Subject: RE: MSCTC Advisory Meeting Invitation
From: Antony Pietrzak <pietrzak@cord.edu>
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2011 08:21:20 -0600
To: Tim Preuss <tim.preuss@minnesota.edu>

Hi Tim,

The IT role I play at Concordia varies extensively.  Here are some important things to prepare for  

I am a major supporter of our hardware systems consisting of dozens of different flavors of server, Various SAN systems - and some of their networking.  Good knowledge of hardware may give a prospective student a leg up vs. others in the field depending on the job they are seeking. I would say if you can build up a rack of old depreciated equip or cheap 2nd hand systems and inject trouble to be fixed would be rewarding and educating.  Also have students build systems that can be fully remotely managed would be helpful.  Make them configure a lights out council, mount a drive load an OS, manage a UPS ect..  

Backup technologies(tape, virtual tape - staging, scheduling), methods and practice.  Maybe some exposure to the big players like Symantec or Tivoli.

System monitoring is important, have students build a Nagios(or similar) server to monitor servers and services and get used to automated checkups.  Also have them setup remote alerting and put it into practice. 

Security audit exposure would be good with programs like NESSUS or other security sweeps to define a strategy to minimize risk then develop plans or ways to resolve that will minimize downtime and maintain compliance.   Also general understanding of standards and practice for SSL would be good.  Maybe one of the big players would issue some edu test certs and let students get used to their portal.  Verisign or Entrust perhaps.

Active Directory, group permission management, group policy, LDAP -  Understanding the behavior and how to navigate and manage resources in a directory will be very useful. Defining permissions and managing groups is a daily event for myself.  Create ldifs and learn how to navigate and manage LDAP.

Networking - minimum understanding of the basic concepts.  Firewall config, NAT, routing, trunking, QOS, DHCP and DNS...

Database - know how to run queries and do backups for various flavors, build web and system connectors and work with the data.  Have students build up SQL, MYSLQ and Oracle to have exposure to some of the bigger players.

Programming and scripting - be familiar with processes and ways to write.  Make some .bat scripts and setup in windows scheduler, make some bash scripts and setup a crontab.

Web programming - some exposure to pearl, PHP, asp or whatever the current in demand languages would probably be good to see.  Tie into the DB.   Also tie into the server creation Apache and ISS familiarity and understanding would be good.

I manage our exchange unified messaging environment with a 10000+ user base along with components for voicemail and chat.  Granted this is pretty specific to platform many general communication standards and good still apply.  EG: mail quotas, smart host filtering and management, permission delegation, exporting and importing process, standards for setup and connection (IMAP, POP, SMTP, SSL/TLS security).  VOIP understanding and familiarization.  Smartphone proficiency to some extent - droid, blackberry, iphone....

VMware and virtualization:  The methods for provisioning resources and the scheduling of activities and events change quite a bit depending on the resources you have however it affords great agility in our environment.  I can clone before upgrades and roll back or make true test systems on a whim.  I can roll all systems over to other servers live .  They should also understand and appreciate what should live on the private vs the public cloud so they have good insight and judgment of where to procurer.   We primarily use VMware but there is Citrix, Xenworks, virtualbox to also appreciate.

I manage dozens of application servers quick adaptation of new challenges is an expected trait.  Generally you can get 90% of what you need for a setup from 10% of a manual.  EG: dependencies, bind methods, DB setup, port usage.  Knowing what to look for in a quick manner helps when you are setting up and troubleshooting.  

I would pres an internship or start for any system admin at the tech support level while still in school, if an option, to get a jumpstart.  We have a fully staffed student desk with tech, supervisors and managers that instills the work ethic and affords the ability for advancement and appreciation of customer service while learning various problems and resolutions along the way.  This will also develop the 

Budgeting - make sure the long term costs are realized when a project is proposed and entered so money is available for the upgrades and continues support needed for whatever server or service you are working with.

Documentation - stress this as with the churn of personal or rapid change of events this is essential.  We have a changelog blog that we publish to so we all know what is happening that might affect the campus community.  

This is just a quick brain dump from the top of my head.  Not really formally organized or collected as a lesson plan but more so points of emphasis.  Let me know if you want me to elaborate specifically on any particular item(s)


Tony


-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Preuss [mailto:tim.preuss@minnesota.edu] 
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2011 3:06 PM
To: Antony Pietrzak
Subject: Re: MSCTC Advisory Meeting Invitation

Tony,

We very much appreciate your willingness to help. During the meeting we
try to get the group to talk about current and future demands of
Information Technology work. What kinds of skills are needed now and in
the future? Anything you care to contribute is welcomed.

Listed below is a proposed AAS degree for IT. A couple of years ago, we
created an IT AS degree with transfer option to MSUM CIT degree and a
diploma. What we have found is many students and employers prefer the
AAS degree over the diploma option. What we hope to learn from the group
is which one or combination is preferred.

In the end, whatever you wish to send about preparing students for a
career in Information Technology is welcomed.

Thank you,

Tim


On 2/23/2011 12:19 PM, Antony Pietrzak wrote:
Hi Tim,

Thanks for the clarification and consideration.  I would like to attend but
family commitments would keep me from the meeting.  If you would like some
info on the skill sets and knowledge that it takes to for me complete the
work that I do here I can share those.  Thanks

Tony

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Preuss [mailto:tim.preuss@minnesota.edu] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 4:39 PM
To: Antony Pietrzak
Subject: Re: MSCTC Advisory Meeting Invitation

Tony,

You may forward this invitation if you like. However you are the person
we want. Normally this is a meeting of system administrators and others
talking about what people should know for entry level in the workplace.
As a faculty we take the input and create the instructional design.

This is the group that told us visualization needed to be taught.  This
group told us to teach Linux. This group tells us what is happening in
the field. It is also a good chance to talk to other system administrators.

Tim

On 2/22/2011 4:34 PM, Antony Pietrzak wrote:
Hello Tim,

This may be out of scope for me and my service as a systems administrator.
Should I forward this on to Patti Heisler, our instructional designer here
on campus?  Thanks

 

Tony

 

 

From: Tim Preuss [mailto:Tim.Preuss@minnesota.edu] 
Sent: Monday, February 21, 2011 9:34 PM
To: Antony Pietrzak
Subject: MSCTC Advisory Meeting Invitation

 

Information Technology Advisory Meeting Invitation

Fall 2010

 

The Information Technology faculty at M|State (Minnesota State Community
and
Technical College) invites you to our Advisory Meeting. The meeting will
be
held on March 7, 2011 @ 6:00 pm in room B150. Please contact us if you
wish
to have a campus map with the room numbers.

 

The Advisory Meeting consists of Information Technology professionals
guiding the curriculum and instructional direction of our Information
Technology programs. Our current program offering is Computer Programming
-
AAS, Information Technology - AS and Information Technology - Diploma.
Please contact us if you wish to have a copy of any or all of our
curriculum
offerings. 

 

We very much need your input to our programs. We would be grateful for a
reply to this invitation, so we may accurately plan enough food for the
meeting. You may extend this to other professionals you think would help
us
improve our curriculum and instruction. The meeting agenda is provided
below. 

 

We look forward to seeing you.

 

Yours,

 

Minnesota State Community and Technical College Information Technology
Faculty

 

Chris Goltz, Computer Programming Instructor, Chris.Goltz@minnesota.edu

Deb Flaskerud, Computer Programming Instructor,
Deb.Flaskerud@minnesota.edu
Dave Hjalmquist, Computer Programming Instructor,
Dave.Hjalmquist@minnesota.edu

Randy Johnson, Microcomputer and Network, Randall.Johnson@minnesota.edu

Tim Preuss, Microcomputer & Networking Technology,
Tim.Preuss@minnesota.edu
 

Agenda for Spring 2011

*	MSCTC welcome 
*	Programming Curriculum Changes
*	Information Technology AAS Curriculum Options
*	Important processes and/or technologies (members talk about
important technologies and procedures in their operation)
*	Committee members questions and recommendations about curriculum and
instruction

 

Advisory Member Functions (MSCTC Advisory Committee Guide)

*	Identify specific subject areas of program inclusion
*	Prioritizing the recommend subject areas
*	Specifying appropriate program content level
*	Reviewing program outcomes on an ongoing basis
*	Assessment of program quality
*	Specifying appropriate foundational skill standards for local needs
*	Identifying general education and related technical skills needed by
graduates
*	Recommending equipment to support the program content

 

 

------------------------------------------------------

 

At our last meeting, the group indicated a desire to look at an
Information
Technology - AAS degree. In order to assist the discussion, we are
including
two possibilities. The first is the Computer & Network Technology - AAS
degree as it stands today. The second proposal is AAS degree from Tim.
Please contact us with your questions.

 

Computer & Network Technology - AAS (68 Credits)

*	CPTR1104        Intro to Computer Tech                         3
*	CPTR1106        Microcomputer Databases                    3
*	CPTR 1108       Cisco 1
3
*	CPTR 1110        Visual Basic 1
3
*	CPTR 1118        Cisco 2
3
*	CPTR 1125       IT Essentials
3
*	CPTR 1148       Microcomputer Operating System         3
*	CPTR 2200       Cisco 3
3
*	CPTR 2208       Cisco 4
3
*	CPTR 2236       Network Security                                  3
*	CPTR 2245       Enterprise Network Technologies           3
*	CPTR 2258       Microcomputer System Project             2
*	CPTR 2272       Network Operating System                    3
*	CPTR 2282       E-mail Administration                            3
*	CSEC 2204       Managing Directory Services                3
*	CVNP 2212       VoIP/IP Telephony                                4
*	Technical Elective (Linux 1 recommended)                     3
*	GSWS 1102      Contemporary Career Search                1

 

*	ENGL 1101       College Writing 1                                  3
*	PHIL 1201         Ethics
3
*	PSYC 1200       General Psychology                             3
*	SPCH 1114       Intro to Public Speaking
3
*	MnTC Elective
3
*	MnTC Elective
3

 

 

Information Technology AAS Option 60 Credits

 

CPTR 1108       Cisco 1
3

CPTR 1148       Information Systems
3
CPTR 1148       Microcomputer Operating System                     3

CPTR 1170       Web Engineering 1
3

HUM 2236        Technology in the Humanities                           3

CPTR 1106       Microcomputer Database                                 3

CPTR 1122       Microcomputer Maintenance                             3

CPTR 2272       Network Operating System                               3

ENGL 1101       College Writing 1
3

CPTR 1178       Robotics
3

CPTR 2224       Linux 1
3

PSYC 1200       General Psychology
3
CPTR XXX       Scripting
2 or 3

Technical Elective
3

MnTC Elective
3

CPTR 2236       Network Security
3

Technical  Elective
3

MnTC Elective
3

CPTR 2262       IPv6
3

Technical Elective
3

 

Technical Electives/new classes suggestions

 

AAA

Storage management

Servers - vm operation, server operation

Optimization & Performance Monitoring

 

 

 

pietrzak@cord.edu





-- _________________ Tim Preuss Information Technology Instructor 1900 28th Ave South Moorhead, MN 56560 tim.preuss@minnesota.edu www.minnesota.edu 218-299-6614 One College. Four Campuses. Online.