This was a 1 year industrial work placement as part of my degree course. It is a record of my tasks and responsibilities carried out during the duration of my time.

1. Kingston University
Faculty of Computing, Information Systems and Mathematics
Placement 2008 / 2009
Greater London Authority
My Placement Diary
Nurul Miah K0619091
28th August 2009

2. Typeset 2009 Nurul Miah.
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3. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
Contents
List of acronyms v
September 2008 1
Week 1 — 1st–5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Week 2 — 8th–12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Week 3 — 15th–19th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Week 4 — 22nd–26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Week 5 — 29th–3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
October 2008 4
Week 6 — 6th–10th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Week 7 — 13th–17th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Week 8 — 20th–24th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Week 9 — 27th–31st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
November 2008 6
Week 10 — 3rd–7th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Week 11 — 10th–14th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Week 12 — 17th–21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Week 13 — 24th–28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
December 2008 8
Week 14 — 1st–5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Week 15 — 8th–12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Week 16 — 15th–19th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Week 17 — 22nd–26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Week 18 — 29th–2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
January 2009 10
Week 19 — 5th–9th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Week 20 — 12th–16th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Week 21 — 19th–23rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Week 22 — 26th–30th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
February 2009 11
Week 23 — 2nd–6th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Week 24 — 9th–13th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Week 25 — 16th–20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Week 26 — 23rd–27th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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March 2009 13
Week 27 — 2nd–6th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Week 28 — 9th–13th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Week 29 — 16th–20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Week 30 — 23rd–27th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Week 31 — 30th–3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
April 2009 15
Week 32 — 6th–10th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Week 33 — 13th–17th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Week 34 — 20th–24th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Week 35 — 27th–1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
May 2009 16
Week 36 — 4th–8th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Week 37 — 11th–15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Week 38 — 18th–22nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Week 39 — 25th–29th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
June 2009 17
Week 40 — 1st–5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Week 41 — 8th–12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Week 42 — 15th–19th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Week 43 — 22nd–26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Week 44 — 29th–3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
July 2009 21
Week 45 — 6th–10th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Week 46 — 13th–17th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Week 47 — 20th–24th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Week 48 — 27th–31st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
August 2009 23
Week 49 — 3rd–7th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Week 50 — 10th–14th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Week 51 — 17th–21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Week 52 — 24th–28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
References 25
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List of Figures
1 City Hall (The Greater London Authority) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Virtual Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3 Linux ‘Tux’ Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4 One architectural perspective of the Linux kernel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5 SCSI Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6 The fundamental architecture of the GNU/Linux operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7 Shell Interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
8 Blade Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
9 SCSI Terminator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
10 Sample LDAP Tree structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
11 Proxy Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
12 Computer Memory Pyramid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
13 Sample GIS Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
14 Sample VLAN Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
15 Sample Daisy Chain Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
16 RMAN Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
17 Network that uses VLANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
18 Tridion R5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
19 Placement Students 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
List of acronyms
APEX Application Express. Rapid web application development tool for the Oracle database
BASH Bourne Again SHell
CD Compact Disc
CMS Content Management System
CM Content Management
CPU Central Processing Unit
CRON Scheduled Automatic Backup
CSS Cascading Style Sheets
CV Curriculum Vitae
DR Disaster Recovery
DVD Digital Versatile Disc
FYN Find Your Nearest
GIS Geospatial Information System
GLA Greater London Authority
GUI Graphical User Interface
HR Human Resources
HTML HyperText Markup Language
IP Industrial Placement
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iSCSI Internet Small Computer System Interface
LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
LDIF Lightweight Directory Interchange Format
LU London Undergound
NIC Network Interface Card
OID Oracle Internet Directory
OS Operating System
PC Personal Computer
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect
PDF Portable Document Format
PING Packet Internet Groper
PRINCE2 PRojects IN Controlled Environments
RAM Random Access Memory
RMAN Recovery Manager
SAN Storage Area Network
SCSI Small Computer System Interface
SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time
SQL Structured Query Language
SSH Secure SHell
STAR Situation, Task, Action, Result
tar Tape Archive
TCP Transmission Control Protocol
TFL Transport For London
TG Technology Group
UAT User Acceptance Testing
UML Unified Modelling Language
URL Uniform Resource Locator
VCB VMware Consolidated Backup
VLAN Virtual Local Area Network
VM Virtual Machine
VMDK Virtual Machine Disk Format
XML Extensible Markup Language
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Figure 1: City Hall (The Greater London Authority)
September 2008
Week 1 — 1st–5th
First day of work started with an induction to the placement program with other Industrial Placement (IP)
students by the Human Resources (HR) department. The induction was about, what we can expect from
our time at the Greater London Authority (GLA), personal development and general background to the
GLA. We had to produce three main objectives that we would want to achieve during the course of the
placement. My 3 Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time (SMART) Objectives were:
1. I must be able to build and run a server on a virtual machine within 2 months.
2. I must be able to learn how to use VMware software within 4 Months.
3. I must be able to Learn Linux Commands during the 12 Month of work.
Figure 1 shows the location of my placement. I started by researching Oracle Application Express (APEX),
Oracle Internet Directory (OID) and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). APEX:
“. . . is a rapid web application development tool for the Oracle database. Using only a web
browser and limited programming experience, you can develop and deploy professional appli-
cations that are both fast and secure” [Oracle, 2009a]
I was learning to build an Oracle APEX website using a two day guide showing examples and exercises to
understand Oracle APEX. No client software is required to develop or run Oracle APEX applications.
LDAP is “Internet standard protocol used by applications to access information in a directory.
It runs directly over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). . . It was created as a way to mini-
mize the implementation requirements on directory clients, and to simplify and encourage the
use of directories among applications.” [The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology,
2004]
The most common example of LDAP is the telephone directory, which consists of a series of names (either
of persons or organisation) organised alphabetically, with each name having an address and phone number.
OID is “ LDAP v3 directory that leverages the scalability, high availability and security features
of the Oracle Database. Oracle Internet Directory serves as the central user repository for
Oracle Identity Management, simplifying user administration in the Oracle environment.”
[Oracle, 2009b]
I had my official Technology Group (TG) introduction, presentation showing the breakdown structure of
the TG, procedures for carrying out tasks, using Internet, email, telephone etc. I was shown how to build
a Virtual Machine (VM) and run Windows Server 2008 by my colleague Luke.
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Figure 2: Virtual Machine
A VM is “. . . tightly isolated software container that can run its own operating systems and
applications as if it were a physical computer. A virtual machine behaves exactly like a physi-
cal computer and contains it own virtual (ie, software-based) Central Processing Unit (CPU),
Random Access Memory (RAM) hard disk and Network Interface Card (NIC)” [VMware, 2009]
I was shown how to build and configure a VM like a normal computer using a software called VMware. I
started creating a VM on my own and building a Windows Server 2008 following the demonstration from
my colleague Luke. Figure 2 shows the structure of a VMware VM.
Using the VMware software, it was easy to create a VM by using the step-by-step processes. The VM that
I created I specified the amount of RAM, Processor Speed, Hard Disk Memory, Optical Drives, and the
Operating System (OS).
I started to learn the procedures for backing up data from several servers on to magnetic tapes including
labelling, loading and actually executing the backup. I did a hot backup, which backs up all of the powered
on VMs to tape. I excuted the following sample instructions:
mtx -f /dev/sg1 status Get the status of the autoloader and what tapes are loaded
mt -f /dev/st0 status Get the status of the magnetic tape
./PrimTape.sh Write a number of 0’s to tape, before the actual backup
nohup ./BackupOnVMs.sh & Run the backup in the background and don’t hang-up
grep -i error * Search, ignoring case for a string in all files/directories
I used Putty to execute my backups remotely from my desk. Using Putty allowed me to remotely login to
a Linux box and execute the backups. After executing the backup, information had to be recorded onto a
spreadsheet to ensure we know the date of backup, type of backup, how many tapes used and where the
tapes are kept. This was done incase we needed to restore a VM.
Putty is “. . . a client program for the Secure SHell (SSH), Telnet and Rlogin network protocols.
These protocols are all used to run a remote session on a computer, over a network. . . In really
simple terms: you run PuTTY on a Windows machine, and tell it to connect to (for example)
a Unix machine. PuTTY opens a window.” [Tatham, 2009]
I had a meeting with my line manager Shruti Chotai. The agenda of the meeting was about, what is
expected of me, my training program, the GLA organisational structure, facilities, etc. The meeting gave
me an opportunity to tell Shruti about my placement assessment. We decided to get my log book signed
at the end of my placement. This is to prevent multiple copies being printed in a bid to save paper. I will
keep Shruti up-to-date on the progress of this log.
Week 2 — 8th–12th
I checked on last weekend’s backups for errors, removed the tapes from the drive and recorded the infor-
mation on the spreadsheet. I also did more research work on Oracle APEX , familiarising myself with the
features of the application and the Graphical User Interface (GUI).
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Figure 3: Linux ‘Tux’ Logo
Attended meeting with Director of Corporate Services (10th September 2008, 12.00pm). Janet Worth
who is the executive director of corporate services (which we are apart of) gave a briefing about the future
direction of the GLA . The main subject was regarding the restructuring of the GLA , future projects,
time scale for restructuring and potential implications.
I had a meeting with my supervisor; this was planned in advance and will continue throughout the duration
of my placement every 2 weeks (unless there are issues). This is an opportunity for my supervisor to see
how I am progressing with my work as well as for me to tell her of any issues that I am concerned of.
I checked the weekly backup document to familiarise myself with the scheduled backups that are carried
out. In total there are six backups that are carried out. On Wednesday there are two backups done, cold
(powered off VM) backup and an oracle backup. On Thursday there is a hot (powered on VM) backup
and Friday there are three backups mainly for the oracle databases.
There are two Scheduled Automatic Backup (CRON) backups that are done on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I had to start learning the procedure and instructions for carrying out the backups because that is one of
my responsibilities. When I was running the backup from my desk I used Putty to check the tape drives,
execute the backup and check for errors.
I did a lot of research on Linux, including commands, shell scripting, general understanding and history
of the OS. I had a test on Linux and few other general questions, mainly on commands I have been using
to run the backups. Test was useful especially testing my knowledge and what I have learnt so far as well
as learning new skills in the process and have a better understanding. see Figure 3
Week 3 — 15th–19th
I attended the Dignity at Work workshop. This is a course in which every employee has to go to. The
purpose of the workshop was:
To understand how dignity at work supports GLAs equalities agenda.
Understand what constitutes harassment and bullying.
Develop awareness of appropriate & inappropriate workplace behaviors.
Recognise the signs of bullying / harassment.
Be aware of the consequences and understand own responsibility and take appropriate action.
One of the two hard disks on our host server failed. At the moment the server is setup to stripe the disks
(half the data on each) rather than mirror (have a copy of all the data on each disk). If the disk had
properly failed we would have had to rebuild the server from scratch rather than just put in a new disk.
Solution was to order two new 300GB hard disks so that we can rebuild the server to use as a mirror
configuration. This means if a disk fails in the future we can just replace it while the server is still running
and not have to rebuild and restore the whole server.
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Figure 4: One architectural perspective of the Linux kernel
Week 4 — 22nd–26th
We had a problem with a weekend backup, as the tape run out of space to write the files to. This was
because a low capacity tape (200GB) was used instead of a high capacity (400GB) tape. So for the files
that did not get backed up, we did a one off archived backup using Tape Archive (tar).
Did more work on VMware, the products we use and understanding the concept of virtualisation. Learning
more Linux & UNIX commands and functions as I will be using a lot of it throughout my placement.
Made a document to record commands and their functions as well as variations.
Week 5 — 29th–3rd
I had a problem with one of our routine backups. We use a Bourne Again SHell (BASH) script, which is
an CRON job. At 1 minute past midnight on Thursday before running the actual backup to tape. For
some reason the CRON job did not work and therefore we had to run the script manually. Once the CRON
job finished I found three servers that did not backup get backed up. I was advised by my development
team to do a one of archived backup for the failed servers.
CRON is a “...utility that can help with automating certain tasks in Linux. For example if you
would like to create backups of certain files or directories each night while you are sleeping,
you can use Cron to automate this.” [Joey, 2003]
I produced a document that shows the Linux directory structure. This document is really useful, as I am
using Linux every day and will enhance my understanding of Linux. Another document that I produced
is a Linux command document, consisting of useful commands that are used on a frequent basis in Linux.
A Linux Kernel is “. . . a kernel is really nothing more than a resource manager. Whether the
resource being managed is a process, memory, or hardware device, the kernel manages and
arbitrates access to the resource between multiple competing users (both in the kernel and in
user space).” [Jones, 2006] see Figure 4
October 2008
Week 6 — 6th–10th
I have executed three backups by myself using knowledge and skills learnt from previous weeks. I have
full responsibility of three out of six backup procedures. The other three remaining backups which Tim
Cambridge (my colleague on my placement) has responsibility. Tim will pass them to me when I have
enough experience and understanding. These backups include shutting down oracle databases and backing
them up before restarting them over the weekend when there is minimal work done on them.
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Initial Probationary Meeting with my line manager at 3.00PM to discuss issues that I have and objectives
set that I should meet by a set period. There will be another 2 probationary meetings, one in 3 months
time and 5 months time. In the meeting I was given 4 objectives by my line manager and 2 chosen by me
to meet before the next probationary meeting.
Week 7 — 13th–17th
I shutdown a server that I would be backing up incorrectly, instead of shutting down the VMs inside the
server I just turned it off just like pulling the plug out of the socket whilst the computer is still running.
Starting to take full responsibility of my backups. I did two backups in the morning on my own and an
error occured on one of them. Six directories, were not getting backed up for some reason, so I began to
investigate. I checked our .txt file which shows all the directories that should be getting backed up with
the ones with errors, and it all seemed fine as the ones with errors were not listed in the .txt file.
My colleague Tim Cambridge gave me 5 Linux magazines, which he felt will be of interest and help to
me to gain more knowledge of Linux and advance features it can carry out. Read 2 magazines which,
Increased my knowledge of Linux in terms of the full extended features that are available..
Using different variants of Linux operating systems, using virtualization. Spending some time on resear-
ching project ideas as well as finishing going through the Linux magazines before moving onto start work
on one of my objectives which is to learn the different environments we have which is development &
testing. I researched KDE.
A KDE is“. . . powerful graphical environment for GNU/Linux and other Unix desktops. It
turns GNU/Linux into a productive operating system by providing user-friendly applications.
A KDE desktop combines ease of use, powerful functionality, outstanding graphical design
and the technical superiority of Unix with the advantages of Free Software.” [kde-gb team,
2009]
Week 8 — 20th–24th
At the TG department we use different environments for testing and developing. I produced a new
document displaying our environment in a simple and understandable way. These environments show our
physical servers, how hey are connected, VMs and security issues. I also did more work on Linux, going
through the notes that I have made previously and adding new info.
tar -xvvf myfile.tar Extract myfile.tar
x to extract, v to verbose mode (tells what’s going on), f an indicator to say there is a filename to follow
and the filename itself.
tar -cvvf file.tar myfile.txt Zip up a file called myfile.txt
c to create, v to verbose mode (tells what’s going on), f an indicator to say there is a filename to follow,
name of new tar file and which file to archive.
I have been using VMWare to control my VMs e.g. view what OS is installed, how much memory it has,
who is using it, taking snapshot of the VM, cloning and various other tasks. I produced a document that
shows information about IP addresses. This document contains conversions from binary, to decimal, hex
to binary and vice versa.
Week 9 — 27th–31st
Meeting with our development team (27th, 2.00pm) This meeting consists of general discussion within our
development regarding where everyone is with their work, what problems they have occurred, new ideas
and/ or projects for future. This week our main concern was that we are running out of space on one of
our Storage Area Networks (SANs) and discussion involved how to solve this problem with minimal cost.
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Meeting with TG (27th, 3.00pm), weekly meeting held by the head of TG about issues that people have
raised and general discussion. This week a Microsoft vulnerability meaning we would have to tighten up
our applications. We had to start applying patches to all Microsoft based products to prevent any threats.
VMware tools as an urgent roll out of windows security patches needed to be applied. The benefits of
VMware tools are:
Improved video performance
Mouse synchronisation with the host operating system
Improved mouse performance
Copy and paste between the host and guest.
diff /tgbackup/bin/abc.txt /tgbackup/logs/0810250309/abc.txt
I learnt 2 new Linux commands md5sum and diff. The diff command allows the user to find the difference
between 2 files. The above command will find the difference between 2 files called abc.txt in different
location. The md5sum command s designed to verify data integrity using the MD5 128-bit cryptographic
hash. MD5 hashes used properly can confirm both file integrity and authenticity.
In terms of integrity, an MD5 hash comparison detects changes in files that would cause errors. The
possibility of changes (errors) is proportional to the size of the file; the possibility of errors increase as the
file becomes larger. It is a very good idea to run an MD5 hash comparison check when you have a file like
an operating system install Compact Disc (CD) that has to be 100% correct.
Meeting with our development team (29th, 12.00 pm). This meeting was a short notice one as it was
quite important. This meeting was regarding a problem that is occurring with our team and the web
development team. The web team wants access to some database and they have to go through us to do
so. This was causing a problem in terms of efficiency and so a solution had to be found.
November 2008
Week 10 — 3rd–7th
Learnt a new Linux command Packet Internet Groper (PING). PING is a utility used to verify if a network
data packet is capable of being distributed to an address without errors. The ping utility is commonly
used to check for network errors. The following are the process of the ping command:
The user would first start by using the ping command to ping an IP address e.g. 204.228.150.3.
The request is sent over the network hub and router
Once successfully received the computer replies to the ping with a pong response
Once received the time between when sent and when received is calculated to generate an average
response or latency time
Example: ping computerhope.com - Would ping the host computerhope.com to see if it is alive.
Carried out 2 backups, powered on VMs & powered off VMs, using 2 different tape drives. One of the
tape drives did not recognise one of our server that was connected to it using a Small Computer System
Interface (SCSI) cable. The problem was when you hot plug (remove and connect a cable while the tape
drive is still on) a SCSI device it does not recognise the fact that you have removed and re-connected
another SCSI device. The command below will add a SCSI device by scanning connected devices.
echo "scsi add-single-device host chan id lun" > /proc/scsi/scsi
To produce my placement log and placement report, I have been using new software called Lyx. This is an
amzing piece of open source software i have used. documents are produced accurately inlcuding, correct
use of white space, correct use of fonts, referencing, citations, contents page, and above all professional.
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13. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
Figure 5: SCSI Cable
“LYX is an advanced open source document processor running on Linux/Unix, Windows, and
Mac OS X. It is called a “document processor” because unlike standard word processors,
LYX encourages an approach to writing based on the structure of your documents, not their
appearance. LYX lets you concentrate on writing, leaving details of visual layout to the
software.” LyX [2009]
Creating backups of keys and documents, we use a technology called LightSrcibe. This allows the creation
of custom labels to be laser printed on the CD, rather than use a marker pen to state what the CD is.
This looks professional and makes it easier to store and retrieve, as it is clearly labelled.
Week 11 — 10th–14th
Meeting with our development team at 2pm. My issue was about one of our scheduled backups. There
are a number of external users on one our servers, and in order for me to do my backup I need to power
off the server for about 2 hours to do so. This caused problems as I powered off the server and there are
complaints from customers. So in future they need to be notified in advance when the server will be down.
I began a new week in my backup cycle and organised and labeled all of the tapes for them to be moved
off site incase of a major disaster. This way I when I receive tapes every week that is relevant for that
particular weeks backup. I use SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) cables to connect the tape drive
to the server. Figure 5 shows a sample SCSI cable that we use to connect to our tape drives.
“(Small Computer System Interface) Pronounced "scuzzy." SCSI is a hardware interface that
allows for the connection of up to 15 peripheral devices to a single Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) board called a "SCSI host adapter" that plugs into the motherboard. . . SCSI
allows any two devices to communicate at one time (host to peripheral, peripheral to periphe-
ral).” [The Computer Language Company Inc., 2009]
I produced two documents, one on VMWare and its features and the other on Security, which highlights
security issues and understanding of threats. I had to show another member of my team how to do a hot
backup on a Thursday that I will not be here. I showed him the commands to execute for the backups.
I was involved with User Acceptance Testing (UAT) one of our internal systems. Acceptance testing
generally involves running a suite of tests on the completed system. Each individual test, known as a
case, exercises a particular operating condition of the user’s environment or feature of the system, and
will result in a pass or fail Boolean outcome.
Week 12 — 17th–21st
Update on the UAT test scripts — abandoned for now as there is a problem with the system we are
testing, proposed to do the diagram on Unified Modelling Language (UML) using a software package such
as Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) UML and the flexibility to do them on word document.
I was asked to come up with improvements that I feel can benefit the way the backups are done and any
useful documentation. Another demo of how to do a hot backup to a colleague using putty, a terminal
emulator. Produced an excel document to keep track of all of our servers, virtual machines, contact details
of users, time it started, end of life , email etc.
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14. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Figure 6: The fundamental architecture of the GNU/Linux operating system
Week 13 — 24th–28th
On holiday all this week.
December 2008
Week 14 — 1st–5th
Covered on the Helpdesk for an hour, which is becoming my regular slot each week. This is dealing with
customer’s queries and problems ranging from problems logging in, Internet not working, problems with
outlook, system crashing etc. I will be using Track IT software that is for helpdesk and asset management
and at the moment in progress of acquiring a license for me to start using this software.
We had an away day on Friday at Kings Hotel hall. This was all about team building, reflecting on the
past year and ideas for the future. We did a number of group exercises ranging from presentations, to
group discussions etc. I found it very interesting and valuable as it is a time where everyone from TG are
not working and reflecting the way they do their work and speaking out and raising issues they have that
can then be looked at and a solution can be found.
Week 15 — 8th–12th
Restoring a VM – tape loaded into tape drive and ran the following commands to restore a cold VM
/bin/mt -f /dev/nst0 asf x Get correct file location (x = file)
tar -tvf /dev/nst0 -b 512 Check what file will be restored
/bin/mt -f /dev/nst0 asf x Return to correct file position (x = file)
tar -xvf /dev/nst0 -b 512 Ensure you are in correct directory & extract
Planned move of computers meeting - This was an office move of about 10 computers being moved to
different areas of the building. Discussed how it will be done. Reading through notes, reading around my
work and software that I use at the OS. I researched GNU/Linux SCSI. See Figure 6.
“. . . The reason behind this is that Linux is the kernel of an operating system. The wide
range of applications that make the operating system useful are the GNU software. . . For
this reason, many consider "GNU/Linux" a more appropriate name for the operating system,
while "Linux" is appropriate when referring to just the kernel.” [Jones, 2006]
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15. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
Figure 7: Shell Interaction
Week 16 — 15th–19th
My colleague Luke updated the firmware on one of our servers.
a Firmware is “Firmware is software that is embedded in a piece of hardware...Manufacturers
of CD and Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) drives often release regular firmware updates to
keep their hardware compatible with new media. Network router manufacturers often release
updates to firmware on their devices to improve performance or add additional features”
[Fisher, 2008].
Producing a user guide for my line manager based on an LDAP project. Using screen shots and step by step
comments to produce the guide. 1 day Sorted out backup tapes in order, sent a batch offsite. Produced
another user guide for my line manager on the LDAP project. This time it was for an Administrator. I
researched Shell. See Figure 7 which shows a sample shell interaction.
“The Linux/Unix shell refers to a special program that allows you to interact with it by
entering certain commands from the keyboard; the shell will execute the commands and
display its output on the monitor. The environment of interaction is text-based.” [Juergen
Haas, 2003]
Week 17 — 22nd–26th
This week not a lot was going on because it was christmas holiday period. I still did the important
backups, which needed to be done over the weekend.
Week 18 — 29th–2nd
Ptching all of windows machines this week as a lot of people are on holiday and it is generally quite.This
is a good time to carry out maintenance, updates to all machines and services. I was using VMware to
patch all of the windows machines. First of all I installed and updated VMware tools, which is used to
roll out the patches and install them. A Disaster Recovery (DR) is planned in the near future of all the
backups I run to ensure we are able to recover services incase of a serious disaster takes place.
“A patch (sometimes called a "fix") is a quick-repair job for a piece of programming. During
a software product’s beta test distribution or try-out period and later after the product is
formally released, problems (called bug) will almost invariably be found. A patch is the
immediate solution that is provided to users.” [Bethea, 2005]
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16. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Figure 8: Blade Server
January 2009
Week 19 — 5th–9th
On holiday all this week.
Week 20 — 12th–16th
Covering on the service desk. I had 5 calls to deal with from customers which i noted down and let the
technicians know. some problems i assisted with like when a customer wanted to know if we had a software
to convert a word document to Portable Document Format (PDF). I suggested using this website on the
internet to do a free conversion. Gathered all of my backup tapes and ensured that they are kept in order
and up-to-date. Restored a hot VM from tape. I used the following commands to carry out the restore.
/bin/mt -f /dev/nst0 asf x Get correct file location. x = file
/bin/mt -f /dev/nst0 status Check status of the tape
tar -tvf /dev/nst0 -b 512. Check what will be restored
/bin/mt -f /dev/nst0 bsf x Return to correct file position. x = file
/bin/mt -f /dev/nst0 status Check status of the tape
tar -xvf /dev/nst0 -b 512 /vmfs/volumes/47cafb46-4a83946a-9168-000e7f25949b/XXXXX
Extract the VM to a location where xxxxx = location
/usr/sbin/vcbRestore -h devlab?.london.gov.uk -u UUUU -p PPPP -s
/vmfs/volumes/461c2df8-668c9afa-eb88-001b7875696e/XXXXX/
now restore the VM from where it was copied to (number 6)
I registered to go on the PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) Training, which will be taking
place between 9th-11th February 2009. This is a course i have always wanted to do as it will help me
grately in my work and also will look good on my Curriculum Vitae (CV).
“PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based method for effective
project management. PRINCE2 is a de facto standard used extensively by the UK Govern-
ment and is widely recognised and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internatio-
nally.” [ILX Group UK, 2009]
We have few blade servers in our server rooms. I researched blade servers (Figure 8)
“A blade server is a server chassis housing multiple thin, modular electronic circuit boards,
known as server blades. Each blade is a server in its own right, often dedicated to a single
application. The blades are literally servers on a card, containing processors, memory, in-
tegrated network controllers, an optional fiber channel host bus adaptor (HBA) and other
input/output (IO) ports” [Weaver, 2008]
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17. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
Figure 9: SCSI Terminator
Week 21 — 19th–23rd
Problem with SCSI cable that is used to connect out tape drive to the server. It seems as if the cable
is damaged so I have ordered a new one. This is used in most of our tape drives. To ensure reliable
communication on the SCSI bus, the end of the chain of devices on the SCSI bus must be properly
terminated with resistors. This will prevent signal reflections and guarantee data integrity over long cable
lengths. Figure 9 shows a sample SCSI Terminator.
“ SCSI Terminators are usually put at the end of one or more SCSI cables to allow fast signals
to be passed through the cable without significant distortion. Signal distortion happens when
a data pulse (traveling at nearly the speed of light) hits the end of a cable and reflects back.
The longer the cable, the more of a problem this reflection causes because it bounces back in
the middle of another data pulse thus mixing the signals.” [Cirris Systems Corp, 2009]
Week 22 — 26th–30th
Working from home due to bad weather. Adding users to our internal system using LDAP Admin software.
I used Lightweight Directory Interchange Formats (LDIFs)to add users to the backend server. LDIFs are;
“The LDAP data interchange format (LDIF) provides you with a simple way to transfer
directory information between LDAP directory servers. LDIF files hold LDAP directory entries
in a simple text format. . . LDIF files consist of a sequence of lines that describe a directory
entry or a set of changes to a directory entry. They cannot describe both.” [IBM, 2005]
Creating test scripts to carry out the testing of the LDAP system. Started doing regression testing on our
LDAP OID system which has a new added functionality. This included using the test scripts to execute
my steps and provide evidence and errors.
“Regression testing is the process of testing changes to computer programs to make sure that
the older programming still works with the new changes. . . Before a new version of a software
product is released, the old test cases are run against the new version to make sure that all the
old capabilities still work. The reason they might not work is because changing or adding new
code to a program can easily introduce errors into code that is not intended to be changed.”
[SearchSoftwareQuality.com, 2008]
February 2009
Week 23 — 2nd–6th
Adding users to our internal system using LDAP Admin (open source software). Figure 10 on the next
page shows a sample LDAP tree structure. The following are a sample LDIFs attributes:
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18. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Figure 10: Sample LDAP Tree structure
dn Distinguished Name (Unique key)
cn Common Name
sn Surename (Last name)
bin Binary
tel Telephone number string. ("-" and spaces ignored)
int Integer
dc Domain component
o Organization name
ou Organization unit
street Street l
c Country
Creating test scripts to carry out further testing of the LDAP system. Continuing with my regression
testing on our LDAP OID system which has a new added functionality. This included using the test scripts
to execute my steps and provide evidence and errors.
Week 24 — 9th–13th
All this week PRINCE2 Training & Exam (Passed the exam)
Week 25 — 16th–20th
Monday 16th - Office Move on Mayor’s floor. This involved moving 15 computers, re-arranging furniture,
re-connecting phone lines and testing that the required Personal Computer (PC) move had the correct
users details on it.
Continuing with my regression testing on our LDAP OID system which has a new added functionality.
This included using the test scripts to execute my steps and provide evidence and errors. Adding users to
our internal system using LDAP Admin (open source software).
Deciding on which software to use e.g. Excel Spreadsheet / Oracle APEX to produce a small system for
a department regarding forms being sent out and data collected. Month 5 Review meeting with my line
manager - reviewed my objectives, discussed new projects and work that I want to be involved with and
any issues I had.
Week 26 — 23rd–27th
London Town Centres Health Check meeting, we gathered requirements of the system and began to work
on a prototype using Spreadsheet because of budget constraints. Internal functionality testing on our
LDAP OID system which has a new added functionality. This included using the test scripts to execute
my steps and provide evidence and errors.
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19. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
March 2009
Week 27 — 2nd–6th
DRPlanning, creating documents with backup and restore procedures which, included noting down im-
portant commands. I gathered information on possible hardware and software that we would require to
rebuild our server environments if an actualy DR was to take place.
User interface design analysis, and creation of a design specification using Oracle APEX for a department
at the GLA. Gathered requirements for the new interface design and began work on developing it using
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) incorporated into Oracle APEX.
Continuing with my regression testing on our LDAP OID system which has a new added functionality.
This included using the test scripts to execute my steps and provide evidence and errors. Testing our
new Content Management System (CMS). I was testing all of the Geospatial Information System (GIS)
applications of the new CMS.
“A CMS is a tool that enables a variety of (centralised) technical and (de-centralised) non
technical staff to create, edit, manage and finally publish (in a number of formats) a variety
of content (such as text, graphics, video, documents etc), whilst being constrained by a cen-
tralised set of rules, process and workflows that ensure coherent, validated electronic content.”
[Enterprise Content Management System resources, 2009]
Week 28 — 9th–13th
User interface design analysis, and creation of a design specification using Oracle APEX for a department
at the GLA. Began to work on developing it using using HTML and CSS incorporated into Oracle APEX.
Testing our new CMS. I was testing all of the GIS applications of the new CMS. There was no test scripts
available for this application so i was doing exploraratory testing.
Week 29 — 16th–20th
User interface design analysis, and creation of a design specification using Oracle APEX for a department
at the GLA. Began to work on developing it using using HTML and CSS incorporated into Oracle APEX.
Testing our new CMS. I was testing all of the GIS applications of the new CMS. There was no test scripts
available for this application so i was doing exploraratory testing.
DRPlanning, creating documents with backup and restore procedures which, included noting down im-
portant commands. I gathered information on possible hardware and software that we would require to
rebuild our server environments if an actualy DR was to take place.
Week 30 — 23rd–27th
User interface development using Oracle APEX for a department at the GLA. Began to work on developing
it using using HTML and CSS incorporated into Oracle APEX.
Testing our new CMS. I was testing all of the GIS applications of the new CMS. There was no test scripts
available for this application so i was doing exploraratory testing.
DRPlanning, creating documents with backup and restore procedures which, included noting down im-
portant commands. I gathered information on possible hardware and software that we would require to
rebuild our server environments if an actualy DR was to take place.
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20. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Week 31 — 30th–3rd
On Monday 30th, I was offsite carrying out my actual DR. Brought 2 SCSI cables, 1 SCSI card, fibre cable
and fibre card. Brought 2 weeks worth of backup tapes to NDR site. Helping filling in the Issue Log as
our DR will start from Tuesday. Remotely connected to City Hall desktop PC and carry on with Work
plan tasks. All equipment ready to begin DR on Tuesday.
On Tuesday 31st, I was offsite carrying out my actual DR. We began to get all of our commands ready,
software installed and hardware testing for compatability. The following are sample commands executed:
Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config Change line to Permit Root Login to YES
dmesg | grep -I hp See if it has picked up SCSI & tape drive
cat /proc/scsi/ipfc/l Show fibre card details
cat /proc/scsi/ipfc/h Show SCSI card details
cat /proc/scsi/scsi Display the SCSI devices attached on SCSI subsystem
load cd (mount /mnt/cdrom) Mounted the CD-ROM drive
rpm -U mt-st-0.7-11.i386 Install mt command
Copy tar-1.8 directory Copy to hard drive
cd tar-1.1.8 Change to the directory where tar command is
./configure This builds a new Makefile in the current directory
.make This builds the program in the current directory
.make install Directions to install the program
restart Restart the server
On Wednesday 1st, I was offsite carrying out my actual DR. We managed to restore several servers from
tape that I have been backing up. This was very successfull. We recovered databases, VMs both hot and
cold. The following command I found useful to use at DR.
vdf -h Displays the amount of free space in human readable form
Our DR was very successful. We managed to recover our intended virtual machines without any major
difficulties. We had a very good plan that had all we needed including, hardware & software requirements,
backup script procedures, log files, file numbers etc. This ensured our backup was structured and clear as
we saved time by sticking to our amazing plan.
We finished our DR by the end of Wednesday, which is evidence of the amount of time we saved by having
a very well documented plan in place and a lot of good organising. We did not encounter any major
problems, but only a few minor ones as we had expected. One of the minor problems was the fact that
we are recovering a VM in a different environment and had to get to adapt to that which we did.
One of the limitations I feel to the DR was that we did not get the chance to test the Solaris system
backups. From the DR we have highlighted areas of improvements to our backup procedures, scripts and
general improvement points. If we were to do the DR again we would definitely include the Solaris system
backups ensuring they can be restored. The following are improvement points in general to our backup
procedure we need to make:
To include a Log File for reference
To show file sizes in logs of each backup
Ensure VMs that are not needed any more are deleted so that our backups are more efficient
User interface development using Oracle APEX for a department at the GLA. Began to work on developing
it using using HTML and CSS incorporated into Oracle APEX.
Deleted a snapshot of a VM via VMware GUI Snapshot Manager. A Snapshot freezes the current state of
the Virtual Machine Disk Format (VMDK) file and puts all the changes in redo files. It does not just a
snapshot of the disk and store it somewhere else. When a snapshot is deleted it has to put all the changes
backinto the original VMDK file. If you revert instead it simple goes back to the original VMDK file and
deletes the redo files.
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21. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
April 2009
Week 32 — 6th–10th
Continuing User interface development using Oracle APEX for a department at the GLA. Began to work
on developing it using using HTML and CSS incorporated into Oracle APEX. Creating CSS files and using
them to set the style of my sheets. sample CSS used are:
h1 { text-align: center;
font-size: 300%;
font-weight: bold;
color: OrangeRed }
body { background-color: HoneyDew }
p { text-align: justify;
color: black;
margin-right: 150px
margin-left: 150px }
Creative Problem Solving training course - learning techniques and procedures in how to identify a problem,
comming up with solutions, ideas to generate, responsibility etc
Testing our new CMS. I was testing all of the GIS applications of the new CMS. There was no test scripts
available for this application so i was doing exploraratory testing.
Week 33 — 13th–17th
Continuing User interface development using Oracle APEX for a department at the GLA. Began to work
on developing it using using HTML and CSS incorporated into Oracle APEX. Demonstration of the user
interface I developed using oracle APEX. feedback I got was generally good, however a few additional
requirements need to be implemented.
Testing our new CMS. I was testing all of the GIS applications of the new CMS. There was no test scripts
available for this application so i was doing exploraratory testing.
Industrial Placement Students Meeting, 16th April, 1:30-5PM (placement review, review of learning opb-
jectives, what next, planning for the final presentation to chief executives and directors.
Week 34 — 20th–24th
Continuing User interface development using Oracle APEX for a department at the GLA using the new
requirements gathered from the demonstration. Began to work on developing it using using HTML and
CSS incorporated into Oracle APEX.
Week 35 — 27th–1st
Auditing all of GLA file shares to enable new file share architecture as the GLA organisational structure
has changed. Error occurred on our proxy server, message displayed saying “Network error: no route to
host”. I realised it could be a cable issue and so I went to the server room and connected the Ethernet
cable properly to the server. Figure 11 on the following page shows a sample proxy server layout.
“A proxy server is a computer that offers a computer network service to allow clients to make
indirect network connections to other network services. A client connects to the proxy server,
then requests a connection, file, or other resource available on a different server. The proxy
provides the resource either by connecting to the specified server or by serving it from a cache.
In some cases, the proxy may alter the client’s request or the server’s response for various
purposes.” [WhatIsMyIPAddress, 2009]
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22. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Figure 11: Proxy Server
Problem with a backup. The server does not pick up the tape drive. Contacted external users of the
server to let them know that the server will be down for about an hour. This enabled me to reboot the
server, which usually picks up the tape drive. After the reboot the server picked up the tape drive and
the backup was completed successfully.
Problems trying to install oracle apex at home. It has a difficult installation procedure and this is when
I found out that proper software is installed like this, not like the standard Microsoft one button install.
I decided to just use the online Oracle APEX that gives me a workspace to build applications without
having to install any software.
May 2009
Week 36 — 4th–8th
Working on the file structuring spreadsheet. Found a quicker way of doing this task. Using functions in
Excel such as the cut and joining of 2 cells command I was able to carry out this task in half the time it
took to complete the previous tasks.
Meeting with line manager to discuss any issues. We talked about my overtime and that I should be
updating the spreadsheet of my overtime as I go along. Sorted out my holiday leave form. Showed my
line manager the employer assessment report that needs to be completed.
When going through backup log, I was asked to find a specific VM from an earlier date. I used the
spreadsheet I have with all of the backup log files and I located the backup log. Using this log I used the
‘/ ‘ to find a specific word within that log. This helped me by identifying what I need exactly, not having
to go through it all one by one.
Week 37 — 11th–15th
Finished populating the file structure spreadsheet (Information Management). This information can be
now used to begin the re-structuring of the files. I attended the Information Management Update Meeting
on Tuesday morning. It was an update on the progress of the file structure and the next course of action
(begin the file structuring architect diagram).
Re-occurring problems with server. Trouble communicating with the tape drive when doing a backup.
Checked cables are fine and then restarted the server and this seemed to have fixed the problem. I
attended the Presentation to directors meeting with other placement students. We allocated sections of
the presentations to everyone and discussed rules and forms of communicating with each other, as well as
identifying responsibilities for each placement student.
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23. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
Figure 12: Computer Memory Pyramid
Week 38 — 18th–22nd
Attended Information Management (file structure) meeting: To agree platform and architecture. Sup-
porting Dev Environments & Dev Team Tasks when needed. Preparation for Presentation to Directors
meeting: each student gave feedback on their sections and what they have come up with.
Carried out a backup that went across 3 tapes rather than 2. The 3rd tape had a different barcode label
so therefore in the backup log I had to change the barcode label to the correct on. I did this by editing
the log file using the VI editor and using the following commands;
:%s/DEVARC14/DEV342/g Substitutes the string DEVARC14 with DEV342
Week 39 — 25th–29th
Development of user interface using oracle APEX has been completed. I showed the customer the 3rd and
final demonstration and they were happy with the system. I have now been given the go ahead to deploy
the system to become live.
Error occurred on our proxy server, message saying “Network error: no route to host”. I realised it could
be a cable issue, so I went to the server room and connected the Ethernet cable properly to the server.
Ethernet follows a simple set of rules that govern its basic operation. To better understand these rules, it
is important to understand the basics of Ethernet terminology.
Medium–Ethernet devices attach to a common medium that provides a path along which the elec-
tronic signals will travel (coaxial copper cable, a twisted pair or fiber optic cabling.)
Segment–We refer to a single shared medium as an Ethernet segment.
Node–Devices that attach to that segment are stations or nodes.
Frame–The nodes communicate in short messages (frames), variably sized chunks of information.
June 2009
Week 40 — 1st–5th
Covered on the Help desk for an hour. I had a number of calls with problems and issues ranging from
having difficulty in finding outlook contacts when sending an email. requesting to borrow a laptop and
projector, account issuest etc.
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24. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Figure 13: Sample GIS Map
Meeting with the TG (1st, 3:00 pm) General meeting with updates from all sections of the TG and general
issues that people have can be discussed. Todays meeting was very short as there was not a lot going on.
I researched Cookie and Cache memory. (Figure 12 on the previous page shows Cache memory)
Cookie is “. . . is the name given to a small file of information (normally less than 1k) that a
web site, accessed by you the visitor, places onto your hard disk drive so that the depositing
site can remember something about you when you access that site, or in some cases other
sites, at a later time.” [Ramsey, 2003]
Cache is “. . . extremely fast memory that is built into a computer’s central processing unit
(CPU), or located next to it on a separate chip. The CPU uses cache memory to store
instructions that are repeatedly required to run programs, improving overall system speed.
The advantage of cache memory is that the CPU does not have to use the motherboard’s
system bus for data transfer.” [Kayne, 2003]
Tuesday 2nd June Visit to Kingston University - Dr. Beryl Jones, Field Leader and Dr. Mike Goodland
delivered 2 separate presentations on how our degree classification will be determined and how to start
preparing for our all-important final year project now.
I tried to run my normal backup, which is all the VMs that are powered off. My colleague Luke had moved
all of the VMs that are powered off to our new SAN. Our proxy server, which I use to run the backups,
cannot see the new san. I have tried all I can to resolve this issue but have not managed to resolve it.
I researched Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI), as one of our new SANs are connected in
this way and i am having problems with my backups as our proxy server cannot see the new SAN.
“iSCSI is Internet SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), an Internet Protocol (IP)-based
storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities, developed by the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF). By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI is
used to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage storage over long distances.”
[SearchStorage.com, 2008]
Week 41 — 8th–12th
Set up three users on our LDAP OID to have access to one of our applications so testing can be carried
out. I have received an email back saying they still cannot access the system. I have checked through the
backend LDAP system and ensured that the services were there. I changed the password and asked them
to try again. This was all I can do; as it could be the correct username & password is not being used.
With help from my colleague Luke, we deployed my Oracle APEX project to live. Exporting the application
as a Structured Query Language (SQL) file, and then importing the file into the live server including themes
and images did this. This was done pretty quickly as there were few data changes to the system and most
of it was theme related.
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25. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
Figure 14: Sample VLAN Layout
I had a meeting with the testing team on the CMS project. This was to outline the next phase of the test
process and brief us on the current status of the project. I will be testing four applications like I did last
time using test scripts for most of them and doing an exploratory testing for 1 applications there are no
test scripts for them. I will also be testing a GIS application, which I have done before and was really
interesting. Figure 13 on the facing page shows a sample GIS map with several layers for analysis.
“. . . integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and dis-
playing all forms of geographically referenced information. . . GIS allows us to view, unders-
tand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns,
and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.” [GIS, 2008]
Week 42 — 15th–19th
I was reviewing the UAT test scripts I did earlier for our CMS . I had to go through the test scripts
and make changes I felt were needed e.g. providing correct Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and more
specific test steps.
There was this one application which I tested last time that did not have any test scripts provided, so I
did an exploratory testing for that application. This time I was told to create some test scripts so that it
is more specific. This will allow others to test that more easier as there would be a test script to follow.
I had a CMS testing review meeting, to discuss how to take the next round of UAT testing forward. It
was decided that the TG would be overall responsible for the delivery of the new CMS system as the web
team who were initially involved in the testing have now been taken of the project.
We use a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) here at the GLA . Basically, a VLAN is a collection of nodes
that are grouped together in a single broadcast domain that is based on something other than physical
location. Figure 14 shows a sample VLAN layout.
“A VLAN is a virtual local area network (or LAN) that extends beyond a single traditional
LAN to a group of LAN segments, given specific configurations. Because a VLAN is a logical
entity, its creation and configuration is done completely in software.” [Tech-FAQ, 2009]
Week 43 — 22nd–26th
First thing Monday morning I had an internal CMS UAT planning meeting. We were told to concentrate
on the application side of the CMS and not the core build. We had to test not just the front end but also
the backend of the CMS (how to add content). I have been given the responsibility to test applications
with GIS integration. As I am testing these applications I have to update test scripts and user guides.
19

26. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Figure 15: Sample Daisy Chain Layout
The first GIS application I am testing is Find Your Nearest (FYN). The purpose of the FYN application
is to provide London citizens with information about their nearest public services and facilities. When a
user selects a location and a category/sub-category it will return the 10 nearest matches, showing them
both on a map interface and as list.
When a search is completed the nearest transport links to the specified location are displayed. I was doing
exploratory testing for this application as there was no test scripts. I produced a document to record my
findings e.g. bugs, errors and unexpected outcomes.
I was carrying out regression testing on the application. Regression testing is the retesting of a software
system that has been modified to ensure that any bugs have been fixed and that no other previously
working functions have failed as a result of the reparations and that newly added features have not
created problems with previous versions of the software.
grep -i tar .bash_history Search ignoring case tar in bash history
grep -i vcb .bash_history Search ignoring case vcb in bash history
grep -i ora .bash_history Search ignoring case ora in bash history
The second GIS application I am testing is WildWeb. WildWeb is a Website build and managed by GLA
that provides information about wildlife and areas of wildlife in the London area. The current site has
been operational for 3 years and has undergone two development stages. The purpose of the site is to
encourage Londoners to visit London’s Wildlife sites.
I was carrying out regression testing on the application. Regression testing is the retesting of a software
system that has been modified to ensure that any bugs have been fixed and that no other previously
working functions have failed as a result of the reparations and that newly added features have not
created problems with previous versions of the software.
We have created 2 new databases on our SAN. This has resulted in more backup tapes being needed to
backup the databases as they are disk size are huge. We daisy chained the 2 tape drives we have to our
proxy server as shown by Figure 15.
who Show who is logged on.
vi nurul.sh Create and open the script nurul.sh to be edited.
history Display the history list with line numbers.
Week 44 — 29th–3rd
Continuing with the testing of my second GIS application for the most of this week. WildWeb is a Website
build and managed by GLA that provides information about wildlife and areas of wildlife in the London
area. The current site has been operational for 3 years and has undergone two development stages. The
purpose of the site is to encourage Londoners to visit London’s Wildlife sites. I have been documenting
the test results for each test case. I seem to find a lot of errors with the application.
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27. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
I was carrying out regression testing on the application. Regression testing is the retesting of a software
system that has been modified to ensure that any bugs have been fixed and that no other previously
working functions have failed as a result of the reparations and that newly added features have not
created problems with previous versions of the software.
kill -9 2586 Kill the process with ID 2586 no matter what.
kill 2586 Kill the process with ID 2586.
find / -name vcbList.txt Find the name vcbList.txt in the root directory.
vmware-cmd -l List all virtual machines on the server
July 2009
Week 45 — 6th–10th
I have completed testing my GIS applications and now will concentrate on testing the Publication scheme
and publication list. The Publications section of the site consists of the Publication Scheme and the
Publications List. The Publication Scheme consists of an entry page, seven Publication Scheme class
pages, and any number of Publication Scheme subclass pages. The Publications List consists of a landing
page, a search form, and a request for information form.
I was carrying out regression testing on the application. Regression testing is the retesting of a software
system that has been modified to ensure that any bugs have been fixed and that no other previously
working functions have failed as a result of the changes and that newly added features have not created
problems with previous versions of the software.
This application was very hard to test, as many of the requirements did not match what was implemented.
I did test most of the test cases and test steps as best as I could do, but it was very difficult to get an
accurate set of results without the proper functionality being implemented. I was told that some of the
test scripts might need to be updated to reflect the implemented application
cal Would give you the calendar for this month (July).
cal 12 2009 Would give you the calendar for december 2009.
ifconfig View information about the configured network interfaces
vmstat Report virtual memory statistics .
Week 46 — 13th–17th
I have been testing the London Assembly site. The London Assembly holds the Mayor of London to
account and investigates issues that matter to Londoners. The Assembly works by directly questioning
the Mayor about his activities, strategies and decisions. It publishes the findings, recommendations from
its investigations and makes proposals to the Mayor. The application shows how to setup each of the
Assembly Meetings page types within the Tridion CMS.
I was carrying out regression testing on the application. Regression testing is the retesting of a software
system that has been modified to ensure that any bugs have been fixed and that no other previously
working functions have failed as a result of the changes and that newly added features have not created
problems with previous versions of the software.
This application was even harder than last weeks one. Same as last test, in that many of the requirements
did not match what was implemented. There was a basic search function displayed on the page, however
the test cases were testing advance features that simple were not implemented, and therefore cannot be
tested. I was told that some of the test scripts might need to be updated as tests are carried out, so that
it would provide the next tester a more accurate test of instructions.
grep nohup ~/.bash_history Find the string nohup in the bash history.
tar –xvf /dev/nst0 –b 512 Extract from single tape
grep -i vcb vcbList.txt | wc Find the name vcb and show word count.
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28. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Figure 16: RMAN Procedure
Week 47 — 20th–24th
Covered on the help desk. I had a number of calls to deal with ranging from, email synchronisation
problems with blackberry, anti-virus errors and password issues. I logged all of these calls as I was waiting
for the technicians to come back from their meeting to deal with the issues.
I have been researching Recovery Manager (RMAN). RMAN is “. . . tool that manages the process of
creating backups and also manages the process of restoring and recovering them in Oracle.” [Johny, 2007].
Figure 16 shows how RMAN backs up the oracle database to tape.
Managed to restore a hot VM from tape. I was asked to restore a VM from tape dated back to May of
this year. I requested that specific tape with that VM on to be delivered from our offsite location and
loaded it in the tape drive with Wright protect on. I ran the following to successfully extract the VM to a
temporary directory and then restored the VM from there. I used the following command to look up the
restore command from the bash history that I have used before.
grep -i vcbrestore ~/.bash_history Search for vcbrestore, in bash history.
clear;ls Clear the screen and list contents
Continued testing the London Assembly site. There are ten test cases, and within each test case, there are
a number of test steps to be executed. I have been re-writing the test cases to reflect the implementation.
I find it very hard to re-write the test cases to match the implementation as I did not test this application
in round one the Tridion VM.
Week 48 — 27th–31st
Covered on the help desk. I had a number of calls to deal with ranging from, blackberry email problems,
booking a laptop and a projector, password issues and adding a new starter to the system. I logged all of
these calls, waiting for the technicians to come back from their meeting to deal with the issues.
grep -i .vmx vcbToTape.sh.log | wc Find the name .vmx and show word count.
Our weekly VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) backup has many errors. It failed to create a snapshot
of each of the running VMs, because three out of five servers were disconnected from the dev/test farm.
For those VMs that have not had a snapshot created, I manually backed up each of the VMs in their own
servers. I used the command below to create a snapshot by hand:
/usr/sbin/vcbMounter -h localhost -u root -p test" -a
name:nurul -M 1 -r /vmfs/volumes/MSA9000Z/vcb/nurul -t fullvm
I started testing the Publications Scheme and Lists site again, as there was a few changes made to the
application. The GLA is legally required to make certain information available in line with its Publication
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29. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
Figure 17: Network that uses VLANs
Scheme under the Freedom of Information Act. The Scheme is comprised of broad information classes,
and the GLA provides more detailed information about the information that falls within these classes.
Although testing applications give me valuable experience, I do find it boring and long sometimes. After
testing one or two test cases, it’s hard to continue with the same focus and drive. Taking a break and
working on other tasks helps to keep focus on testing when comming back round to doing it again.
Due to train strike on the East Anglia area, I have been working from home on Thursday and Friday. I
managed to remotely connect to my desktop PC at work and carry on with my work as normal. There
are three more planned strikes for the next three weeks all on Thursday and Friday.
August 2009
Week 49 — 3rd–7th
Covered on the help desk. I had a number of calls to deal with ranging from, email synchronisation
problems with blackberry, anti-virus errors and password issues. I logged all of these calls as I was waiting
for the technicians to come back from their meeting to deal with the issues.
tar -M -xvf /dev/nst0 -b 512 -F /tgbackup/bin/test.sh Extract from multiple tapes
Continued testing the remaining three test caseson the London Assembly site. I have been finding it very
hard to test the application, as the test scripts I am using, are inaccurate and unclear. I got guidance
from our testing supervisor who is in charge of the overall testing of the Tridion CMS.
I am re-writing three test cases for the London Assembly site, as they are incorrect and do not reflect the
implementation of the website. For me, this is difficult because I do not have prior knowledge of how the
London Assembly site works or what the functional requirements were.
I am nearing the end of my placement here at the GLA. I have started to update all of my documents I
have produced whilst on placement, that will be really useful at the start of my final year as well as my
project. I have documented my work that I have been carrying out on a daily basis with instructions e.g.
backups, so that the current employees can carry on with the job I have been doing.
Due to train strike on the East Anglia area, I have been working from home on Thursday and Friday. I
managed to remotely connect to my desktop PC at work and carry on with my work as normal. There
are two more planned strikes for the next two weeks all on Thursday and Friday.
23

30. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
Figure 18: Tridion R5
Week 50 — 10th–14th
Covered on the help desk. I had a number of calls to deal with ranging from, email synchronisation
problems with blackberry, anti-virus errors and password issues. I logged all of these calls as I was waiting
for the technicians to come back from their meeting to deal with the issues.
I started testing two new applications on the CMS, Update Alerts and Quizzes. The Update Alerts
functionality is intended to provide a means by which a user can request that they are kept informed
when content is updated in the London.gov.uk site or an associated micro-site.
The quizzes functionality is intended to provide a means by which users can be asked simple questions
in quizzes about a relevant topic, for example healthy living. It is intended that the users responses will
be scored and for the user to be able to access a range of content associated with the quiz. Quizzes have
largely educational purpose, as such the content associated with a quiz and its answers is very important.
date Print the system date and time.
hostname Print or set system name.
I found it difficult to test the Update Alerts section of the CMS. It seems that one of the functions on the
site is missing , and this is preventing me from carrying out the test. I have left the testing of Update
Alerts for this week and will see how to progress forward with the application nextweek.
Due to train strike on the East Anglia area, I have been working from home on Thursday and Friday. I
managed to remotely connect to my desktop PC at work and carry on with my work as normal. There is
one more planned strike for next week, so I might be working from home again.
Week 51 — 17th–21st
The backend testing of Quizzes is very hard as I have no prior knowledge of how the Tridion CMS works.
I have been getting help in understanding how the backend of the system works to aid me in testing.
Figure 18 shows common enterprise web Tridion CMS architecture that i am currently testing.
Due to train strike on the East Anglia area, I have been working from home on Thursday and Friday. I
managed to remotely connect to my desktop PC at work and carry on with my work as normal.
sdiff -s abc.txt 123.txt Sideview difference of both .txt files.
crontab -l List - display the current crontab entries.
Tridion R5’s architecture is a very modular one, perfectly configurable and customizable to the clients’
needs. The central part of any Tridion solution is the Tridion Content Management (CM) Server, which
is very powerful Extensible Markup Language (XML) repository built on top of the Microsoft IIS web
application stack. The second central part is the Content Distributor which is a Java based application
which is responsibile to coordinate the publication process. The content delievery can be delegated to any
subsystem for which you can implement a Java transport layer connector.
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31. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
Figure 19: Placement Students 2009
Week 52 — 24th–28th
Figure 19 shows the placement students of 2009 at the GLA.
All of the placement students had a away day as part of our placement experience to Ashfield House in
West Kensington. The building is home to the training centre (mock station) and recruitment as well as
other parts of Transport For London (TFL) and London Undergound (LU).
Metadata is data about other data, of any sort in any media. An item of metadata may describe an
individual datum, or content item, or a collection of data including multiple content items and hierar-
chical levels, such as a database schema. In data processing, metadata provides information about, or
documentation of, other data managed within an application or environment.
/usr/sbin/eeprom "auto-boot?"=false
I use the above command each time I backup our Solaris server. The command above changes eeprom
autoboot? setting without going to Ok prompt. Allows you to change eeprom settings without going to
the Ok prompt. Here you can set the system not to autoboot prior to reboot.
=E2 & MID(A2,9,50) Select data from two cells (Spreadsheet).
This is my last week here at the GLA. I tidied up my desk and updated all of the documents I have been
using, so that the current employees can use the documents to carry out the weekly tasks that I have been
doing. This year has gone really fast and the overall placement experience has been just amazing.
As agreed with Nurul, I have been kept up-to-date on the progress of this log on agreement that I will
sign it only once. This is to prevent multiple copies being printed in a bid to save paper.
Due to my line manager (Shruti) being away on my last two weeks of my placement, my colleague Tim
Cambridge who has been mentoring me on my placement, will sign the diary on her behalf.
Signed: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Tim Cambridge)
Signed: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Nurul Miah)
Date: 28th August 2009
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32. Nurul Miah Placement Log Book
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33. Placement Log Book Nurul Miah
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