Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Client requirements may relate to networking a:
small business
small club
small home office
small network.
Small office home office network may refer to:
a single or small number of rooms
linking a small number of personal computers (PCs) or laptops and associated peripherals
having or not having a server
sharing peripherals, files and other information
using single type or combination of wired or wireless connections:
category 5 (or similar) cabling
ethernet network hub
ethernet network switch
wi-fi wireless network.
Network design may include:
Bluetooth
broadband:
cable
digital subscriber line (DSL)
fibre
satellite
cellular
dial-up
wireless:
all 802.11 types
dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) settings
MAC filtering
service set identifier (SSID)
wi-fi protected access (WPA)
wired equivalent privacy (WEP).
Networking technologies, devices and protocols may include:
bandwidth and latency
basics class identification
basics of configuring IP addressing and transmission control protocol or internet protocol (TCP/IP) properties (DHCP, DNS)
basics of workgroups and domains
common ports:
file transfer protocol (FTP)
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)
hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS)
post office protocol (POP)
simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP)
Telnet
full-duplex and half-duplex
hub, switch and router
identify virtual private networks (VPN)
internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) versus internet protocol version 4 (IPv4):
address conventions
address length differences
local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN)
protocols, such as:
TCP/IP
network basic input/output system (NETBIOS)
status indicators.
Network cables and connectors may include:
cables:
plenum or polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
shielded twisted-pair (STP)
fibre
coaxial cable
unshielded twisted-pair (UTP), such as CAT3, CAT5, 5e, and CAT6
connectors:
RJ11
RJ45.
Appropriate person may include:
authorised business representative
client
supervisor.
Industry standards may include:
Australian Standards (AS)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
organisational standards
project standards.
Computer may include:
iPAD (or similar)
laptop
notebook
personal digital assistant (PDA)
Mac or PC
server
thin client
workstation.
Installation and configuration tools may include:
basics of hardware and software firewall configuration:
port assignment or setting up rules (exceptions)
port forwarding or port triggering
connection types:
basic VoIP (consumer applications)
Bluetooth (1.0 versus 2.0)
broadband:
cable
DSL
ISDN
satellite
cellular
dial-up
LAN (10, 100, 1000BaseT, Speeds)
routers or access points:
change default username and password
change SSID from default
disable DHCP
disable SSID broadcast
firewall
MAC filtering
update firmware
use static IP
wireless:
all 802.11
DHCP settings
MAC filtering
service set identifier (SSID)
wired equivalent privacy (WEP)
wi-fi protected access (WPA)
physical installation:
cable length
wireless router placement.
Network settings may include:
characteristics of TCP/IP:
automatic IP addressing
loopback addresses
firewall settings:
open and closed ports
program filters
FTP settings:
exceptions
IP addresses
ports
programs
mail protocol settings:
internet message access protocol (IMAP)
POP
SMTP
proxy settings:
exceptions
IP addresses
ports
programs
TCP/IP settings:
DHCP (dynamic versus static)
DNS
gateway
NAT (private and public)
subnet mask.
Networking tools may include:
secure connection protocols:
HTTPS
secure shell (SSH)
tools to use and interpret results:
ipconfig
Net use
Netstat
Nslookup
Ping
Telnet
Tracert.
Security concepts and technologies may include:
authentication technologies:
biometrics
password
smart cards
user name
basics of data sensitivity and data security:
classifications
compliance
social engineering
data wiping or hard drive destruction or hard drive recycling
encryption technologies
software firewall:
exceptions
port security.
Security features may include:
biometrics:
fingerprint scanner
bios security:
drive lock
intrusion detection
passwords
TPM
locking workstation:
hardware
operating system
malicious software protection:
adware
grayware
spam
spyware
trojans
viruses
worms
password management or password complexity
wireless encryption:
client configuration, such as service set identifier (SSID)
WEPx and WPAx.
Common security intrusion symptoms and issues may relate to:
operating systems:
encryption (Bitlocker, EFS)
local users and groups: administrator, power users, guest, users
new technology file system (NTFS) versus share permissions:
allow versus deny
difference between moving and copying folders and files
file attributes
shared files and folders:
administrative shares versus local shares
inheritance
permission propagation
system files and folders
user authentication
Vista or Windows 7 User Account Control (UAC)
system:
network basic input/output system (BIOS) security:
drive lock
passwords
intrusion detection
TPM
virus and malware tools:
educate end user
identify malware symptoms
quarantine infected systems
remediate infected systems
repair boot blocks
research malware types, symptoms and solutions (virus encyclopaedia)
scan and removal techniques:
boot environment
safe mode
schedule scans
update antivirus software:
automatic versus manual
signature and engine updates
use antivirus software.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
identify the most relevant network hardware and software equipment to meet client requirements
install, configure and test the network according to client requirements, and produce appropriate documentation
identify possible security threats and secure the network.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
current industry standard software, hardware, and networking technologies
server and workstation hardware and software
internet connection
live network
network components, hardware and software
networked computers
technical documentation and installation manuals
vendor hardware and software components
appropriate learning and assessment support when required
modified equipment for people with special needs.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of:
current industry-accepted network hardware and software products
hardware and software installation procedures
direct observation of candidate:
configuring LAN equipment in a variety of scenarios
troubleshooting security issues
review of candidate’s:
documented installation process
documented security settings.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.