COM581 Network Operating Systems
Assessment 2015
Coursework Specification:
Coursework 4
Coursework Submission date Monday 27th April (Week 12)
Migrating to Linux
Page 1 of 6
Contents:
Introduction and Requirements
3
Company Background
3
The Company Core Brief
4
Developing the Report
5
Submission of the Report
6
Assessment of the Report
6
Page 2 of 6
Introduction: and Requirements
This coursework exercise requires that you adopt the role of a Technical IT
System Adviser who has been commissioned to produce a technical report for an
expanding Software House named Softspot.
The primary objective of the technical report is to assist the company in
developing a strategy for their OS infrastructure. They are currently considering
moving from using Microsoft Technology, to using a Linux environment
Company Background:
Softspot core business is software development. They have 130 employees, 80 of
whom are in development, 5 managers, 35 administrative staff and 10 IT support
staff.
They create both conventional desktop apps and increasingly they are
generating mobile apps. They see the mobile app market as the future and their
aspiration is to be platform agnostic and develop for all major platforms.
Currently they develop mobile apps mainly for Google Android, Microsoft’s
Windows Phone 8.1 platform and Apple’s iOS iPhone and iPad range of devices.
Each staff member has a desktop machine running Microsoft Windows 8.1 and
the developers and sales staff have portable notebook computers. In addition, all
sales staff are issued with a company Nokia Lumia 1050 mobile phone running
on Microsoft Windows 8.1 and a Microsoft Surface tablet computer running
Windows. Developers have access to Android phones and tablets and to iPhone
and iPads for test and development purposes.
Softspot currently use almost exclusively Microsoft software. In particular the
run on Windows 8.1 Operating system, and their primary software development
IDE is Microsoft Visual Studio. Their office and administration department use
Microsoft Office 2010.
Database
The company has several servers all running on Microsoft OS. These include: a
mail Server, a Web server and a database server. The servers run under
Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2012
Softspot are aware that their reliance on Microsoft technology is very expensive.
All products require valid licensing. However they cannot and will not use any
non-licensed products due to the legal implications.
Page 3 of 6
Company Core Brief:
The company Core-Brief is as follows:
The company requires a report specifically to address the following areas:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
What are the current and evolving opportunities for Linux OS use in a
business environment?
What are the main advantages in moving away from Microsoft OS usage
What are the main disadvantages in moving away from Microsoft
Technologies?
Give three possible choices of Linus OS distribution which would be
suitable for Softspot
For each OS recommended in II abovea. Explain why you have recommended this particular Linux
Distribution;
b. Is the distribution Free and Open Source, or are there costs
involved?
c. Is there good technical support available for the OS?
i. How is this provided?
d. How will support for Networking be ensured?
e. Will there be support for expanding and adding new hardware?
f. Will there be problems obtaining drivers for any new devices in
future?
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
What are the knowledge implications for current staff given their
software development experience with Microsoft Technology
How much will they need to learn?
How would they best approach this?
The report must provide specific answers to each of VII, and VIII above:
a. For Management
b. For the Administrative departments
c. For Software Developers
d. For the Sales staff
e. For the IT department
Will all systems be able to run on Linux exclusively or will some
compromise be necessary
If a compromise is essential explain what this will be.
What are your specific recommendations for the company strategy?
Why have you made these recommendations?
Any other issues which you consider relevant to the report.
In summary, the report will have five main sections, each dealing with the
various implications of the move to Linux:
Page 4 of 6
1. An overview section discussing the advantages and disadvantages of
using Linux versus using Microsoft OS
2. An Impact analysis section explaining specifically how a move to Linux
would impact upon:
 Management;
 Administrative Department staff;
 Software Development staff;
 Sales staff;
 The IT department
3. A section addressing how the company might best implement any
change from the use of Microsoft software.
4. A set of specific recommendations.
5. An explanation of Linux terminology and clarification on the meaning
of terms such as Kernel, Distro, and Operating System
Developing the Report
The first challenge in the report is to consolidate the information and the ideas
posed in the questions presented in the company Brief. You should consider how
best to structure a response which presents the various options, challenges and
opportunities in a structured and yet concise format which will assist Softspot in
the formulation of their strategy.
The report must address all of the areas given in the company Core Brief.
The report must be clear, concise, accurate and current.
Your report should draw conclusions evidenced by the information obtained
from your research during its construction, and must also make specific
recommendations with supporting justification for these.
The style of the report is left to your discretion but a good approach is to use a
Compare-and-Contrast style, which will help inform the choice of the SoftSpot
Company. (Remember that compare means look for similarities, and contrast
means look for differences)
Remember that charts and sometimes, annotated diagrams can greatly enhance
communication of complex information.
All sources must be referenced using the Harvard style;
The report must be accompanied by a Turnitin Plaigarism confirmation.
Views or opinions included in the report must be evidenced;
The report must be generated as a Word-Processed document (Using MS Word
or Open Office), and saved as a Word .doc or .docx..
PDF format cannot be accepted:
The report must have a maximum length of 15 pages A4.
Page 5 of 6
As preparation for generating the report, you are advised to study the following
publication by IET - The Institution of Engineering and Technology
A Guide to Technical Report Writing
Submission of the Report
The report should be submitted as an attachment to an email sent to:
dn.woods@ulster.ac.uk
By the deadline of 5.00 pm (UTC), on Monday 27th April 2015
Assessment of Report
The assessment of the report will consider the extent to which you addressed the
issues specified above. In that context it will be assessed on:
Structure and Quality of the Report:
Accuracy of Information:
Breadth of Coverage:
Conciseness:
Quality of information presentation
Use of Diagrams:
Quality of References:
Conclusions:
Recommendations;
10%
20%
15%
5%
5%
5%
5%
20%
15%
Derek N Woods
February 2015:
Page 6 of 6