Nec Pacific Asia Internship Report

Table of Contents

Gratitude is expressed

An overview of the primary points of the document is provided.

Here is an introduction

Background Information about the Organisation

Training and Work Assignments

Musings

In summary,

I would like to express my gratitude to…

NEC Pacific Asia, where I worked as an intern between March and July 2018, was a wonderful experience. It helped me to realize my potential as an IT worker. I was able to take advantage of many opportunities that will continue to grow my career and help me develop personally. Without the support and collaboration of others, this report wouldn’t have been possible. These people deserve my sincere appreciation. Mr. Lawrence Chia, director of ESBU, was the one who approved my internship application. Victor Lim is in charge of the routing/switching team, which I was a part of. Yusni Yusof has been with the company since my first day. He is one our network engineers. He literally taught us the basics of networking. His guidance was invaluable. Ms. Jing Ping my pre-sales specialist, was always there to help me in times of need.

Executive SummaryThis report focuses on NEC Asia Pacific’s ESBU division. It begins with an introduction about internship (I), and ends with background information about NEC Asia Pacific (II). This briefing provides a summary of all services NEC Asia Pacific offers and promises. The report also contains information about the work assignments (III), and training that I received during my internship. This report gives details about the projects I participated in, as well as how I assisted the routing and switching team with their day-to-day work. It also includes my reflections (IV), on the various challenges I faced and how I managed them. The report also discusses my mistakes, learning factors, and how the internship prepared me better for the IT industry. The conclusion (V) is where I briefly summarize my learnings and accomplishments. IIntroduction Internships are a fantastic way to gain work experience. NEC Pacific Asia offers students a great opportunity to understand the IT industry and learn. The company is project-based so interns must be able to meet deadlines and deal with unexpected problems. They also need to have the ability to make informed business decisions. This internship was a practical experience that taught me the practical side of working in a real environment. This internship, most importantly, has taught me how to be more positive and less negative in dealings with various people and situations. This internship helped me realize my weaknesses and strengths as an employee and individual. This internship was a great opportunity to learn and improve my professional skills. I wanted actively to help the company achieve its goals. I applied what I learned in Republic Polytechnic to this internship to make it possible to automate and improve their systems. I believe that the knowledge I gained in NEC Pacific Asia will prove to be a valuable asset in the future.

Background Information of OrganisationKunihikoIwadare founded Nippon Electric Company, Limited, on 1899. In 1983, NEC Corporation was established. Today, both NEC and NEC are used interchangeably. It is Japan’s first joint venture with foreign capital. They have been guided by their motto “Better Products, Better Services” to ensure that they provide value to all customers. This includes maintaining ethical standards, developing world-class products, as well as reliable follow-up and service. Now, they are a provider of information and communications technology solutions. They provide managed services, system integration, and network technology solutions. NEC solutions provide clients with exceptional flexibility and scalability that gives them an advantage in the IT sector.

Training and Work AssignmentsI’m part of Enterprise Business Solutions (ESBU), and work closely with the routing and shifting team. I am currently being deployed on-site to build a network infrastructure in support of IMDA. I was part of the project’s deployment phase. Wireless deployment is our first training. It involves setting up coverage goals and capacity goals to meet the client’s business needs. This includes a site survey, a manual survey, and planning for deployment. Aerohive WiFi planning tool, HiveManager Classic, will be used. The number of clients to be served, traffic type, throughput required, network speed, number of access points and locations needed to maximize coverage will all need to be determined. To verify that the predictions are accurate, a predictive model is first created. We can then make any necessary adjustments.

The first project requires me to visit NEC warehouse store in order to inventory check the switches to be placed at the wire centers’ levels 3, 4, 5, 6, and 6. I must cross-check the equipment and transfer it to excel. PuTTY is an open-source terminal emulator that allows serial consoles, file transfer over networks and serial consoles. This program uses OSI Layer 2 programming. To begin inventory, I need to connect my laptop and the switches. Next, I’ll need to identify which model and serial number the switch is using Excel. Instead of looking at each serial number manually, I can just type a command to identify them in excel. Instead of having to look at each serial number manually, I can simply type a command and get the entire list. Next, you will need to return all switches to their boxes. Then, we’ll need 2 people to clean the place. Once that’s done, it is time to move the switches to the location. We will need transportation to get them there. To do actual work, I will need to travel off-site to Mapletree Business City. Some levels are still being built so I will have to wear a helmet whenever I travel. Each day is different. I entered a server area with all the wires and switches connecting to each other. I was assigned to work in the levels 3, 4, 5, and 6, which included 2 wire rooms with 3 racks of switches. I was required to stack, which is the process of changing the default numbering for the switches from 1 to 2, 3,4,5 and 6, in an order.

Therefore, I must set up an individual IP address for each area and create another set to inventory. The second step is to survey it. The client will then take us to a wire centre (server) along with individual switch rooms at each floor. This allows us to determine which switches from our side will go in which rooms. According to the client, we will establish two networks A or B and have the switches mounted by contractors. Mounting must be completed first or we will not be able to move on. Since network A and power supply are assigned to different rooms, another person will be setting up network A. While this could be done in a single day, mounting switches was the main bottleneck.

Thirdly, I could listen to the instructions and was able to complete network B the next day. Fourth, the switches can be set up to mount access points as soon as they are functional. Moving the AP boxes from level 1 to level 7 is the first step. Next, open the box and lay the APs row-by-row. The Ethernet cable will be used to connect it to the switch. My colleague will assign the AP to a spot on each level, in ascending order. A floor can have approximately 22-24 additional APs. When you multiply this number by four floors, you will get a minimum total of 88. After we complete this task, we need to certify the Alcatel switch. This can done in the master console at the wire center.

Next is Alcatel Hardening. NEC offers Alcatel as a brand to customers who purchase switches. A template was provided to me for documentation of hardening network A switches A through H. You can find many hardening procedures in the excel spreadsheet, including access rules for authentication, authorization and billing (AAA), banner rules for passwords, clock rules, time rules, and password rules. A description is provided by the user, such as the AAA rule: “Configuration class which enforce device control, provide a mechanism to track configuration change and enforce security policy.” This will be used to authenticate users, local consoles and VTY lines, if applicable. It also displays the commands expected to be displayed by the SSH PuTTY software. This allows me to determine if the switch code I entered matches the user’s command. If it does not match, I will have to recode it in order to meet the user’s requirements. Once everything matches the template, I will take a quick screenshot and then paste it into my excel template.

Another task was to conduct a User Acceptance Test. I was asked to help the engineer remove the main and backup power supplies of the switches. Additionally, I was to pull off the stacking cables from each stack in ascending orders. The engineer will verify that there is no request timeout in the ping. If so, he’ll use his troubleshooting skills. To check his progress, the engineer will take a snapshot of the connectivity and ping.

The IMDA Project is nearing its end. We must finish many documentations to archive and sign off. I was asked to assist my engineer in creating a network diagram that shows the networks A and C. To create the diagram I will need Microsoft Visio. I just got a rough idea from the network engineer about the IMDA network. But, I still need to visualize its flow. This is a government-funded project and I am unable to give more information.

Next-Generation Network Update (NGN), National Institute of Education (NIE) was my next project. I must conduct a wireless site inspection and create active reports. The meeting was for observation purposes. I received a 2 week deadline to complete blocks 1-7, starting at the basement up to level 4, with the exception of block 6, which is still being renovated. I need to know the SSID that we wish to connect and conduct the active survey. This means that I need to have the credentials and set up the network on my laptop. I was able communicate with the onsite engineer. His patience and knowledge were invaluable.

Overall, I learned how network engineers work every day. My diploma only covers the basics of network engineering. This presents a challenge. But I can adapt and learn simultaneously, so learning PuTTY is easy. I have a strong willingness to learn and am open to asking questions whenever I have doubts.

ReflectionsOne problem I encountered was a lack of technical skills. My job role was totally different to what I was expecting. Since these programs are used widely in the IT industry, I initially thought that I would be coding on.NET/MySQL. My job was network engineer, despite that. The role was not listed in my program, which was business information technology. My prior experience in networking is not enough. This means I must learn, observe and work slowly. Although I was not familiar with network infrastructure, I have learned a lot from Mr. Yusni.

Despite my lack in technical knowledge, however, I was still able to follow Mr. Yusni’s instructions using PuTTY. I was then able to configure network B solo. I learned a lot from this experience and was able to solve many problems. As a result, I often misspelled some commands. If I cannot solve the problem myself, I will usually ask the engineer to help me. I also tried troubleshooting. The reason I couldn’t connect was due to a damaged network cable. It was fixed by installing a new one. I didn’t give up and continued to try to get the most from this internship. I can see this in the fact that Mr. Yusni is constantly teaching me about network at lunchtime or while we work. I take down his instructions and keep them in my iPhone notes. This helps me retain knowledge. If I have future projects I need switch configurations done, I can access the notes application to refer.

ConclusionsPersonally, I think that my overall performance is good because I can adapt to a new environment despite having a different line of study and still make the most out of it. My problem solving/analytical skills have been sharpened by this internship. Because I am part of a team, I have to be able to interact with people from all walks of the company. The internship was very difficult but I learned so much from it.