Windows & Linux Lab Practice

Activity 1: System Login & Environment Familiarisation (20 mins)

Goal: Learn to access both Windows and Linux systems, understand where you are, and verify network connectivity between them.

Part A: Understanding Your Location

Before doing anything, you need to know where you are in the system. This is like checking your GPS location before starting a journey.

🪟 Windows Server 2019

Check your current location

1. Press Windows Key + R
2. Type: cmd and press Enter
3. In the command prompt, type: cd
What it means: Shows your current directory (where you are right now)
Why do this: Always know your location before creating or modifying files

Example output: C:\Users\Administrator

See what files are here

In Command Prompt, type: dir
What it means: Shows all files and folders in your current location
What you see: List of folders like Desktop, Documents, Downloads
Why use it: To see what already exists before creating new files

🐧 Linux Ubuntu/ONOS

Check your current location

1. Open Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)
2. Type: pwd
What it means: Print Working Directory - shows exactly where you are
Why do this: Linux file system can be confusing, always check your location first

Example output: /home/ubuntu

See what files are here

Type: ls -l
What it means: List files with details (permissions, owner, size)
The -l flag: Means "long format" - gives you detailed information
Why use it: See not just file names but also who owns them and their permissions

Part B: System Identity

Now let's find out who you are logged in as and what your machine is called.

Find out who you are

Type: whoami
What happens: Shows your username like "Administrator" or "Student"
Why check: Different users have different permissions

Find your computer name

Type: hostname
What happens: Shows your computer's network name
Why important: You need this to identify your machine on the network

Find out who you are

Type: whoami
What happens: Shows your current username
Real example: If logged in as "ubuntu", it shows: ubuntu

Find your computer name

Type: hostname
What happens: Shows your machine's network name
Why important: Other computers use this name to communicate with you

Part C: Testing Network Connectivity

Now verify that both systems can talk to each other on the network.

Find your IP addresses first

Windows: Type ipconfig and note down your IPv4 Address
Linux: Type ip a or ifconfig and note down your inet address
Example IP: 192.168.1.100 (yours will be different)
Why do this: You need IP addresses to test connectivity

Ping the Linux machine

Type: ping <linux-ip-address>
Real example: ping 192.168.1.101
What happens: Sends test packets to see if Linux machine responds
Success looks like: "Reply from 192.168.1.101: bytes=32 time=1ms"
Why important: Proves network connectivity works

Ping the Windows machine

Type: ping -c 4 <windows-ip-address>
Real example: ping -c 4 192.168.1.100
The -c 4: Means send only 4 packets (Linux pings forever without this!)
Success looks like: "64 bytes from 192.168.1.100: icmp_seq=1 ttl=128 time=1.2 ms"

💡 What to Submit: Take screenshots of successful ping results from both systems. Write a brief note describing which computers you can see on your network.

Activity 2: Exploring File Systems & Permissions (20 mins)

Goal: Understand how files and folders work on both systems, and learn about permissions - who can read, write, or execute files.

Part A: Creating Your Lab Workspace

🪟 Windows Server

Create your practice folder

1. Type: mkdir C:\PracticeLab
2. Then: mkdir C:\PracticeLab\Week1
What happens: Creates a folder at C:\PracticeLab\Week1
Why this location: C:\ is the root drive, easy to find
Alternative: You can use md instead of mkdir (same thing)

Navigate into your folder

Type: cd C:\PracticeLab\Week1
What happens: You move into the Week1 folder
Verify: Type cd to confirm you are in the right place

Create a test file

Type: echo This is a test > testfile.txt
What happens: Creates testfile.txt with the text "This is a test"
Read it: Type type testfile.txt to see the content
Why echo: Quick way to create files with content

🐧 Linux Ubuntu/ONOS

Create your practice folder

Type: mkdir ~/practice_week1
What the ~ means: Your home directory (shortcut for /home/ubuntu)
What happens: Creates practice_week1 folder in your home
Why home: Your personal space where you have full permissions

Navigate into your folder

Type: cd ~/practice_week1
What happens: You move into the practice_week1 folder
Verify: Type pwd to see full path

Create a test file

Type: echo "This is a test" > testfile.txt
What happens: Creates testfile.txt with your text
Read it: Type cat testfile.txt to see content

Part B: Understanding Permissions

Permissions control who can read, write, or execute files. This is crucial for security!

Check folder permissions (GUI method)

1. Open File Explorer (Windows Key + E)
2. Navigate to C:\PracticeLab\Week1
3. Right-click on Week1 folder → Properties
4. Click Security tab
What you see: List of users/groups (Administrators, Users, SYSTEM)
Permissions shown: Full Control, Modify, Read & Execute, Read, Write
Why check: Understand who can access your files

Check permissions (Command line method)

Type: icacls C:\PracticeLab\Week1
What happens: Shows permissions in text format
You see things like: (F) = Full Control, (M) = Modify, (R) = Read
Why use this: Faster than GUI, good for scripts

Check folder permissions

Type: ls -ld ~/practice_week1
Output looks like: drwxr-xr-x
Breaking it down:
d = directory
rwx = owner can read, write, execute
r-x = group can read and execute
r-x = others can read and execute

Change permissions (make it private)

Type: chmod 740 ~/practice_week1
What 740 means:
7 = owner has all permissions (read+write+execute)
4 = group can only read
0 = others have no access
Verify: Type ls -ld ~/practice_week1 again
Now shows: drwxr-----
Why do this: Protect sensitive files from other users

💡 What to Submit: Screenshot of Windows permission dialog showing the Security tab. Screenshot of Linux showing permission changes with ls -ld command. Write a short paragraph comparing the two systems - which one is easier to understand?

Activity 3: Network Tools & Basic Diagnostics (15 mins)

Goal: Learn to check your network configuration and troubleshoot connectivity issues.

Part A: Network Configuration

🪟 Windows PowerShell

PowerShell is more powerful than Command Prompt. Let's use it!

Open PowerShell

1. Press Windows Key
2. Type: PowerShell
3. Right-click and select "Run as Administrator"
Why Administrator: Some network commands need elevated privileges

Get detailed network info

Type: ipconfig /all
What you see:
- IPv4 Address (your computer's IP)
- Subnet Mask (defines your network size)
- Default Gateway (your router's IP)
- DNS Servers (translate website names to IPs)
Write these down! You will need them

Test internet connectivity

Type: Test-Connection 8.8.8.8 -Count 4
What 8.8.8.8 is: Google's public DNS server (good for testing)
The -Count 4: Send only 4 packets
Success means: Your internet connection works
If it fails: Check your network cable or WiFi

Check your network adapters

Type: Get-NetAdapter
What you see: List of all network interfaces
Status column: Should show "Up" for active connections
Why check: Make sure your network card is working

🐧 Linux Terminal

Get network interface info

Type: ip a (or ifconfig if ip doesn't work)
What you see:
- lo (loopback - your machine talking to itself)
- eth0 or ens33 (your ethernet connection)
- inet address (your IP address)
Look for: inet 192.168.x.x (your IP)
Write it down!

Test internet connectivity

Type: ping -c 4 8.8.8.8
The -c 4: Send 4 packets (without this, it pings forever!)
What 8.8.8.8 is: Google's DNS - always online
Good result: 0% packet loss
Stop running ping: Press Ctrl+C

Check your routing table

Type: netstat -rn
What it shows: Where network traffic goes
Look for: Default route (usually 0.0.0.0)
Gateway column: Shows your router's IP
Why important: This is how your computer reaches the internet

Part B: DNS Testing

DNS translates website names (like www.google.com) to IP addresses. Let's test it!

Test DNS resolution

Type: nslookup www.qa.com
What happens: Shows the IP address of www.qa.com
You see:
- Server: Your DNS server
- Address: DNS server's IP
- Answer: The IP of www.qa.com
If it fails: DNS is not working properly

Test DNS resolution

Type: nslookup www.qa.com
What happens: Shows IP address of www.qa.com
Alternative command: dig www.qa.com
Why test DNS: Many network problems are actually DNS issues

💡 What to Submit: Screenshots showing network configuration from both systems (ipconfig /all and ip a). Screenshot of successful nslookup. Write notes about your IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS servers for both systems.

🎯 Extension Task: Windows File Sharing with Linux (Optional)

Goal: Create a shared folder on Windows and access it from Linux using SMB (Server Message Block) protocol.

Step-by-Step Process

Task 1: Create a shared folder on Windows

1. On Windows, create a folder: mkdir C:\SharedFiles
2. Right-click the folder → Properties → Sharing tab
3. Click "Advanced Sharing"
4. Check "Share this folder"
5. Click "Permissions" and give "Everyone" Read permissions
6. Note the network path shown (like \\COMPUTERNAME\SharedFiles)

Task 2: Install SMB client on Linux (if not installed)

Type: sudo apt install smbclient -y
What this does: Installs tools to connect to Windows shares
Password: Enter your Linux password when prompted

Task 3: List Windows shares from Linux

Type: smbclient -L //<windows-ip>/ -U <username>
Real example: smbclient -L //192.168.1.100/ -U Administrator
What happens: Shows all shared folders on the Windows machine
Enter password: Type Windows user password when prompted
Success looks like: List of shares including SharedFiles

Task 4: Access the shared folder

Type: smbclient //<windows-ip>/SharedFiles -U <username>
Real example: smbclient //192.168.1.100/SharedFiles -U Administrator
What happens: Opens an SMB prompt (smb: \>)
Try these commands:
- ls (list files)
- help (see available commands)
- exit (leave the connection)

💡 Troubleshooting: If connection fails, check Windows Firewall. You may need to allow "File and Printer Sharing" through the firewall. Note any permission or access issues you encounter!

📝 Final Deliverables for Your PLR (Personal Learning Record)

Make sure you have collected the following evidence:

✅ Screenshots of successful ping between Windows and Linux
✅ Notes describing visible network devices on your network
✅ Screenshot of Windows Security tab showing folder permissions
✅ Screenshot of Linux chmod command and permission changes
✅ Brief comparison paragraph: Windows vs Linux permissions
✅ Screenshots of ipconfig /all (Windows) and ip a (Linux)
✅ Your recorded network information (IP, Gateway, DNS)
✅ Screenshot of nslookup results
✅ Notes on similarities and differences in network tools
✅ (Optional) Screenshot of successful SMB connection from Linux to Windows

🎓 How this connects to the Case Study:
In a real small business network, you need to:
• Verify connectivity between different operating systems (Activity 1)
• Set proper file permissions to protect sensitive data (Activity 2)
• Diagnose network issues when users can't access resources (Activity 3)
• Enable file sharing between Windows servers and other devices (Extension Task)

Write this connection in your PLR to show you understand the practical business application!

🖥️ Windows Server 2019 & Linux Lab Practice

Activity 1: System Login & Environment Familiarisation (20 mins)

Part A: Understanding Your Location

🪟 Windows Server 2019

🐧 Linux Ubuntu/ONOS

Part B: System Identity

Part C: Testing Network Connectivity

Activity 2: Exploring File Systems & Permissions (20 mins)

Part A: Creating Your Lab Workspace

🪟 Windows Server

🐧 Linux Ubuntu/ONOS

Part B: Understanding Permissions

Activity 3: Network Tools & Basic Diagnostics (15 mins)

Part A: Network Configuration

🪟 Windows PowerShell

🐧 Linux Terminal

Part B: DNS Testing

🎯 Extension Task: Windows File Sharing with Linux (Optional)

Step-by-Step Process

📝 Final Deliverables for Your PLR (Personal Learning Record)