NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CENTRE, IVE (TSING YI)

The ICT Department’s Network Technology Centre (NTC) was relocated to its new facilities at the Tsing Yi campus in 2002. The Centre has established links with renowned industry partners to support its curriculum teaching and to promote networking & mobile technology within the industry.

Through the work of the Centre, students gain the knowledge and skills to obtain industry-recognised trade certificates. All seven layers of the OSI networking model are addressed. The Fluke Networks’ CCTT program addresses layers 1 and 2 of the OSI model and the Cisco’s Academy programs (CCNA and CCNP) address layers 2, 3 and 4. Since 2003, the Centre has been affiliated with Training Partners to provide Cisco recognised training beyond CCNA and CCNP to local professionals. Since 2004, the Centre has linked with Network Associates to incorporate the Sniffer University program to cover the upper OSI layers. In 2006, the Centre installed an experimental Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) network and has been working closely with HKNet for the evolution and usage of IPv6 in Hong Kong.

The Academies and Centres in Network Technology include:

1. Cisco System Networking Academies, ICT (Tsing Yi)
IVE (Tsing Yi) became Cisco Networking Academies in 1999. Initially, the Cisco Networking Academy Program (CNAP) was at the CCNA level and was offered to selected full-time students as an extra-curricular activity, but it is now fully integrated into the Telecommunications & Networking (T&N) courses. To further enhance students’ networking skills, the ICT (Tsing Yi) department upgraded their CNAP to CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) level in late 2001. CCNP is the professional level of the Cisco Career Certification program and requires candidates to learn how to install, configure and maintain large multi-protocol networks. Other Cisco academic courses that have been integrated into their T&N courses include Cisco IT Essentials I & II in 2005 and Cisco Fundamental Wireless LAN in 2006. To support the teaching and training of networking technology, the NTC has acquired a wide range of networking equipment.

2. Sniffer® University, ICT (Tsing Yi)
Network Associates is one of the world leaders in network and application management solutions, and its Sniffer® suite of tools is widely recognised as the tool of choice for troubleshooting, reporting, and proactively managing network availability, security and performance.

The ICT department has been recognised as a Sniffer® University trainer and this has enabled the Telecommunications and Networking Course to integrate the Sniffer® University training program into its core curriculum. This arrangement provides students with specific skills of using a state-of-the-art tool to identify network related problems. Students are then prepared to sit for the Sniffer® Certified Professional (SCP) certificate.

3. Cisco Certified Training Centre (in affiliation with Training Partners), ICT (Tsing Yi)
In addition to CCNA and CCNP, there are other widely sought Cisco Certifications related to networking, such as IP Telephony and Network Security. The Centre has expanded its horizon to offer training courses in these exciting new areas through its affiliation with a key industry provider - Training Partners.

4. Fluke Networks Certified Training Academy (CCTT), AMP NETCONNECT, ICT (Tsing Yi)
The department became a Fluke Networks Certified Training Academy in January 2002. The Fluke Networks’ Certified Cabling Test Technician (CCTT) program forms part of the Practical Training core for Telecommunications & Networking students and enables them to acquire knowledge in LAN cabling, network installation, monitoring, management and troubleshooting. They also learn to use common tools for cable systems testing, network monitoring and troubleshooting.

As network signalling speeds increase, there has been a correspondingly rapid development in cabling and connector technology to accommodate the escalated transmission speeds. Tyco Electronics (one of the major suppliers in network cabling and connectors products) has donated the necessary equipment to enable the ICT Department to set up a Cabling and Connectors training facility in the Network Technology Centre. Tyco also provides the Centre with up-to-date training materials.