Assignment 1 - Server and Site Proposal Due date: 26 August 2011 Value: 20% of total assessment Background In the second half of 2011, you sit back and take stock of your life. You are currently...

Assignment 1 - Server and Site Proposal

Due date:	26 August 2011
Value:	20% of total assessment

Background

In the second half of 2011, you sit back and take stock of your life. You are currently employed by a smallish organisation located in a largish coastal town located on the central coast of New South Wales.
For the last couple of years you have been studying part-time by distance education at Charles Sturt University where your specialisation is in Multimedia and On-line Systems. You are sure this will open new horizons to you, as the demand for computing professionals who are capable of implementing the new Internet technologies is clearly evident, is unsatisfied and is growing all the time.
During your studies it has become even more obvious to you that your employers are not really up to speed with the all-pervasive nature of the Internet and the World Wide Web today. The company has a fairly simple static Website, but this consists only of a few out of date Web pages hosted on the local ISP's server. You believe they do not realise the potential this site would have if it were properly redeveloped, and hosted on-site on a company platform rather than remotely by the current ISP.
You believe you already have a lot of the knowledge and skills needed to do all the work for them in this regard. What HAVE they got to lose? Ever one to offer to take on even more work (!!), you decide to raise the issue with your boss over a cup of coffee one Friday morning.
"Prepare us a written proposal - how about by the end of next week?" is the reply you get.
"But I'm about to go on holidays - I'll be away all of next week", you protest.
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to make a thorough job of it", she grins.
'So much for the surf', you think to yourself!
In this assignment you are required to produce a comprehensive
server and site proposal
for what you are wishing to implement.
Imagine that the document you produce will be forwarded to senior management to convince them of the benefits of installing and running an Apache server on their existing system, an
Intel(R) Xeon(TM) CPU 2.80GHz PC with 2Gb RAM
running
RedHat Enterprise Linux (Kernel 2.4.21-53.ELsmp)
and
PostgreSQL v7.3.21, (ie the current configuration of
Magrathea), and setting up a Website for your organisation on it.

What it should contain

Your proposal should address ALL of the important issues raised in the first four (4) modules of this subject, and present them under the following seven (7) headings:

1 General introduction

This should provide the rationale for the server and site, including its aims and objectives, and target audience. It should include answers to the questions that management would be expected to ask. For example:

• What is a WWW server?


• Why do we need it?


• What can it do for us?


• Who will it target?


• What services will the site provide?


• What hardware, software and miscellaneous equipment will be needed?


• What are the likely costs?


• Will we need to employ extra personnel?


• ...etc

Note that
the above list is by no means complete
and you are expected to identify ALL of the relevant questions which require answers. What other questions
would
you expect to be asked by management (who you can assume are not likely to be very conversant with Web technology), and what would be your answers?

2 Site plan

Your proposal should contain a logical site structure diagram, with accompanying explanations, which should show the services that you intend to provide on your site, and the logical interrelationships between them. There are a number of ways of arranging this diagram - maybe as a hierarchy, maybe as a set of concentric rings, maybe using some other layout - but whichever you choose, remember that it needs to make sense to a non-technical management person who will receive the report. Make sure it is concise and clear yet comprehensive where necessary.

3 Directory structure

Provide a diagram and a description (this time for the benefit of the system manager who will need to set it up) of the file system directory structure envisaged for your server and site. What directories are needed? How are they to be arranged? What protections/permissions should they be given, etc? You should clearly explain why such a structure has been chosen. (Refer to the various "tradeoff" issues identified in Module 3 in your explanation).

4 Security

Your proposal should clearly demonstrate that all of the relevant security issues have been addressed on your server and Website. (Refer to the relevant issues raised in Modules 2 and 3 in your treatment of this section).

5 Content and design

Provide a detailed description of the information content planned for your site, together with the rationale for its inclusion. Where a choice of one medium over another, or one approach instead of another is made, justify it. Outline the manner in which important design issues, such as those introduced in Module 3, are to be addressed, and justify why you have chosen to address them in this way rather than some other way.
Note that this section is NOT simply a list of WHAT you intend to include on your site!
You have already produced this (in diagramatic form) in the Site Plan section above, so you don't simply repeat it again here. Instead, you are to show that in your choices you are applying the concepts you learnt in Module 3, and can justify your choice of one medium over another, one approach over another and so on.

6 Liability and copyright

Provide the text of the actual liability and copyright statements you will use on your site. Ensure that they address all of the relevant issues raised in Module 4.

7 Publication policy

A comprehensive policy statement must be provided. Make sure you have critically examined the issues raised in Module 4 Topic 3, and identified:

• which of them apply to your site, and


• how you intend to address each one.

Your publication policy statement will show evidence of your consideration of these issues.