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Chapter 3 Exercises

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Principles of MIS

© 2008 by Jerry Post
  1. Find a hub or switch and build a small network. If available, connect it to the Internet. Keep notes on the steps you took to build the network and the problems you had to solve.
  2. Find at least one method to connect a printer to your home (or school) network so that it can be shared by all users on the network. How would you limit access to specific people, or track the number of pages printed by each person?
  3. Using the Internet, find at least two software packages that will back up data across a LAN. Briefly explain how the software functions and what components need to be installed. Estimate the price of the software for a network of four servers and 100 clients.
  4. What options are available in your city for data transfer over cell phones? For example, using a Web browser on your phone, or connecting you phone to your laptop. What is the approximate cost, how fast are the data transfers, and are there monthly limits?
  5. Identify the primary organizations in charge of establishing standards for the Internet. Provide the name of the organization, its location, and its current president/leader.
  6. Assume you want to start an e-business. What steps do you have to take to obtain and establish a domain name for the business? How much will it cost?
  7. Choose two existing Web site names. To make it more interesting, one of them should be from a spam site. Use the Internet resources to obtain as much information about the company and owner as you can. Note, you should also check the office of the appropriate secretary of state.
  8. Check vendor advertising and identify the costs and speed of the following services:
    1. DSL from the phone company.
    2. Cable modem.
    3. Cell phone Internet access.
    4. Dial-up Internet access.
    5. ClearWire.
    6. Wireless access at a local hot spot.
  9. Find at least one application that runs on Internet2. Discuss any value it might have for business use.
  10. Estimate how long it would take to transmit the following information.
    1. A 3 megabyte image file over a dial-up line (50 kbps).
    2. An e-mail message with a 50 megabyte video clip attachment over a 1.5 mbps cable-modem connection.
    3. A 1 gigabyte data folder over a 100 mbps local area network connection.
    4. A 1 gigabyte data folder onto a USB flash drive.
    5. If possible, test the above examples with real data.
    6. Why would the actual transfer times be slower than the estimated numbers?

    11. Toolbox logoTechnology Toolbox

  11. Create three Web pages that are linked. Include at least one image.
  12. Create a style sheet for at least two Web pages and demonstrate how the look of the site can be changed by altering the style sheet.
  13. Create a simple Web page using Microsoft Word and save it. Create a similar page using either straight HTML or an HTML editor such as FrontPage. Compare the two files and comment on the differences.
  14. Find three Web hosting companies and identify the file transfer methods supported by each company. Does the company charge extra for some methods?
  15. Briefly describe the purpose of server programming for Web pages and how it differs from client-side scripting.

    16. Teamwork

  16. Each team member should interview at least five people to identify (a) how many e-mail messages they send a day, (b) how much time they spend (or number of messages sent) on IM, (c) how many cell phone text messages they send per day. Also collect basic personal data such as gender and approximate age. Combine the results from all team members and comment on any patterns.
  17. Have each person on the team set up a folder and assign permissions so that other team members can share data on that folder. Each person should write a short statement describing the steps involved, then transfer the file to the other folders. Combine the statements into one document.
  18. You have an American cell phone and will be traveling to Europe for two months. You want to have cell phone service so that your friends and coworkers can reach you in an emergency. You also want to be able to call people and places in Europe while you are there. Each team member should find a different way to provide this service. Share your results, compare the costs and benefits and choose a plan.
  19. Each person should find a software package that is used to create Web pages. Summarize the basic features, ease of use, target market, and its price. Combine the data and recommend a package that could be used by a marketing department to design basic Web pages.
  20. If a network is available with Microsoft Outlook (or similar package) on each client, add each team member to the Contacts list. Each person should enter a few items in a personal calendar to block out some times for one week. Then share the calendars and use the system to schedule a meeting.
  21. Use an IM system to add each team member. Find a time when everyone can work on a project to create an outline of the chapter that lists the major headings and a one- or two-line description of the section. Split the task up so each person takes a couple of sections. While the group is working, each person should interrupt another with an IM message. In addition, each person should interrupt someone else with either a phone call or a face-to-face meeting. At the end of the document, add a brief comment about the differences between the two interruptions.
  22. Interview managers, friends, or family members who have jobs and identify where their primary files are stored. Are they stored on local computers, on a department file server, or at a more distant location? Who is responsible for backup? What is the process for recovering lost files? Combine each result into a document. Create a table and a chart to summarize the results. Write a short paragraph suggesting improvements.
  23. If you have access to computers running Windows Vista, have each team member determine the IPv6 address of a machine and compare the results. Hint: You can always use the command line program ipconfig.

    24. Rolling Thunder Database

  24. Design a network for the Rolling Thunder Bicycle Company. Identify who will need access to the network; how many workstations you will need (and where to place them); the data, input forms, and reports users will need. Using the existing data, estimate the storage requirements and transmission needs. Specify how changes and growth will affect the type of network needed.
  25. Describe how the Internet could be used to increase sales at Rolling Thunder Bicycles.
  26. Rolling Thunder Bicycles wants to expand international sales. What changes would need to be made to the application? What problems would you expect to encounter, and how would you overcome these potential problems?
  27. The manager of Rolling Thunder Bicycles wants to access the database from home. Describe some options of how this could be done. What potential problems might arise?
  28. If you have access to laptops and a wireless network, test the database running over a wireless connection. If five or six people want to use the system with wireless devices, what problems might arise? Do some research: Is there a system that can help?