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Elements and Performance Criteria

Required Skills

Required skills

communication skills to liaise with internal and external personnel regarding desktop requirements and issues

literacy skills to interpret technical documentation

numeracy skills to

take test measurements

interpret results

evaluate performance of the desktop workstation

problemsolving skills to address desktop problems reported by the client

research skills to interrogate vendor databases and websites to resolve desktop problems

technical skills to select and use desktop operating system and network diagnostics to test desktop functionality and performance

Required knowledge

current desktop applications compatibility issues and resolution procedures

current desktop operating systems

broad knowledge of

command line interface and scripts

controlling the boot process

error logging and reporting

file naming conventions related to selected operating system

guidelines for selecting a secure password

network protocols and transmission control protocol or internet protocol TCPIP network connectivity

operating systems and their functions including file system memory management and process scheduling

printer driver and queue management

process or task management including process termination

tools available for remote assistance and administration

troubleshooting tools and techniques including network diagnostic utilities

user account group and password administration

detailed knowledge of

file system navigation and manipulation utilities including edit copy move and search

operating system help and support utilities

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the ability to

install and configure a desktop operating system

attach the desktop to the network

configure the desktop operating system including user accounts file and print services and security

perform backup and recovery

update operating system and software

monitor and troubleshoot the desktop environment

Candidates should demonstrate competency in at least two different desktop operating systems

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure access to

site where server installation may be conducted

relevant server specifications

local area network LAN

diagnostic software

client requirements

WAN service point of presence

desktop workstations

relevant regulatory documentation that affects installation activities

appropriate learning and assessment support when required

Where applicable physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge The following examples are appropriate for this unit

direct observation of the candidate installing or updating a desktop operating system

direct observation of the candidate configuring a desktop operating system

verbal or written questioning of the required skills and knowledge

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector workplace and job role is recommended where appropriate

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and suitable to the communication skill level language literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed

Indigenous people and other people from a nonEnglish speaking background may need additional support

In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge

Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Desktop applications may include:	CAD software database email client internet browser line-of-business applications printer sharing publishing and presentation software remote-access clients spreadsheet technical software word processor.
Appropriate person may include:	authorised business representative client IT support manager network administrator network manager small office home office (SOHO) customer small or medium enterprise (SME) customer supervisor.
File systems may include:	EXT FAT HFS+ NFS new technology file system (NTFS).
Back up may be performed using:	operating system backup utilities third-party software network copy zip utilities.
Local data may include:	files and directories user home directories user profiles.
Client may include:	external organisations individuals internal departments internal employees.
Desktop operating system may include:	Linux Mac Windows.
Installation or update method may include:	CD, DVD installation as a virtual machine Pup Red Hat Network universal serial bus (USB) boot disk Windows Server Update Services Yum.
Network settings may include:	default gateway DNS server firewall IP address and subnet mask (static or dynamic).
Hardware devices may include:	device drivers disk drives keyboard modem monitor mouse network interfaces printer scanner USB drive.
User environment may include:	users and groups login defaults and options login scripts graphical environment environmental variables and prompts authentication and authorisation user profiles unmask prompt.
External data may include:	applications databases file transfer protocol (FTP) sites network file systems or shares SharePoint sites USB drives websites.
Security options and security settings may include:	anti-spam software antivirus software internet-browser privacy security settings operating system firewall utilities proxy settings SE Linux Windows Group Policy.
Network protocols may include:	dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) dynamic name system (DNS) file transfer protocol (FTP) hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP and HTTPS) internet message access protocol (IMAP) network file system (NFS) network time protocol (NTP) post office protocol (POP) server messages block (SMB) simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) simple network management protocol (SNMP) TCP/IP.
Performance may be affected by:	desktop environment driver versions hard drive cache mobile computing performance issues network page files, swap files and virtual memory power options processor scheduling services.
Desktop problems may include:	disk and storage problems, such as file system full, file system fragmentation, and disk failure hardware device problems, such as printer configuration and display settings network connectivity problems, such as cable unplugged or dynamic IP address not received workstation boot problems.