CTP Skill Center

Today we learned all about how to image a computer. I remember a couple of times I had to image my computer because the hard disk on my computer was failing. However, I don’t often use imaging on a regular basis. However, as a technician one is expected to know how to create an image and image computers especially in an enterprise setting.

Our lab assignment for today was to image a computer using an image located in a network storage. We used the Acronis True Image software to recover the image to one of the vacant classroom computers. Our first try was not successful due to the size of the network image we were using and probably because we were accessing the resource at almost the same time. Anyway, we learned a lot and were able to install a new Out of the Box Experience (OOBE) of Windows on the target machine. Tomorrow we will continue with the final set-up the computer.

Today we had our first quiz. Thankfully, Alex gave us a review of what he discussed last week in preparation for the quiz. He also explained the difference between BIOS and UEFI. That review refreshed a lot of memories . 🙂

Finally, our group checked/changed the BIOS settings of the primary boot device to be hard disk in the Scott, Neil and Laboratory computers.

Another interesting day for the CTT class. We learned all about what happens when you push the power switch on the computer. There are 4 initial steps the computer goes through when push the switch. First it goes to POST (Power On Self Test) where the computer checks if it has the minimum requirements to start. It it doesn’t it generates an audible signal which are called POST codes indicating what the problem is. Second it loads the firmware commonly called BIOS, UEFI or CMOS and uses the configuration files to look for the device to boot from. This is set through the boot order sequence in the BIOS setup. Finally, it loads the OS(Operating System) in the boot device chosen which is normally the hardisk.

I looked BIOS settings of the class computers, lab computers and a Lenovo T430 and determined what key to push to get to the BIOS setup utility. The class computers which are Lenovo Think Centre M Series you push Enter or F12. The lab computer which is an HP Compaq dx7500 you push F10. The Lenovo T430 has a button on the top left part of the keyboard to get into BIOS.

I worked on the HP which was a working computer with a hardisk but no operating system. I opened up the computer and took out the pair of memory modules. When I turned it on the post code error was a short beep followed by a long beep. So according to the HP site that code is a memory problem. The other post errors are enumerated below.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/01/hacked-and-dumped-online-773-million-records-with-plaintext-passwords/

Have I Been Pwned, the breach notification service that serves as a bellwether for the security of login credentials, has just gotten its hands on its biggest data haul ever—a list that includes almost 773 million unique email addresses and 21 million unique passwords that were used to log in to third-party sites.

This was a cool day. We went on a ‘field trip’ although just within the Ed Roberts Campus. Alex toured us to the Minimum Point of Entry (MPOE), Main Distribution Frame (MDF) and the Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF) that serves the networks of the different organizations located in the campus. It was really quite an impressive site to see the work and effort put in making all these connections work. I was in awe at the complexity of the wiring/cabling and the different devices which are working in the background. Everybody had a grand time listening to Alex explaining how work and just taking pictures.

This day was also really informative when Alex gave as a brief glimpse of networking and IP protocol concepts. Identifying how many IPs belong to a network is confusing for anybody who tries it for the first time. However, it gets clearer with time. The key is looking at the network identifier.

Lastly, we looked at the BIOS settings of a computer and learned to change the boot order.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/01/8-months-after-its-discovery-unkillable-lojax-rootkit-campaign-remains-active/

Today we were again teamed with the PRO class and took turns in making and answering calls. We learned how to take messages and taking notes , putting a call on HOLD, transferring a call directly and transferring a call with confirmation. It looks simple but it is easy to make mistakes. Practice makes perfect.

We also replied to customer feedback which can be either positive or negative. In replying to a negative feedback I always think of what the customer experienced and ask myself what will I feel given the same situation.

Watching the video about handling irate customers offers a glimpse of different ways and methods to help de-escalate stressful customer interactions.

Today we learned to apply customer service skills. The first exercise simulated answering customer calls and to learn to use the telephone hold buttons. We took turns in being either the customer or call center agent. We also watched the Customer Service Counts video showing different scenarios that one might encounter in dealing with customers. Addressing a customer’s needs and concerns must be a priority.

I have a new way of looking at a router thanks to Alex. I understand the concept of public and private ips but I always looked at it as network facing and internet facing.

Viewing them as separate halves I think is more fitting like 2 sides of a coin. It tends to remind you of the wall that divides the LAN from another LAN in a different Domain, WAN and/or Internet. The router acts as a gateway through that wall.

The basic building blocks of LAN also helps in visualizing how they are connected and networked. Practicing with the cmd command lines serves as further reinforcement of what one knows.

Although I created bootable pen drives before this was the first time I knew about Easy2Boot. I was quite impressed with what it can do. One can run a lot of diagnosing tools, OS, utilities, etc. off a single USB (with a working menu nonetheless.)

I downloaded the Easy2Boot tool and Ultimate Boot CD iso. I have an iso for Kali Linux. The documentation for Easy2Boot was quite impressive and extensive. After a couple of tries I was able to create the bootable USB with the Kali Linux and UBCD iso. To get rid of the “Change File Extension” suggestions I added _q to the filenames of the iso files (Eg. UBCD.iso to UBCD_q.iso).

I was able to run the emulator for all except Kali Linux because of the 32-bit limitation . I ran Kali Linux off the bootable USB. A thing to note is the different procedure for BIOS and UEFI firmware. The bootable USB I created can run memtest86 on a BIOS machine but is not recognized in a UEFI one. This can be resolved by implementing a dual partition in the USB where the 2nd partition will hold the iso files as well as some configuration changes.

The images below show the results.

This was an extensive project and a great one to work on. I can’t wait for the next one 🙂