Setting Up a Classroom Network

[infamoustrey]

OK

This is a fairly bad situation and I need some help as quickly as possible.

SO I am taking a Cisco Entry Level Networking Class that my school offers, the Teacher is new and doesn't know how the previous setup worked. So he tore it down...:\.... And now wants me to construct a LAN using what we have in the classroom he came to me because he has little to no knowledge on how to construct a network. I know the basics, how data gets from point A to point B, through switches, routers, T1, etc.. I even know how to connect them all together in an efficient manner. :biggrin:

I DO NOT know the software side of setting it up. We have 19 Lenovo's running win7 proffesional and 1 HP Proliant Server running 2k3 :sneaky:. I Assumed that just connecting them together would be fine, and we could just mess around with it and figure it out. However upon hooking the computers up to a switch that lead to a router out into my school districts WAN, we found that was not the case.

Any support or help is greatly appreciated!

 

[RadiclDreamer]

What part of the software are you needing setup? Are you needing dhcp services? DNS? Something completely different?

 

[infamoustrey]

Well, I'll need to be able to RDC all the computers and do basic level software like IM, IRC, NeoTrace, using the HP as a fileserver to learn how it works. I'll also have to be able to remotely configure the routers, I don't know if there is a software for that.

Because installing LogMeIn on all the computers would obviously be a WCS.

 

[Fardringle]

OK, so you're taking a Cisco Networking class, and the TEACHER doesn't know how to set up a network? It sounds to me like you need to switch to a different class/teacher...

Now if this is just a 'hands on' exercise then that's a different story, but if the teacher truly doesn't know what they are doing, I would be complaining to the school administration.

 

[infamoustrey]

The first thing I told him was to talk to the Schools Technical department and they told him he was on his own. Unfortunately I can't switch out as the deadline was yesterday, so I'm stuck.:hmm:

 

[seepy83]

It sounds like you've got a larger task in front of you than any reasonable person would take the time to walk you through on a message board. But maybe it's not as bad as it seems. Let's start with some basic questions to try to figure out what you're dealing with...

Was all of this equipment (PCs, Server, switch) already set up to be a functioning computer lab/classroom before your (seemingly stupid and unqualified) teacher decided that it would be a good idea to tear it down?

What exactly did he do when he tore it down? Did he just physically remove cables, or did he re-install operating systems, change configs on switches, etc?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Our computer labs get torn down every summer for cleaning, so I wouldn't automatically assume that's the teacher's fault.

Teachers get assigned classes, not necessarily within their specialty. If the football coach who got his "tech ed" license back when that involved welding and small engine repair is suddenly thrust into a computer lab, well... okay, he should have been keeping his skillset up. But it's understandable.

Anyway, I'm assuming this is high school. If this is college, this whole mess is inexcusable.

It would be helpful to know what topics you're wanting to cover in the class. IM and IRC aren't really relevant course topics for an intro to networking class. Neither is Excel, Powerpoint, or Facebook, for that matter.

Honestly, my first community college networking class was heavy on concepts and light on computer time. (Except for some subnet exercises.) Making your very own cables, what all those goddamn connectors are called, IP addressing schema, subnets, subnetmasks, the OSI 7-layer model, subnets, and subnets.

Anyway, if you connect your lab to the school's network, there are probably things like domain policies and stuff that you'll have to work within. These may limit what you can actually do with the computers.

OTOH, there are perks. (like WAN access.) Either way, you shouldn't need another router in the classroom (just a switch), unless your IT staff are either morons... or maliciously competent.

I think it's probably better if you keep this all internal and give up on WAN access. Unless you have a cooperative and helpful IT guy who can put you on your own VLAN and block off an IP range for you to mess around in without screwing up other people's stuff.

But it doesn't sound like you have one of those kind of IT guys.

If you do an internal LAN with no WAN access, just assign everybody a static IP, hook 'em up and call it a day.

Draw a diagram of your network on a posterboard, with IP settings for each computer, and put it in the front of the room. Make it clear that students are responsible for making sure it's set up that way after every class.

I would set up DNS services on your server, since communicating via hostname is convenient as hell. I wouldn't bother with setting up a domain though.

You can use Cisco's Packet Tracer program on the workstations to simulate routers/switches and do your iOS units. You don't need to mess around with physical hardware in semester one. (And if you really want to get fancy, there's always GNS3.)

RDP will work fine in this setup, although you may want to install VNC as well, both for its own capabilities as well as learning experience.

Learn how to write batch files.

Set up some virtual machines on the server for students to actually access for their classwork (they should NOT have access to the server itself - trust me.)

VirtualBox will set up some VMs easily enough - you can give each student or group of students their very own file server to configure. Bonus - Virtualbox lets you VNC into the VM, even if its OS is borked. Adapter bridging should work fine. Remember to save a base copy of each VM's HDD file once it's configured so you can copy them back later. You'll probably need to.

 

[Railgun]

Deadline nothing. If this is college, then they have a problem, not you. As suggested, that goes up the flag pole. That's a class reassignment until some other time of full on drop with whatever monetary credit for it.

If the teacher doesn't know wtf he's doing, sounds like he duped the school.

The first f'n Cisco class is InterConnecting Network Devices. How the f does he not know that.

 

[lif_andi]

Best oppurtunity you will have to learn a lot, fast. Have a good one

 

[taq8ojh]

This is one of the most ridiculous things I have read in last months.
So a teacher who is supposed to teach you all of this actually knows less than a student, and wants a student to do things for him? I would give him the finger and go to his superiors or something. I sure as hell wouldn't move one finger.

 

[mammador]

Buy a central management application. similar to those in Internet cafes.

As it's a school, you'd need to regulate who has access (maybe a student ID for access) as well as block access to porn or a neo-Nazi site or something haha..

Only your IT dept will have both the application and Windows admin rights.

 

[infamoustrey]

Central Management sounds like the best way to go. I know it sounds ridiculous but I can't switch out, It's sucks but my high school has completely screwed me over. I think I will have to do what that guy said and learn quick and fast. :sneaky:

But thanks for replying, any other help will be appreciated!

 

[Mushkins]

We'd really need more information as to what you're trying to accomplish.

For an internal LAN, make sure all the PCs are configured for DHCP instead of Static IPs. Configure the Server with a Static IP at the ass end of the network (x.x.x.250 is a good one). Plug all the PCs and the server into the switch, plug the switch into the router, and don't plug the router into anything at all.

Configure the router to use DHCP for a maximum of, say, 50 devices. Make the DHCP IP pool x.x.x.2 to x.x.x.200 so as to keep the server's static IP out of the DHCP range.

I'm assuming this is a real Cisco switch/router and not hokey linksys SOHO garbage, in which case your textbook should go over the commands to configure these things via the CLI or the web interface (if your model equipment has a web interface).

If you need the network to have internet access through the schools internet connection, you *MUST* get the schools IT department involved, it's not just plug and play.

Either way, this is a bogus situation and if I were you i'd tell the teacher that it's his responsibility to fix this and refuse to touch it. He's supposed to be teaching you, you're not supposed to be teaching him.

 

[seepy83]

Either way, this is a bogus situation and if I were you i'd tell the teacher that it's his responsibility to fix this and refuse to touch it. He's supposed to be teaching you, you're not supposed to be teaching him.

Not to mention that a Cisco entry level networking class should be about TCP/IP, OSI, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, Routing protocols, NAT, PAT, IOS commands, etc. Nothing in this class should be about configuring a Windows Server 2003 box to handle infrastructure services for a classroom, or setting up IM software, or IRC, or anything else that has been mentioned. Sure, that stuff is probably good practical knowledge to have...but it's outside the scope of cisco networking curriculum.

 

[Juddog]

OK, so you're taking a Cisco Networking class, and the TEACHER doesn't know how to set up a network? It sounds to me like you need to switch to a different class/teacher...

Now if this is just a 'hands on' exercise then that's a different story, but if the teacher truly doesn't know what they are doing, I would be complaining to the school administration.

^^ This was my thought as well; how is this guy going to teach a Cisco class without knowing the basics on how to setup a network? This thread either has to be a joke, or the guy is obviously not qualified to be a teacher.

 

[infamoustrey]

Using some info from everyone I was able to get a successful network today. The router is serving internet from the schools ISP and we have unblocked access. The windows server is running and the computers can successfully interact with each other. I just decided to get a network managing software that configured the router for me it's pretty awesome for something from nothing.

Thank You guys for the suggestions. You have all been a great help!

BTW The network ended up looking like this -

 

[kevnich2]

Using some info from everyone I was able to get a successful network today. The router is serving internet from the schools ISP and we have unblocked access. The windows server is running and the computers can successfully interact with each other. I just decided to get a network managing software that configured the router for me it's pretty awesome for something from nothing.

Thank You guys for the suggestions. You have all been a great help!

BTW The network ended up looking like this -

I anticipate you learning 0 as far as cisco networking is concerned in this class. Money well spent.... I'd be throwing a fit if I were you or any other student in that class.

 

[Juddog]

I anticipate you learning 0 as far as cisco networking is concerned in this class. Money well spent.... I'd be throwing a fit if I were you or any other student in that class.

I had the same thoughts; where are the multiple routers? Where are the multiple switches? How are the VLANs set up? Why are there no Linux systems?

 

[Mushkins]

I had the same thoughts; where are the multiple routers? Where are the multiple switches? How are the VLANs set up? Why are there no Linux systems?

While I totally agree this teacher is a putz and they're not gonna learn anything, I feel the need to play devils advocate at least a little bit on this one. When I was taking structured Cisco classes the lab was configured exactly like it is for the OP now. The classroom computers were integrated into the main school network.

All the actual lab switches and routers were in the locked closets, when we did lab work we simply pulled them out, disconnected our workstations from the campus network and plugged them into the lab equipment to do the labs. Building our own LANs with no WAN connection or connection to the campus network was the right move when messing with configurations that could potentially shoot off the lab equipment and cause real problems for the whole campus LAN. It also let us safely play with sniffing and packet tracing without any chance of catching anything but our own totally benign test data.

 

[Juddog]

While I totally agree this teacher is a putz and they're not gonna learn anything, I feel the need to play devils advocate at least a little bit on this one. When I was taking structured Cisco classes the lab was configured exactly like it is for the OP now. The classroom computers were integrated into the main school network.

All the actual lab switches and routers were in the locked closets, when we did lab work we simply pulled them out, disconnected our workstations from the campus network and plugged them into the lab equipment to do the labs. Building our own LANs with no WAN connection or connection to the campus network was the right move when messing with configurations that could potentially shoot off the lab equipment and cause real problems for the whole campus LAN. It also let us safely play with sniffing and packet tracing without any chance of catching anything but our own totally benign test data.

Hmmm I haven't taken a structured Cisco class, only have read through training material, and perform things like packet sniffing and WAN configuration directly at work, so I guess I'm missing this perspective on things; my apologies.

 

[kevnich2]

While I totally agree this teacher is a putz and they're not gonna learn anything, I feel the need to play devils advocate at least a little bit on this one. When I was taking structured Cisco classes the lab was configured exactly like it is for the OP now. The classroom computers were integrated into the main school network.

All the actual lab switches and routers were in the locked closets, when we did lab work we simply pulled them out, disconnected our workstations from the campus network and plugged them into the lab equipment to do the labs. Building our own LANs with no WAN connection or connection to the campus network was the right move when messing with configurations that could potentially shoot off the lab equipment and cause real problems for the whole campus LAN. It also let us safely play with sniffing and packet tracing without any chance of catching anything but our own totally benign test data.

While I see what your saying, my own ccna class had a dedicated lab area with about 6 workstations all connected to a Cisco switch and a small router. It was physically separate from everything. We'd play on it, break things, fix it, etc.

I guess every class is different. I simply hope the OP class has some Cisco equipment in it and hopefully someone who knows how to teach the stuff.