Supporting A/S Programming & Support Courses

[FragglePete]

The school here want to start offering two new courses from September in our Sixth Form. A/S Level Programming and the other A/S Support (the latter sounds intresting).

 

I got hold of the AQA documents that defines what resources are required, and it's left me a bit cold. We're already using VirtualBox with a Ubuntu VM image for the likes of Python so they can run their own code in a sandboxed environment, but I'll detail below what is expected:

 

Able to produce ASP, PHP, JAVA & JScript

Access to different web browsers (and different versions)

SSH Client

Text Editors

Access to and able to configure a FTP Server and FTP Client

Access to and able to configure a Web Server (Apache or IIS)

Telnet Client

VB .Net

xCode for Apple Development

Netbeans

Eclipse

Access to App Inventor (although they do state this is limited in what it can do)

Need to be able to configure a firewall

Need to be able to compile, install and execute their own code

Network Inspection Software (eg, Wireshark)

Make a Point to Point connection to another computer using either Serial, Parallel or Network

Create and configure a VPN

Create and configure a LAN

Subnet Software for working out IP Subnets, etc

Graphics RGB Software (getting RGB Values of colours)

E-Mail Client

Access and use a Support Ticket system

Use phones to deal with support issues remotely

Remote Access Software

Be able to update firmware

Access to various network hardware and software

Access to and configure Wireless Access Points

Able to configure and use Backup Software and restore from this

Configure and setup AV Software

Access to Registry cleaners, Defrag Tools, Benchmarking, etc

Access to a live network

Multimeters, pliers, wire, etc

Forensic Software and Hardware

 

Now, don't get me wrong. Although it reads like a job description, I'm quite excited a course like this exists and will show all this fun stuff, but as a network manager I'm a little horrified by this.

 

Looks like a secondary network is required with old hardware, etc and VMs galore but I'm just wondering where to start with all of this. Or if we've got the time yet alone the funding!

 

Crikey.

 

Pete

[Steve21]

Sounds extreme but as you said a fun course!

 

Personally I'd do it QA exam style. Fat workstations with a built-in local HyperV network and one master machine. Pretty much none of that "needs" a live network does it

 

Keep it off the main network, and just all via a local switch etc

 

At least that way if they break stuff they can self-revert the images within HyperV back without 9 million tickets

 

Guess it depends how many people are doing it at once etc If it's only lets say 5-10 at the start seems a waste reconfiguring servers etc to deal with it if a local machine can do it all

 

Steve