Tasks

1) Conduct interviews with church administration to determine needs, desires.

Completed

Major accomplishments:

I met with Pastor Randall to discuss what his technological desires are for the new church building currently being built. At the present time he would like 5 computers networked together to share information and resources. He needs church management software and would prefer laptops because they are mobile. Randall prefers Hewlett Packard brand computers.

There will be a Coffee Shop located in the new building and he would like a wireless hotspot so people can come in and surf the world wide web (like Starbucks).

2) Conduct case study of other church(es) with similar needs

Completed

Major accomplishments:

I also met with Tony Perez who is the Systems Administrator for a sister church Calvary Chapel Spring Valley (CCSV). CCSV currently has two providers Cox Communications and MPower Communications for their ISP. They have a cable modem and a T1 because they stream their weekly services both audio and video, through the web.

CCSV has a Windows network. They use Shelby Systems software for church management. The Shelby software can manage everything from contributions to attendance. They usually purchase Dell desktop computers and Toshiba laptops for staff.

3) Research network planning and design.

Completed

Major accomplishments:

Through my research I found that three of the most important aspects of a network are determining the ISP, configuration, and the operating system.

Some local options for the ISP there are T-1, Cable modem, DSL, and Keyon Wireless (microwave). Some different network configurations are wireless, workgroup, or server/client.

The two major players for network operating systems are Windows and Linux. Most organizations have Windows even though it costs more than Linux. Linux may seem cheaper but most professionals don’t use it, so when problems arise, finding support may be more difficult and expensive.

Decisions

We made two very important decisions this week. The first decision is that we will purchase Hewlett Packard Laptops for our network. We can’t afford a T-1 so we will not be able to stream audio and video at this time. We have also decided that we will not use Linux as our Network Operating System.

Learning

1) What helpful feedback did you get in the class (instructor, classmates) and outside the class (user, stakeholder, beneficiary, mentor, expert advisor, others)? What did you learn from this feedback?

I had very helpful feedback from Randall Cunningham and Tony Perez. Randall allowed me to see his vision for the network. Tony having been a System Administrator for a church for the last three years was a very important asset.

I must try my best to find the most cost effective option as I don’t have a large budget. I was thinking that we would possibly put a T-1 in for streaming. Also, I originally penciled in desktops for the computers. It is of the utmost importance to stay under budget.

2) What resources did you use this week (e.g., people, money, equipment, systems, or software)? Did you add new resources? What was your learning?

Most of my research this week was done via conducting interviews with people. One resource I used was Planning a Small Business Server from Microsoft.com.

3) What research did you perform this week that was assisting and/or literature based? What is your findings/learning?

A couple of the resources I used this week are Microsoft and Shelby Systems.

Shelby Systems is comprehensive Church Management software with an affordable price tag.

Microsoft TechNet provided a great resource with important questions to ponder when designing a network.

www.shelbyinc.com

Research Question:

Can I find a cost affordable Network Operating System?

Source(s):

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sbs/2000/reskit/sbrk0004.mspx?mfr=true

Answer/Learning:

Microsoft has designed a specific Network Operating System (NOS) for small businesses. Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 (SBS) will suit our needs perfectly at this time.

SBS is much more affordable than trying to purchase Microsoft items separately. There are some limitations to SBS such as you may only connect 50 computers to the operating system, after that point you must upgrade to a more expensive product.

Indicators

1) How well did you stick to your project schedule?

I did not need to deviate from my project schedule this week.

2) How prepared are you to conclude your project in Unit 10 as required in this course?

I am very well prepared to conclude my network plan in Unit 10

3) How likely is it that you will need to resort to your contingency plan?

At this point, there is no need to resort to the contingency plan at this time.

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