IT 298/299 Linux Examinations and Special Projects This set of notes applies to the IT 298/299* classes. There will be a required examination near the middle of the quarter; for those who do not successfully complete a project, there will be another. To get the best results from the IT 298/299 class, and to do well on the first examination, it's recommended to install Slackware Version 10.X at least once, either in the lab or on your own PC. Install any servers in which you're interested, but certainly mail, web, telnet and ftp at a minimum. You may use Sextant as a model, especially for Apache configuration issues. Know how to start and stop servers and the host itself, and how to modify the fstab to add drives that the installation program either didn't install or didn't install where you want them. (Hint: consider Sextant's tape backup device.) The first examination will be issued on the day indicated in the class calendar. Students may pick up a paper copy at the start of class that day, or download the electronic copy from the class FTP site, and follow the instructions there. Students will select a project before the first examination, either from the list below, or of your own choosing, and indicate your choice on your first examination paper. If it's not one of the standard projects, be prepared to describe it to me and obtain my approval so I know what you're doing. Following are projects that a student may undertake, either for the experience or for grade. These projects are to be completed using Slackware Linux Version 10,X. Your installation may also include other software downloaded from the Internet that will assist in the project. For good and sufficient reasons, the Linux version may be negotiated with the instructor. If submitted for grade, the project must be successfully demonstrated to the instructor in the lab prior to the final examination date, and copies of certain relevant files may be required to be submitted to the instructor n for evaluation. Successfulcompletion of any one of these projects will confer the equivalent of a final examination grade of 4.0. Removable hard drives may be issued for the project, the student may provide the drive ,or use a laptop. Under certain circumstances, a tower PC may be used. Project 1. Desktop printing to the networked classroom printer: This project requires that the student print a plain text test file, to be provided by the instructor, on the classroom printer. Any desired spooling technique may be used, including but not limited to CUPS or a Samba server. This project requires that the student create on the Linux host a router with a firewall. The router sould connect two other in-class Windows 95/98/2000/XP/Vista/Macintosh or Linux desktop computers, with one serving as the outside source and the other serving as the inside target. Project 2. Client-server printing: This project requires that the student network a Linux host and a Windows 95/98/2000/XP/Vista or Macintosh workstation via the lab's Ethernet, establish a print server on the host, and print a plain text test page to be provided by the instructor on the classroom printer. Project 3: Web-Enabled Database: This project requires that the student accept a data query through a web page, pass it to a database server, and return the answer to the web browser. The database and web server used may be of the student’s choosibg. This is a challenging real-world project. Project 4. Listserv Server: This project requires that the student install, operate and maintain a listserv such as Majordomo. Other host account holders must be able to join and read administrator posts. Another real-world challenging project. Project 5. Wiki: This project requires that the student install, operate and maintain a Wiki site similar to Wikipedia. Other students must be able to read, edit and post entries. Yet another real-world challenging project. Concluding thoughts: 1. Anyone who says this work is easy, hasn't done it. 2. If it seems easy, you probably haven't done it right. 3. If you don't enjoy work like this, Unix is not your career field. 7 January 2009 * IT 299 is the actual class number assigned to Independent Study classes, but usually does not appear in the schedule. IT 299 is identical in all academic respects to IT 298 except for examinations and class time.