CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION

I.1. ABSTRACT

Network Technology refers to computer network, a collection of

computers and devices connected by communications channels that facilitates

communications among users and allows users to share resources with other

users. This enables computer users to share hardware, resources and

information. Aside sharing information, the computer network enables users to

share Internet access. This can also be categorized in different ways. One

category is according to its geographical area. Local Area Network or LAN is a

small network where computers are linked together in a small area like a room,

an office, a building or a campus. Wide Area Network or WAN is a network that

spans over a large geographical area. It covers cities, regions, continents and

even the whole world.

With the advent of advance electronic communications, there has been a

rapid transformation in network technology. Such event had created new

business opportunities and brought about major changes in the way people live,

learn, think, work and do business, and in their relations with each other. Indeed,

more businesses are using network technology to communicate, store and share

a variety of information, and to obtain necessary resources for business

operations. Home users can enjoy sharing music, streaming movies and printers

from any computer. Such technology has also been a great help to teachers and

students in schools. Students can log on to any computer and work on their own

protected folder. Teachers check the students work from a shared area without

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having a massive pile of papers or books. Moreover, different school

departments can share files and documents with each other.

Although there is a strong desire to push advance technology in

education, many obstacles to implementation still exists. As a result, there are

schools that do not have computer networks. One of these schools is DALLAG

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL. It is an educational institution run and funded by the

Philippine government. It is located at Dallag, Arakan, North Cotabato. This

school has been utilizing a paper-based manual system in keeping the students’

records. They have thirteen (13) computers. All are in good condition. However,

they are not connected to each other. Thus, the records are transmitted

manually. Such system might result to data redundancy, data inconsistency or

worst data loss.

This paper examines the current system used by the school. It explains

the need to promote network technology that will certainly help the school in

reinforcing advance technology in education and in handling necessary

information related to school operations.

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I.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

GENERAL PROBLEM:

DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL has no existing computer network.

File transfer is done manually resulting to wastage of space, problem in

searching records manually, data redundancy, insufficient security of backups,

no updated reports, data inconsistency and problems in retrieving lost records.

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS:

There are ten(10) computer units at the Computer Laboratory. These

units are not connected from each other. As a result, student cannot log on to

any other computer. They do not have access to other units as well to the

Internet. On the other hand, the teacher has to go through each computer units

to check each student’s work. Moreover, the teacher has to install application

software individually to each computer unit. The eleventh (11 th) computer unit is

located at the School Treasurer’s Office(STO). This unit is used to keep all the

financial statements concerning the school operations. However, all of the

financial records must be transmitted manually to the Administration office. The

twelfth (12th) computer unit is located at the library. This unit keeps the inventory

reports. Everything from booking updates to other operations had to be done with

instruction by the administration manually. The last computer unit is located at

Administration’s Office. It keeps all the student and school files. Files cannot be

accessed anywhere from every school department. As a result, School staff has

to come to the office whenever they want to access a record from the computer

unit.

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I.3. OBJECTIVES

This action research aims to:

1. formulate a solution from the problems encountered by DALLAG

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL in handling school files;

2. design and build a simple local area network as a replacement of

DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL’s current paper-based manual

system in handling school files such as student records;

3. to make all programs, data and equipment available to the faculty,

staff and students on the network without the regard to the physical

location of the resource;

4. integrate computer and network security into the installation of

network software and hardware; and

5. provide appropriate user training and "help desk" assistance to the

faculty and staff.

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1.4. DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. computer network – two or more computers that are connected together

to share resources such as hardware, data, and software

2. data redundancy – the occurrence of values for data elements more than

once within a file.

3. Fast Ethernet – Fast Ethernet is a local area network (LAN) transmission

standard that provides a data rate of 100 megabits per second.

4. help desk – a help desk is an information and assistance resource that

troubleshoots problems with computers or similar products. 

5. LAN – Local Area Network, two or more personal computers or

workstations, usually in a common office area, physically linked together

by a common file server

6. node – is any device connected to a computer network. Nodes can be

computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, or various

other network appliances.

7. Packet Tracer – a Cisco router simulator that offers students and

teachers a tool to learn the principles of networking as well as develop

Cisco Technology specific skills

8. router – a device that forwards data packets along networks.

9. Serial Interface - provides serial connections to remote sites such as

WANs

10. sub network –  a section of a large network that functions as an

independent network, but does not appear separate to remote networks

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11. static routing – is simply the process of manually entering routes into a

device's routing table via a configuration file that is loaded when

the routing device starts up. 

12. WAN – Wide Area Network, WANs are networks that span the distance

between buildings, cities and even countries.

13. wireless connection – refers to any type of computer network that is

wireless, and is commonly associated with a telecommunications network

whose interconnections between nodes is implemented without the use of

wires

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This action research will only focus on promoting network technology to

replace DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL’s current paper-based manual

system in handling school files. A small local area network will be implemented

within the campus. This study also includes four of DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH

SCHOOL Departments, namely, Administration, Library, School Treasurer and

the Computer Laboratory. This project will facilitate productivity via computer of

faculty, staff, and students. The project will be completed by first semester of

School Year 2011 to 2012.

For the designing of the network, the group will use Packet Tracer 5.3.

Such network is composed of four (4) routers where each router uses different

interfaces like Fast Ethernet and Serial. Each sub network has a wireless

connection where each node uses wireless Network Interface Cards (NICs). The

entire network will be configured using static routing.

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1.6 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

FIGURE 1

Figure 1 shows a conceptual framework how each department of

DALLAG NATIONAL HIGHSCHOOL is dependent to the computer network. This

shows also the role of computer network in each department.

FIGURE 2

Figure 2 shows a network diagram of how each department is linked to

the school’s local area network. This includes connectivity to all computers in

every department back to a central network.

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1.7 HYPOTHESIS

DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL must have an existing computer

network. Computer Networks connect and link unlimited number of computers.

This in turn connects the people using those computers. Individuals within a work

group are connected through local area networks. Such network technology

would help DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL to be more efficient in all

aspects and most especially in record keeping. Records can help the school

gain efficiencies and enhance their performance in terms of handling files. With

computer networking system, the school treasurer can use software to store

information, summarize data, generate and print reports and sort transactions

into categories and subcategories. Networking provides the advantage of

centralization of data from all the user systems to one system where it can be

managed in an easy and better way. Thus, the School Administrator can manage

all this data efficiently and in the best interest of the institution. Even the access

of this data becomes easy for the faculty, staff and students. Sharing of data

through the use of networks helps save a lot of time and energy. With this, the

teachers will be able to access a student’s work from a shared area without

having to go through each computer. The students will be able to work with their

protected folders from any of the computers within the network.

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1.8. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This action research can be a learning paradigm to enhance the students’

knowledge both in theoretical and practical aspects of Computer Networking.

This is but a small contribution that not only basic education be learned by

today’s students but acquisition of learning skills and knowledge for gainful

employment and full participation in country’s society since today nearly every

organization uses computer network. The project’s goal is designed to

help students improve academic competence in terms of designing and building

a computer network, develop employability skills, implement a career plan and

participate in a career pathway in preparation for future. This goal can be

achieved through the mentors that can teach the students about designing and

building a computer network. The output of this study is a source material that

the teachers can assimilate and disseminate with their students. This will serve

as a future reference for researchers planning to conduct an action research on

the subject of Networking Technology. Moreover, the purpose of this research is

to gain a better understanding of and/or perspective on how to design and build a

computer network from a manual based system of file transfer.

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CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

II.1 COMPUTER NETWORK

A computer network refers to a collection of computers, printers and other

equipment that is connected together so that they can communicate with each

other. It comprises a minimum of at least two (2) computer units, cables that

connect the computers to each other, although wireless communication is

becoming more common, a network interface device on each computer or

wireless NICs for wireless connection, a switch used to switch the data from one

point to another for hubs are outdated nowadays, network operating system

software and a router used to forward data packets along networks. A router is

connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN and

its ISP's network. There are two types of computer network, namely, LAN and

WAN. Local Area Network (LAN) is used to connect two or more computers

within a small area while Wide Area Network (WAN) is used to connect two or

more computers in a larger or wider area.

II.2 IMPACT OF COMPUTER NETWORKING IN BUSINESS, HOMES AND

SCHOOLS

Computer networks are becoming a very important tool in successfully

linking people together for a variety of reasons. Computer networks have opened

the flood gates of information and enables instant access to information anytime

and anywhere. The impact of computer network on business is vast. It is

affecting nearly every facet of human endeavor. One effect is to speed up and to

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simplify the process of work. A local area network connects company’s

computers, allowing them to share and exchange a variety of information. Even

the smallest businesses can take advantage of networking to share the cost of

peripherals such as printers and scanners and provide access to shared data.

Indeed, Networks now contribute to the globalization of production and capital

markets by reducing the cost of information and communication.

Computer networks have existed for more than thirty years, but only

relatively recently have they become popular in homes. Today, almost homes

have home computer networks. In a home computer network, users could easily

access files from one computer to another. At home, it is easy too to set up all of

the computers to share a single printer. Moreover, multiple family members can

access the Internet simultaneously without having to pay an ISP for multiple

accounts. Also, many popular home computer games support LAN mode where

friends and family can play together.  

In schools, computer network has become beneficial to all faculty, staff

and students. Networks provide a very rapid method for sharing and transferring

files. Without a network, files are shared by copying them to floppy disks, then

carrying or sending the disks from one computer to another. This method of

transferring files in this manner is very time-consuming. On a network, the school

can share a program from one computer to another computer instead of buying

individual license for each program in each computer. One of the greatest

benefits of installing a network at a school is the fact that all of the software can

be loaded on one computer. This eliminates a tedious work on behalf of the

faculty and staff. Most schools cannot afford enough laser printers, fax machines,

modems, scanners, and CD-ROM players for each computer. However, through

computer network, the school can share these resources. School networks allow

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students to access their files from computers throughout the school. Students

can now browse through catalogs, periodicals, websites, blogs and databases.

Thus, computer networks have helped the students enhanced their learning

skills.

II.3 DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL is a Filipino school. It is run and

funded by the Philippine Government. It is located at Dallag, Arakan, North

Cotabato. It has four year levels from first year to fourth year high school. Each

year level has one section. Thus, Dallag National High School has a small

population of students.

DALLAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL campus has four (4) one-storey

buildings. It is subdivided into four existing departments, namely, Administration

Department, Library Department, Computer Department and Finance

Department.

Administration Department manages the school office ensuring the

organization and efficient execution of all school office activities and the

supervision and training of any clerical assistants. Library Department engages in

the acquisition of material for the library and classifies library materials so that

they will be found on the library's shelves. Computer Department has the ten (10)

computer units. It is where students do their hands-on activities. Lastly, Finance

Department is in charge of finances, accounting and investment activities of the

school.

All departments are using a manual based of transferring files from one

department to another department. Such system might result to problems like

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data redundancy, insufficient security of backups, no updated reports and data

inconsistency. Indeed, this paper conducts a research that would help for the

implementation of computer networking as a placement of the said system.

II.4 PACKET TRACER 5.3

Packet Tracer is a Cisco router simulator that can be utilized in training

and education, but also in research for simple computer network simulations. It is

commonly used by Cisco Networking Academy students working towards Cisco

Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification. Packet Tracer is currently at

version 5.3.1 and can be obtained from the Packet Tracer website. Version 5.3.1

is available for Windows and GNU/Linux operating systems. Figure 3 shows

Packet Tracer’s Window Interface.

System requirements

CPU: Intel Pentium 300 MHz or equivalent

OS: Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home

Premium, Fedora 7, or Ubuntu 7.10

RAM: 96 MB

Storage: 250 MB of free disk space

Screen resolution: 800 x 600 or higher

Macromedia Flash Player 6.0 or higher

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Figure 3

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CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY

III.1 OVERVIEW

This research was conducted in order to determine whether computer

networking has a significant role in the replacement of DALLAG NATIONAL

HIGH SCHOOL’s current manual system in handling file transfer. The group

conducted interviews from the faculty, staff and students. The advantages and

disadvantages as well as the reliability of this instrument were also part of the

objectives. In order to answer these research goals, the group opted to obtain the

view of faculty, staff and students in line with this topic. Specifically, a total of 10

respondents from fourth year high school level and faculty were randomly

selected to make up the sample. Selected participants answered the interview.

Data gathered from this research instrument were then analyzed for

interpretation. Along with this, the group also made use of some resources in the

form of published articles and literatures to support the survey result.

III.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

The group used a descriptive type of research method. The type of

question asked by the group will ultimately determine the type of approach

necessary to complete an accurate assessment of the topic at hand. Descriptive

method studies primarily concerned with finding out what might be applied to

investigate the following questions related to this study.

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III.3 PARTICIPANTS

The participants were chosen at random. This sampling method is

conducted where each member of a population has an equal opportunity to

become part of the sample. As all members of the population have an equal

chance of becoming a research participant, this is said to be the most efficient

sampling procedure. In order to conduct this sampling strategy, the group defined

the population of fourth year high school and the faculty first, listed down all the

members of the population and then selected members to make the sample.  For

this procedure, the lottery sampling technique was employed. This method

involves the selection of the sample at random from the listed names.

III.4 INSTRUMENTS

The interview was divided into two sections:  a profile and the question

proper. The profile contains characteristics of the respondents such as age,

gender, civil status, the number of years they had studied or served at the

school. For the faculty, they were asked about their assigned job position. The

question proper explored the perceptions of the students and faculty the existing

status of the computers at the school as well as the current system used by the

school. It has questions that identify the advantages and disadvantages of using

computer network in all of the departments. All answers from the interview were

noted by the group.

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III.5 DATA ANALYSIS

III.6 Ethical Considerations

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