Network+Administration

The SOL technology initiative requires each school to have highspeed network connection to the Internet, whether it is provided via the division or obtained directly from an Internet service provider (ISP).

One of the factors controlling application performance on network is the amount of available bandwidth. As more applications and services are activated on the network, they contend for available bandwidth. Modeling and simulation applications, video streaming, and some graphics applications demand significantly more bandwidth than spreadsheet file transfer. Schools using VoIP should consider the bandwidth requirements (minimum of 512 Kbps) for this service while using the same network for SOL testing (Unuth, 2007). An application impact analysis can help determine what impact an application will have on the network prior to deployment.

Estimating bandwidth needs for administering online SOL tests is necessary part of preparing for online SOL testing and for achieving School Readiness Certification as part of the Webbased SOL Technology Initiative. Details regarding bandwidth requirements for administering online SOL tests are outlined in the Virginia Online Testing Technical Guidelines available at __ http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Assessment/Online/ __.

Unneeded protocols and services should be removed from workstations and servers. For example, if server is not being used for email, the email services and the SMTP and POP3 protocols should be removed. Unnecessary protocols can slow down network communications and pose security threats.

Network servers and other software applications should not route traffic; instead, use routers, switches, or enhanced firewalls. To alleviate bandwidth constraints, consider installing Webcaching devices. This can significantly improve other Webbased activities where students access static content or standard HTML pages. It should be noted, however, that this will not help testing requirements because test content cannot be cached.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) should be the network protocol. Names for each device on the network should follow geographical boundaries or functions. Define schema for naming and assigning addresses to each device on the network. Use private IP addresses, i.e., do not assign them to others on the Internet. The Network Information Centre has reserved certain addresses that will never be registered publicly. Private IP addresses are found in the following ranges:


 * 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
 * 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
 * 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

Other recommendations include the following:
 * Use local DNS (domain name service) at the school and district level to improve name resolution and manageability
 * Use DHCP (dynamically assigned IP addresses)

Implement a mechanism for managing the network and capturing performance statistics. A diagram of the network infrastructure should be developed using a copy of the building blueprints and kept up-to-date. A sample diagram is included in Appendix C.