INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

A Newsletter of IFIP Working Group 9.4
and
Commonwealth Network for Information Technology

Volume 8, No3, January 1998
Editor: Subhash Bhatnagar

January 1998

Workshop on Managing Internet Information Services

National Centre for Software Technology, Bombay

March 2nd - March 10th, 1998

The workshop is being sponsored by the Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development (COMNET-IT) which is an international foundation hosted by the Government of Malta and also supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat, London. It works primarily within Commonwealth member countries to support activities related to the development of capabilities in implementing, managing and using new information and communication technologies.

COMNET-IT is a network organisation with the mission of fostering the building, and enhancing of institutional and human networks through the mediation of computer communication networks. The organisation facilitates the brokering and funding of projects, develops Internet-based services and undertakes capability building through policy and training workshops. The Government of Malta has undertaken to provide the initial infrastructural and human resources to support the establishment and functioning of the Foundation's Secretariat. The Commonwealth Secretariat, through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CTFC), along with other donors, supports COMNET-IT sponsored programmes. The National Centre for Software Technology in Bombay, India, and the Management Systems Unit Limited (MSU), Malta, serve as sources of technological competence for the Foundation.

COMNET/IT has to use computer networking as the vehicle for promoting its primary objective - institutional networking. Minimally, Commonwealth institutions expecting to play an international role must acquire the capability to set up and operate e-mail networks for their own use. However, requirements are changing rapidly. Institutions now expect full-fledged access to computer networks. The most popular technology for this purpose is the Internet.

The Internet began as the academic network of a few countries. However, now nearly 50% of the users are from the commercial world. Major applications include remote access to databases, remote access to information sources such as sites on the World Wide Web (WWW) and worldwide e-mail.

This Workshop will familiarize participants with the applications on the Internet, and give them practical skills for setting up connections.

Programme Objectives: The major objectives of the programme would be introducing participants to Internet, exploring various tools available on Internet, exploring possible applications of Internet training participants to set up connections to Internet, using SLIP, PPP and UUCP protocols and familiarizing participants with issues involved in managing the network.

Programme Content: The topics to be covered during the programme would include

• Introduction to the computing environment

• Introduction to Local Area and Wide Area Networks

• Electronic Mail

• Telnet, Ftp

• Gopher

• WWW

• DNS

• Network Security

• Network Standards and Equipments

Practical Work

• Introduction to Internet Information Servers

• TCP/IP: installation and configuration

• Server installation and configuration

• Mail Exchangers

• Internet Access by dial-up: SLIP, PPP

Participants will be given hands-on exercise throughout the workshop. The training will consist of lecture sessions, consultancy sessions, group discussions and hands-on sessions. Each session will be of 75 minutes duration. Lectures will be largely aimed at introducing and clarifying the concepts. Fifty percent of the sessions will be devoted to hands-on practice. sessions will be conducted by staff members from the Networks.

Participant Profile

• Participants are expected to have at least a graduate degree in any discipline.

• They must be employed as professionals in computing.

Preferred

• Participants who are willing to pay for their own airfare and/or the cost of their stay in Bombay (estimated to be US $ 1250)

• Participants who are willing to send an advance towards their hotel stay

• Faculty of computer related teaching departments who will, in turn, train others in this area.

• Participants from institutions planning to participate in COMNET-IT, and have significant international communication over the network

• Participants whose institutions have a felt need for this know-how, and can show existing plans for setting up computer networking facilities

• Participants from private/public sector companies.

Institutions sponsoring candidates should ensure that the candidates are willing to do long hours of practical work.

Financial Assistance

COMNET-IT has a budget provision to support a number of participants, on a partial-funding as well as on a full-funding basis. However, preference will be given to those who seek no funding, and those who seek relatively low funding.

Nominations and Acceptance

Applicants for MTSD sponsorship must be nominated through the MTSD Point of Contact (POC) in their respective country of origin and must complete the MTS/1 nomination form available with the POC. MTS/1 forms, duly endorsed by the POC, must be fowarded to:

Mr Rogers W'O Okot-Uma,Training Specialist (Technical), Management and Training Services Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom

Tel: 44 171 747 6339; Fax:44 171 747 6335

Email: rogers.okot-uma@commonwealth.int

Please send a copy to: Dr. S. Ramani, Director, National Centre for Software Technology, Gulmohar Cross Road No. 9, Juhu, Bombay 400 049, India

About the Sponsors

This workshop is being sponsored by the Management and Training Services Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat (MSTD). The MSTD provides a lead role in the following activities:

• Administrative and managerial reform

• Human resource development through skills enhancement;

• Supporting development and application of information and communication technologies

• Supporting human resource development for post-apartheid South Africa. MTSD aims to provide an integrated package of advisory and training services to develop human resources and to enhance managerial capacity in government, public and private sector enterprises, and NGOs.

MTSD assists member governments increasing their pool of human resources through training and capacity-building. It also provides advisory services to enhance managerial capacity in government, public and private sector enterprises and non-governmental organisations. MTSD's resources for assistance to member countries come from the CTFC's resources, expertise and training facilities as well as finance, are contributed by both developed and developing countries, the latter playing a dual role as donors and recipients.

MTSD targets its training at specific skills needs of senior and mid-level officials, managers and technologists through specialist group training programmes, work attachments or study visits. Each year, some 3000 - 4000 people receive support for education and training in over 300 institutions, mostly in Commonwealth developing countries. Special attention is paid to providing women with increased opportunities for advancement.

The program will be conducted by the National Centre for Software Technology. NCST is a major R&D centre funded by the Department of Electronics (DOE), Govt. of India. There are five technical divisions at NCST

• Database Division

• Graphics and Computer Aided Design Division

• Networks Division

• Knowledge Based Computer Systems Division

• Software Engineering Division

NCST has over a decade of experience in computer networking in India. Since 1986, NCST has been playing a key role in the Education and Research Network Project (ERNET) of DOE, which connects over 800 nodes with an estimated user base of 80,000. NCST has set up and operated over many years India's gateway to the Internet. The Juhu labs of NCST now have a 64 Kbps link and will be upgrading it sometime in 97-98 to a 2 Mbps link. This location also has satellite communication equipment, linking it to Bangalore.

NCST is responsible for domain registration for the Indian Internet domain, and runs its primary nameserver. NCST is an active participant in various national initiatives for using computer networking in a variety of fields like Energy, Financial Services, Agriculture, Environment and Education. Participants from other developing countries who are interested in using computer networking can benefit from NCST's technical and managerial expertise. NCST has several years of experience in running international courses and workshops. NCST has excellent facilities to support high quality education and training in computer networking. Some of the facilities relevant to this workshop are:

• A 64 Kbps link to the Internet from NCST, Juhu

• A VSAT connection from NCST, Juhu, to the Bangalore Internet Gateway

• A class room for 25 participants with one computer per person, with full networking connections, to enable "see what I do, and try it right away" style of teaching

• Servers for World Wide Web (WWW), gophers and list server

• A Digital Alpha computer acting as a WWW proxy server and a terminal server catering to 25 telephone lines and hence providing Internet services.

• A Novell Server supporting CD-ROM networking using a CD tower

• An NT server based on a DEC Alpha computer.

NCST, on behalf of COMNET-IT, will offer tuition, consultancy, computer time, course materials, refreshments and transport between the NCST and the hotel. NCST will arrange comfortable accommodation for the participants not far from the venue of the course.

Participants will have access to Internet through the Education and Research Network (ERNET) of the Department of Electronics, Government of India. All the know-how, experience and facilities of the nation-wide academic network, ERNET, would be available to the participants. ERNET was created during 1986 - 94, with UNDP assistance.

Please fax your applications giving the following information: Name, Job Title, Institution, Address, Phone Number, Fax Number,Email. Indicate which parts of the cost you will be able to organize, or if you are applying for full financial support, Airfare, Cost of Stay in Bombay. In case you can bear the cost of stay, please indicate if you will be able to send an advance of US $150 by the November 15, 1997.