high-res graphics (now obsolete)

VGA: Lots of colors and very-high-res graphics (VGA and Super VGA are compatible)

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A Sound Card:

• A Sound cards attached to the motherboard and enabled

your computer to record and reproduce sounds.
• Most computers ship with a basic sound card,
most often a 3D sound card. 3D sound is better than
stereo sound at convincing the human ear that sound is
omnidirectional, meaning that you can’t tell what direction
the sound is coming from. This tends to produce a fuller,
richer sound than stereo sound.
• To set up surround sound on your computer, you
need two things: a set of surround-sound speakers and a
sound card that is Dolby Digital compatible. There are
many formats to choose from such as Dolby Digital EX,
Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD.
The ports on the sound card allow you to connect additional audio
devices such as amplified speakers, headphones, microphones
etc.

Network Card:

An Ethernet network requires that you install or attach network

adapters to each computer or peripheral you want to connect to the
network. Most computers come with Ethernet adapters preinstalled
as network interface cards (NICs).
If your computer doesn’t have a NIC, your options are: (i) buy one
and install it, or (ii) use a USB adapter, which you plug into any open
USB port on the system unit.

1.1.1. Removable media devices

CD (compact disc)

The most common type of removable media, suitable for music and data.

o CD-ROM Drive - a device used for reading data from a CD.

o CD Writer - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a
CD.

DVD (digital versatile disc)

A popular type of removable media that is the same dimensions as a

CD but stores up to 12 times as much information. It is the most
common way of transferring digital video, and is popular for data

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storage.

o DVD-ROM Drive - a device used for reading data from a DVD.

o DVD Writer - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a
DVD.
o DVD-RAM Drive - a device used for rapid writing and reading of data from a
special type of DVD.

Blu-ray Disc

A high-density optical disc format for data and high-definition video.

Can store 70 times as much information as a CD.

o BD-ROM Drive - a device used for reading data from a Blu-ray disc.
o BD Writer - a device used for both reading and writing data to and from a
Blu-ray disc.

Floppy disk

An outdated storage device consisting of a thin disk of a flexible magnetic

storage medium. Floppies are used today mainly for loading device drivers
not included with an operating system release (for example, RAID drivers).

1.1.2. Secondary storage

A hard disk drive (HDD

Also hard drive or hard disk)[2] is a non-volatile, random access

digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid
platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure.
Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by
read/write heads that float on a film of air above the platters.
Introduced by IBM in 1956, hard disk drives have decreased in
cost and physical size over the years while dramatically
increasing in capacity.

Hard disk drives have been the dominant device for secondary
storage of data in general purpose computers since the early
1960s.[3] They have maintained this position because advances in
their recording density have kept pace with the requirements for
secondary storage.[3] Today's HDDs operate on high-speed serial
interfaces; i.e., serial ATA (SATA) or serial attached SCSI (SAS).

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Hardware that keeps data inside the computer for later use and remains persistent even
when the computer has no power.

External hardware peripherals

Examples of External hardware peripheral devices include:

A monitor, also known as a visual display unit (VDU) or screen, is like a television
screen. It is measured diagonally in inches — the distance from one corner of the
screen area to the opposite corner. The quality of a monitor is determined by its
resolution. Resolution is calculated based on the number of pixels, which are
individual dots that create the images you see on your monitor. Flat panel monitors
are now becoming a popular choice due to their portability and compactness.

Monitor

Keyboard

A combination of a typewriter keyboard and numeric keypad, a keyboard enables

you to enter data into a computer. Computer keyboards are similar to electric
typewriter keyboards but include additional keys.

Mouse

A mouse is a device that controls the movement of the cursor on a

screen. A mouse is a small object you can roll along a flat surface, to
help you navigate your computer. Mice also have a variety of buttons,
which can have different purposes depending on what program is
running. There is usually a left mouse button (which is used to select
an object and perform an action), right mouse button (which typically
displays a shortcut menu of options) and a scroll wheel (to help a user
scroll through documents).

Printers

A printer is a device that allows you to obtain hard copies of the data you have created on
your computer system. Printers are classified by:
1. Their quality
2. The speed of printing — pages per minute
3. The print/image resolution — measured in dots per inch (dpi).
In the case of speed, the faster the better, and in the case of dpi, the higher the better.
There are different types of printers due to the different methods of transferring ink to paper.
Two common types for the home and office are inkjet and laser.

Inkjet printer — sprays ink onto a sheet of paper, and can produce
high-quality text and photo images.

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Laser printer — produces very high quality text and graphics, using
a process similar to a photocopier to produce print. It creates dot-
like images on a drum, using a laser beam light source.

Scanner

A scanner is a device that captures text or illustrations on paper

and converts the information into a form the computer can use.
One of the most common kinds of scanners is called a flatbed
scanner. It has a glass surface on which you lay paper,
magazines, or other documents that you want to scan.
Sometimes scanners can be manufactured so that they are
combined with a printer thus can also be used as a photocopier
and fax machine.

Parallel port: Connects printer to computer; sends 8 bits of data (1 byte) at a time.

Serial port: Connects serial devices (mouse, modem, plotter, and digitizer) to
computer; sends 1 bit of data at a time.

USB flash drive

A small, portable device that plugs into a computer’s USB port and
operates as a portable hard drive. USB flash drives are considered
to be an ideal method to transport data, as they are small enough
to be carried in a pocket and can plug into any computer with a
USB drive. Other names for flash drives are thumb drives, pen
drives or USB drives.

Web cam

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Web cams are small cameras that plug into your computer which allow
the user to share a moving image of themselves with others on other
computers through the Internet.

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Digital camera

Digital cameras store images digitally onto a storage device, either a memory card or a
floppy disk, rather than recording them on film. Once a picture has been taken, it can be
downloaded to a computer system, and then manipulated or printed

1.1.3. Computer Network and hardware devices

There is a range of computer hardware devices which may be found in a workplace.

Where two or more computers are connected together, this is known as a network. The
computers may be connected by cable or be connected wirelessly.

Characteristics of Computer Network

 Share resources from one computer to another

 Create files and store them in one computer, access those files from the other
computers connected over the network.
 Connect a printer, scanner or a fax machine to one computer within the network and
let other computers of the network use the machines available over the network.

The following is the list of hardware’s required to set up a computer network

 Network Cables
 Network Card
o Internal Network Card
o External Network Card
 Hub
 Bridge
 Switch
 Patch panel
 Routers
 Firewall

Network Cable:

Network Cables are used to connect computers. The most commonly used cables is Cat-5
cable that consists of four twisted pairs of copper wire terminated by RJ-45 connectors. Cat
5 cabling supports frequencies up to 100 MHz and speeds up to 1000Mbps.

Network Card:

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Network Card is a necessary component of a computer without which a computer cannot be
connected over a network. It is also known as the network adapter or Network Interface
Card (NIC). Most branded computers have network card pre-installed. Network cards are of
two types: Internal and External Network Cards.

Internal Network Card:

Motherboard has a slots for internal network card where it is to be inserted. Internal network
cards are of two types in which the first type uses peripheral component interconnect (PCI)
connection, while the second type uses industry standard architecture (ISA). Network cables
are required to provide network access.

External Network Cards:

External network cards are of two types: Wireless and USB based. Wireless network card
needs to be inserted into motherboard, however no network cable is required to connect to
the network. Universal Serial Bus (USB) card is easy to use and connects via USB port.
Computers automatically detect USB card and can install the drivers required to support the
USB network card automatically.

Hub:

The Hub, also called repeater, is a devise that accepts Ethernet connections from network
devices and cress-connects them. Data arriving via the receiver pair of one connection is
regenerated and sent out on the transmit pair to all connected devices except for the device
who originated the transmission. The hub provide a central nodal device and its connections
are receive a broadcast frame.

Bridge:

In computer networking, a bridge is a layer-2 device that divides a network into separate
collision domains or segments while keeping the broadcast and sharing features within the
same domain/segment. The bridge keeps a table of all segments and forward frames
properly to make sure communication within or across segments are conducted smoothly.

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Patch Panel:

Patch Panel is a panel of network ports contained together, usually within a

telecommunications closet that connects incoming and outgoing lines of a LAN or other
communication, electronic or electrical system. The patch panel allows easy access to all
cable and ground line conductors. Conductor functions can be interchanged or checked
rapidly for continuity, insulation, or quality of signal brought to the surface. Also, it provides
easy access to output of surface panels

Switch:

A switch is a networking device that connects network segments. Technically, network

switches operate at layer two (Data Link Layer) of the OSI model. A switch is similar to a
hub in that it broadcast frame and also provides a single broadcast domain, but differs in
that each port on a switch is its own collision domain, switch contain more intelligence than
a hub. Network switches are capable of inspecting the data packets as they are received,
determining the source and destination device of that packet, and forwarding that packet
appropriately.

Router:

A router is a type of device which acts as the central point among computers and other
devices that are a part of the network. A router is a layer 3 gateway device meaning that it
connects two or more networks. Which is designed to take incoming packets, analyze the
packets, moving the packets to another network, converting the packets to another network
interface, dropping the packets, directing the packets to the appropriate locations.

Firewall:

A firewall is a hardware-based network security system that controls the incoming and
outgoing network traffic based on applied rule set. Firewalls typically protect internal

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networks from public networks, they are also used to control access between specific
network segments within a network.

Types of Networks

 Local Area Network (LAN):-

o A LAN is best for facilitating data communications among users located in a
small region.
o Typically a building, an office, in a home, college or hospital.
o Computers within a LAN share resources and other network lines
 Wide Area Network (WAN):-
o A network that connects two or more local-area networks over a potentially large
geographic distance
o Often one particular node on a LAN is set up to serve as a gateway to handle all
communication going between that LAN and other networks
o Communication between networks is called internetworking
 MAN (Metropolitan-area network):-
o The communication infrastructures that have been developed in and around
large cities

Things to Study When Setting Up a Small Business Computer Network

A small business network setup consisted of a few desktop PCs connected to a modest file
server. Nowadays, small business is actually big business; a single PC can now contain
gigabytes of mission-critical information, as even the smallest ‘Small Office Home Office’
operations most likely have high-speed connections now.

While all of this new computing and networking firepower brings great benefits to one’s
small business, it can also bring great disasters if proper care isn’t taken from the very
beginning when one’s computer network is first established. The following five suggestions
should be on the top of your priority list when setting up a new computer network for your
business:

1. Determine your network’s purpose

While this may seem obvious, many small business owners don’t actually take time in the
beginning to determine the purpose of their network. Is the network intended to link up
computers locally or provide remote access as well? Will there be applications and data
shared from a central repository or distributed amongst various desktop and laptop PCs in a
peer-to-peer fashion? Understanding the purpose of your network will put you in a better
position for locating the right components and setting up the proper connections necessary
to meet your networking needs.

2. Establish a budget

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Failing to establish a budget for your network can lead to a multitude of problems in the
future. Not knowing just how much you are able to spend on networking hardware such as
routers, switches, Wi-Fi hot spots, cabling and firewalls could lead to purchasing the wrong
hardware or hardware that may not be best suited to work with pre-existing infrastructure.
Without knowing how much a small business has to spend on networking from day one
could lead to money shortages before all of the right hardware is purchased and installed.

3. Security

People don’t really recognize the need for security until it is too late. When it comes to small
business computer networking, security needs to be established from the very beginning.
Have software to block spam, advertisements and malware from entering your network.
Keep all operating system software and user applications fully patched and updated? Insist
on the use of strong passwords for all accounts, file-shares and encrypted data. Keep
important systems physically secured in lockable server rooms as well.

4. Training

Training is closely related to security, as a lot of staff training should be devoted towards
understanding proper use of the network so as to prevent it from becoming compromised.
Employees need to be instructed on what constitutes proper use of company networking
resources so as to prevent malware and viruses from ruining the system.

5. Maintenance

Computer networks need to be maintained to continue operating effectively. Unfortunately,

network maintenance can often turn into a full-time job, something that small business
owners just don’t have the time, money and know-how to do properly. Often times it makes
better sense for small businesses that performed to keep devices for system functioning or
in service and to obtain network support from help desk or a technicians.

Key Considerations When Designing a Computer Network

Designing a computer network is sure to be a strenuous task, but there are specific ways to
increase efficiency in this process. To start, you need to know who you’re designing the
network for, and how it should impact their needs and desires. It’s the same as anything
else really, when you design something you need to know your audience. With
implementing a computer network, a few key considerations always come into play: security,
a backup plan, standardization, recovery, and the future.

Security and Connection

Network security is a primary function, and connectivity goes along with that. The two are
apparently intertwined, as you want to easy access and connection without compromising
security. It involves a variety of questions, such as data storage, whether you’re instituting

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cloud capabilities, and who can gain access to certain types of information. Security should
be steady without slowing anything down.

Backup

Redundancy is a critical component, because it ensures that your network essentially has a
safeguard in place. No matter the size of the organization, using multiple servers is a smart
move. Having redundant components in place is a wise tool in case anything goes down.
The second connection in place is there in the event internet connectivity suffers or hosting
malfunctions, as this will limit any downtime.

Standardization

Standardization makes sense (and it makes life easier) an adjustment and regulations of the
system. The biggest part about installing a new computer network is making sure everything
is functional and runs smoothly. With standardization, it effectively reduces costs that would
typically be associated with maintenance or repairs. If a majority of employees are on the
same devices and such, it makes things like testing much more efficient.

Recovery

Any network needs a disaster recovery plan in place, because these situations will most
definitely occur. The power for a backup should be addressed as well as how the data is
backed up. Not only should this be in place, but backing up data should be done
consistently. This way, files are copied and safely stored in case of emergency.

The Future

When designing a network, it’s important to account for the future. If the business is rapidly
expanding, you should factor growth into the design to account for an increase in users. An
increase in employee’s means a more crowded and diverse network.

Common Computer Network Problems and their solutions

In today’s world every organization uses Computer network to maintain a proper flow of data
communication. The Computer network is the lifeline of an organization responsible for
regulating data transmission throughout the complete hierarchical structure. These networks
are used to share and exchange information which can be a text file, image file or multimedia
file. But problems come when a user faces a problem and due to lack of technical knowledge
have to abandon work.

You will be able to know and care about the common network problems and the necessary
steps which you should adopt to solve them:

problems The possible causes of the problems Resolutions to solve the problems

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 When the two computers are assigned with
same IP address by manual mistake then it
will give rise to the connection problem.
 This can initiate connection error with the
computer of parent network.
IP and NIC  The NIC is an important component which is
issue responsible for establishing a temporary
connection of your computer to computer
network
 Sometime while working Computer shows
“No Network access” or service not available
for your computer with a web server error
code HTTP 504.
No Network
Access
 Sometime the security restriction created by
user led to the denial of network access
services.
 The firewall restrictions don’t allow your
No Network
computer to share the documents including
Access due to text or image from/over the network
Firewall computers.
Sometime absence of network connectivity is
Restriction due to firewall restrictions.
 These restrictions will not let you to connect
to the desired network
 You have noticed that the speed with which
you access network resources varies with
time.
Declination in
 Most of the people have mistaken that
speed while
excess data transmission is the reason for
accessing speed declination.
network  This usually happens due to improper
resources network planning which leads to sluggish
data transmission
 In case of wired connection due to some
faulty connection or physically damaged can
cause regular drops network connection
Regular
Network
connection
failure
PERPARD BY Andom T.
 Identify the concerned computers and
assign them unique IP address.
 For Solving Network Interface card related
issues Ping the computer and change the
faulty settings.
 Checks whether all the devices are properly
connected if not then reseat all the
connection.
 There are some unreachable areas also
known as Cold Spots at which internet
connection is not available, to eliminate this
problem Check the router or hub settings
and re plan the whole network.
 For solving this problem you have to change
your PC firewall settings and thus enable
your computer to get access to the services
offered by the network.
 Highly secured Firewall settings are
mandated for boosting up your computer
security from threats but sometime for
accessing the network services it is required
lowering the security
 Re plan the network properly and allocates
resources according to the need.
 It is always advised to zip up bulky files this
will reduce the burden on the network.
 Also identify whether your network card is
configured in transmit mode indicates the
card is used excessively and the network
card is not working so replace it with the
new one compatible to your computer
 For resolving this problem examine the
network cables if there is any cut then
replace it.
 In case of wireless network identify the cold
spot and faulty router settings, and then
correct them. It is very difficult to
troubleshoot the problem in wireless network
but some sensible decision can eliminate
your problem.
 If you still have some queries
pertaining to computer networks then
you can use the online technical
support services
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 Training, Teaching and Learning Material Development Care for Networks and Computer Hardware ICT ITSS2

Peripheral devices: are hardware devices which are added to a host computer in order to
expand its abilities. They may be internal or external to the computer. And also possible to
identify hardware’s required to set up a computer network. Commonly they are classified by
their purpose:

 Input devices such as keyboards and scanners.

 Output devices such as printers.
 Storage devices such as external hard drives.
 computer network devices such as Network Cables, Network Card, Hub, Bridge,
Switch, Patch panel, Routers, Firewall

To determine the appropriate methods of working with these devices, knowledge of the
following is required:

 Manufacturer’s requirements
 Occupational Health and Safety (OH & S) requirements and safe work practices

1.1.4. Warranties and support

Before acquiring hardware peripheral devices, it is vital to assess what kind of warranties,
service and support, prospective suppliers will provide.

Warranties

A warranty is an agreed upon term which covers a computer or computer component.

Generally, most computers have a 1 or 3 year warranty. This warranty may or may not cover
the service, repair and replacement of computer parts.
An extended warranty is an available option provided by manufacturers or third-party
companies that provides additional support and/or repair of a computer or other hardware
devices beyond its standard warranty.

Service and support

It is important to know what kind of support services are offered by the prospective supplier.
There are many questions to consider such as:
 If a device requires repairs does it have to be sent back to the supplier (called ‘Return to
base’) or will they provide on-site visits?
 What is the average response time if service is required?
 What kinds of maintenance and repair costs could be incurred during the duration of use
of the device?
 Will the device require regular servicing? If so, how many services will be necessary
over a one-year period?

System specifications

It is important to find out the specifications of the computer system you are planning to
connect the peripheral device to. Many newer types of peripheral devices require a specific

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Training, Teaching and Learning Material Development Care for Networks and Computer Hardware ICT ITSS2
amount of memory, CPU speed, hard disk space, and may only be compatible with certain
operating systems.
You also need to be aware of the peripheral’s system requirements. The manual for the
peripheral device as well as the manufacturer’s website will help you determine the
minimum system specifications.

Compatibility

Compatibility is the ability of a system or a product to work with other systems or products
without special effort on the part of the customer. One way products achieve interoperability
is to comply with industry interface standards. For example, a memory module is compatible
with a motherboard because the manufacturer of the memory module and the motherboard
both work to the same industry standard.

Technical specifications

Once the business requirements have been considered, the technical specifications of the
hardware device need to be evaluated. Areas for evaluation include the following:

 Processing speed of the CPU

 Storage capacity of the hard drive
 Size of memory (RAM)
 Software capabilities
 Compatibility with existing systems
 Upgradeability

The technical specifications to be considered will depend on the computer hardware device
to be purchased. For example, technical specifications to be considered for a printer include:

 Interface – USB or network

 Resolution – measured in dots per inch
 Printing speed – measured in pages per minute
 Memory
 Paper capacity

Warranty

When computer hardware devices are purchased, the supplier provides a guarantee that if a
fault develops in the equipment within a certain time, they will repair or replace it free of
charge.
Organizations need to consider the warranty conditions before purchasing to ensure their
business needs will be met. Common warranty conditions include:

 The length of the warranty – typically one or more years.

 The actions needed to have the repairs undertaken. Either the repairs will be done
on-site or the equipment will need to be returned to the supplier, known as return-to-
base.
 How long the supplier has to make good any required repairs
 Any exclusions to the warranty, such as damage caused to hardware by accidental
damage.

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Training, Teaching and Learning Material Development Care for Networks and Computer Hardware ICT ITSS2
The level of service purchased by an organization will depend on how critical the device is to
the IT system.

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an agreement which sets out the level of service and
maintenance to be provided.

Organizational policies

Some organizations have a policy of using preferred suppliers for computer hardware
purchases. This ensures the quality and consistency of computer hardware devices is
maintained throughout an organization.

A standard operating environment is a specification for computer hardware and software

which organizations develop to maintain consistency and reduce support costs.  Many
organizations such as universities, publish their standard operating environment policies on
the internet. For an example, visit the Edith Cowan University Standard Operating
Environment website

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