EXTERNAL ATTACHMENT REPORT

INSTITUTION: KIMATHI UNIVERSITY COLLEGE.

OF TECHNOLOGY.

COURSE: BSC.INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

NAME: PETER LYANDA BARAZA.

REG.NO: C025-0630/09.

COMPANY: KARUTURI LIMITED COMPANY.

NAIVASHA.

DURATION: 13th FEB 2012 -14TH April 2011.

SUBMISSION DATE: 8TH MAY 2012.

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Scope /purpose.

The Industrial Attachment program fulfils part of the requirement in pursuing the degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology in Kimathi University College. (Constituent college of JKUAT).This attachment however is purposely meant to bring into practice the knowledge and skills gained in classroom and also enable the student to understand practical working methodologies in different companies.This report serves to summarize the activities and experiences gained with Karuturi Limited Company for the period of two months. It is however limited to information that is deemed confidential to the company.

AcknowledgementAll my gratitude goes to all the Karuturi Limited Company staff for their humble time and their support throughout my attachment period.Special appreciation to my supervisor, Mr Frank Wambua with his assistant Lekishon Karbolo, for his supervision, devoted time, support and ensuring that my work is up to date. He made me gain much more than what the scholastic or industrial aspects of the program could not have given. May God bless him abundantly.

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Table of contents1.0 Executive summary………………………………………………………………………4

1.1 Short count of the activities accomplished……………………………………..4

1.2 Introduction……………………………………………………………………….5

2.0 Description of the work station………………………………………………………….6

2.1 Software Section………………………………………………………………….6

2.1.1 Software support ,maintenance and other services……………………..6

2.1.2 Software Development…………………………………………………..9

2.2 Hardware Section………………………………………………………………..14

2.3 Networking Section……………………………………………………………….16

3.0 Impact of the attachment………………………………………………………………….18

3.1 Social conditions…………………………………………………………………..18

3.2 Implications on future study………………………………………………………18

4.0 Recommendations and conclusion………………………………………………………..18

4.1 Recommendations…………………………………………………………….......18

4.2 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………..18

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1.0 Executive summary.

1.0 Short count of activities accomplished

The ICT department in Karuturi Limited is comprised of three personnel who are highly skilled in all

sections of IT in the company. The areas handled by the department includes Networking,

Hardware ,mobile telephone support, landline/Telkom telephone installation and software services.

The report covers the activities that I was able to engage in throughout the attachment period of two

months in the ICT department. This comprises the following sections i.e. Hardware section-this part

encompasses activities such as installation, troubleshooting, maintenance and repair.

The software section includes all operations on the software applications this

Includes; installation, software configuration, software customization, performing backups, upgrading of

software, troubleshooting and software development.

The networking part brings out the layout of the domain structure of the company, laying of network

cables, setting up the network, email configurations, internet configuration and settings, client server

platforms.

The report also entails other services provided by the ICT section such us keeping record of all ICT

gadgets in the company i.e. computers, printers, IP phones, Uninterruptible Power Supply, Networking

Cables etc.

1.2 Introduction .

General background of the company.

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Incorporated in 1994, Karuturi Company Limited is today the largest producer of cut roses in the

world, with are area of over 292 hectares under Greenhouse cultivation and an annual production

capacity of around 555 million flower stems.

An integrated production model encompassing in-house plantation, cultivation and distribution

capabilities coupled with a series of green initiatives make them one of the lowest cost producer

of cut roses in the world. Almost their entire produce is exported to high-value markets such as

Holland, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bahrain, Muscat,

Dubai, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Brunei and North America, with a small portion sold in

India.

Having established our strong presence in floriculture, they now aim to broad base their portfolio

into a larger agri-produce basket. The acquisition of large tracts of land in Ethiopia has set the

stage for them to become a complete agriculture production company. their goal now is to make a

significant contribution to alleviate the global and african food crisis.

Equipped with a robust and de-risked business model, Karuturi company Limited aims at other

fast-growing business realms are food processing, floriculture retail including a flower auction

portal and information technology.

 

2.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKSTATION.

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2.1 SOFTWARE SECTION.

2.1.1 SOFTWARE SUPPORT MAINTENANCE AND OTHER SERVICES

a) Installation

|Installation is done from the server where most of the company software are stored for security

and easy access services. The following are the categories of software we installed:

Operating systems-the company machines run on Microsoft operating systems. They include;

Windows XP, Windows vista, and Windows 7.some machines we upgraded to run on the latest

versions of Windows.

Antivirus software-the company is licensed by the Avast Antivirus. This involved installing on

the new machines and subsequent run of the updates.

SAP-this is ERP software that enables the company’s wide range of activities to be coordinated.

The introduced system ERP-Enterprise Resource Planning is a system that integrates or at least

attempts to integrate all data and processes of company into a unified system. This means that all

the departments in the company were to be swallowed up in one system called ERP.

Common end user software-these includes software such as Adobe Reader, Adobe flash player,

WinZip, Microsoft office package.

b) Troubleshooting: This involves analyzing the software that has a problem and coming up with

various solutions to the same depending on the type of the software. For instance, in Microsoft

office applications, which are mostly used, there may be a problem in its files after some, thus

performing repairs to the software is necessary.

c) User help solutions: enabling the user in the efficient use of the installed software and

implementation of advanced features in software usage by the users.

d) Software configuration

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This involved configuring of the software for firstuse. Forinstance, the SAP software the

production section, it requires entering of server address that is usually know n only by the ICT

staff.

e) Software customization

This is done to suite various end users’ needs e.g. creating shortcuts, style of viewing mails in

outlook, preferred themes on the desktop, time taken for the computer to be on standby mode for

windows vista and windows 7 versions for specific users.

f) Partitioning and Formatting of storage volumes

This involved formatting of corrupted hard drives /partitions .usually done during operating

system installation.

g) Upgrading the existing software

This involved upgrade of all categories of software to the latest versions.i.e. Windows XP to

windows 7, Adobe Reader 8.0 to Adobe Reader 10.0, Opera browser 10.0 to Opera browser

11.11 and so on.

h) Performing backup services

Backups of important documents is done by performing a backup on the server and other

removable media such as flash disks, externalharddrives.The backup on the server remains the

best option since the user can easily access them anywhere within the company’s domain

structure in all Pump Stations.

i) ID PROCESSING.

This was the processing of Identity cards for employees of the company. This was done daily since new

workers were employed during the period and also for those that had lost theirs. However the size of the

cards was a large hence inconveniencing the workers in terms of portability and keeping them.

I was tasked with the responsibility of reducing the size, improving their appearance and also

incorporating other details that were not included in the other cards. Thus I was able to design the new

form of the cards using MS word and Sql server database by utilizing the mail merging capabilities.

j) Providing support services for the users.

k) Video Taking and Editing programme.

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The company required a video footage that encompasses all the procedures undergone from preparation of land to the packing and transportation of flowers to various destinations. Due to this, the IT department was called upon to effect the process. The industry based supervisor delegated me to spearhead the process.This included taking of the videos using video cameras and subsequent editing using Adobe Premiere Software and Nero Video editing software.Below are some of the snapshots of the editing softwares/videos.

1. Nero Video Editing Software.

Adobe Premiere Video editing software

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2.1.2 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

The attachment period encompassed of development of a Data Entry Project that would enable easier and faster

recording of stems graded by the workers. The languages to be used for the development were VB 2010 and SQL

Server 2008.

The project had the following requirements:-

Problem description.

The application was purposed to determine the extra amount earned by the worker from the extra stems of flowers

graded beyond the targeted number of stems in one day, relative to the stems length. The targets per day for the

stems to be graded by each worker (graders) for each stem length have been set by the company. There is also a

bonus rate set for each extra stem graded above the target which is used to calculate the extra amount to be earned.

The extra amount is to be determined by getting the extra stems and multiplying it by the bonus rate. The extra

stems in turn are determined by subtracting the target stems from the total stems graded.i.e.

Extra stems = stems graded – target.

Extra amount= bonus rate * extra stems.

The application should be able to accept input from the user i.e. the stems graded and thus calculate the extra

amount earned. It should also be able to save the details in an SQL Server 2005 database in table called Stems table.

The employees name and number should be able to be fetched from the database and be displayed on the

applications form.

The software should also generate reports at any given time of the stems graded by the workers and the extra

amount earned with corresponding dates. Archive the records in the stems table to a table called archive table using

stored procedures and clear the items in the stems table after a fixed period of time. This however should be done by

specific people who have been granted the rights to do so by the IT designated staff. Create a login module where

privileges are granted.

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The following are few snapshots from the project developed.

Crystal reports preview

Embedded here are the sample codes for the System

VB 2010 codes.

Searching a RecordPrivate Sub btnsearch_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnsearch.ClickTryDim conn As New SqlConnection("Data Source=SOPHIE-PC;Initial Catalog=WORKMATE_SQL;Integrated Security=True ")Dim inc As Integer = 0conn.Open()

Dim sql As New SqlCommand("Select * from Stems where EMPNUMB ='" & txtsearch.Text & "' ", conn)sql.CommandType = CommandType.Text

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Dim adapt As New SqlDataAdapteradapt.SelectCommand = sqladapt.SelectCommand.ExecuteNonQuery()

Dim dset As New DataSetadapt.Fill(dset, "Stems")Dim dv As New DataView(dset.Tables(0))dv.RowFilter = "Empnumb= '" & txtsearch.Text & "'"DataGridView1.DataSource = dvIf dset.Tables("Stems").Rows.Count < 1 ThenMsgBox("no record found")txtsearch.Focus()txtsearch.SelectionStart = txtsearch.SelectedTexttxtsearch.SelectionLength = txtsearch.TextExit SubElsesearch()cboempnumb.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("Empnumb")txtstemsgraded.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("StemsGraded")txtextrastems.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("ExtraStems")txtextraamount.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("ExtraAmount")txttarget.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("Target")txtbonusrate.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("BonusRate")DateTimePicker1.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("StemsDate")cboempnumb.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("Empnumb")cbostemlength.Text = dset.Tables("Stems").Rows(0).Item("StemLength")txtnumber.Text = dset.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("number")conn.Close()End IfCatch ex As ExceptionMessageBox.Show(ex.Message)End TryEnd SubMoving to the first recordTryDim con As New SqlConnection("Data Source=SOPHIE-PC;Initial Catalog=WORKMATE_SQL;Integrated Security=True")Dim da As New SqlDataAdapter("select * from Stems", con)Dim ds1 As New DataSetcon.Open()da.Fill(ds1, "Stems")adap.Fill(ds, "[PERSONNEL MASTER]")DataGridView1.DataSource = ds1.Tables("Stems")If ds1.Tables("Stems").Rows.Count < 1 ThenMsgBox("Records Empty")Else

txtstemsgraded.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("StemsGraded")txtextrastems.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("ExtraStems")txtextraamount.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("ExtraAmount")txttarget.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("Target")txtbonusrate.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("BonusRate")DateTimePicker1.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("StemsDate")cboempnumb.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("Empnumb")cbostemlength.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("StemLength")txtnumber.Text = ds1.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("number")

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search()End IfCatch ex As ExceptionMessageBox.Show(ex.Message)End Try

End SubSearch() procedurePrivate Sub search()TryDim conn As New SqlConnection("Data Source=KARUTURISVR;Initial Catalog=WORKMATE_SQL;Integrated Security=True ")Dim inc As Integer = 0conn.Open()Dim sql As New SqlCommand("Select * from [PERSONNEL MASTER] where EMPNUMB ='" & cboempnumb.Text & "' ", conn)sql.CommandType = CommandType.TextDim adapt As New SqlDataAdapteradapt.SelectCommand = sqladapt.SelectCommand.ExecuteNonQuery()Dim dset As New DataSetadapt.Fill(dset, "[PERSONNEL MASTER]")If dset.Tables("[PERSONNEL MASTER]").Rows.Count < 1 ThenElsetxtempname.Text = dset.Tables(0).Rows(0).Item("EMPNAME")End IfCatch ex As ExceptionMessageBox.Show(ex.Message)End TryEnd SubLogin Form.Imports System.Data.SqlClientPublic Class LoginPrivate Sub btnLogin_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnLogin.ClickDim con As New SqlConnection ("Data Source=SOPHIE-PC;Initial Catalog=WORKMATE_SQL;Integrated Security=True")Dim da As New SqlDataAdapter("select * from Login where username='" & ComboBox1.Text & "' and password='" & txtpassword.Text & "'", con)Dim ds As New DataSetDim mycommand As New SqlCommandda.Fill(ds, "Login")If ds.Tables("Login").Rows.Count < 1 ThenMsgBox("Invalid Password or Username")ComboBox1.Focus()ElseMsgBox("logged in successfully")Me.Hide()frmstems.Show()End IfEnd SubPrivate Sub btnCancel_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnCancel.ClickMe.Close()End SubPrivate Sub Login_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load

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ComboBox1.Items.Add("administrator")ComboBox1.Items.Add("Data Entry Clerk")End SubEnd ClassCodes for archiving the recordsPrivate Sub Transfers()Dim con As New SqlConnection("Data Source=SOPHIE-PC;Initial Catalog=WORKMATE_SQL;Integrated Security=True")Dim cmd As New SqlCommandDim ra As IntegerTrycon.Open()cmd.Connection = concmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedurecmd.CommandText = "Transfers"ra = cmd.ExecuteNonQuery()MsgBox(ra & "Records Successfully Archived")Catch ex As ExceptionMessageBox.Show(" ex.Message")Finallycon.Close()End SubUpdating a Record.By clicking the update button on the interface . Private Sub btnupdate_Click (ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnupdate.ClickDim Conn As New SqlConnection ("Data Source=SOPHIE-PC;Initial Catalog=WORKMATE_SQL;Integrated Security=True ")Dim ra As Integerconn.Open()

Dim sql As New SqlCommand("insert into Stems (Empnumb,StemLength,Target,BonusRate,StemsGraded,ExtraStems,ExtraAmount,StemsDate) values('" + cboempnumb.Text + "','" + cbostemlength.Text + "','" + txttarget.Text + "','" + txtbonusrate.Text + "','" + txtstemsgraded.Text + "','" + txtextrastems.Text + "','" + txtextraamount.Text + "','" + DateTimePicker1.Value + "' ) ", Conn)sql.CommandType = CommandType.TextDim adapt As New SqlDataAdapteradapt.SelectCommand = sqladapt.SelectCommand.ExecuteNonQuery ()ra = sql.ExecuteNonQueryMsgBox(ra & "records updated")End Sub

SQL CODESCreating the archiving procedureCREATING THE DATABASEGoUSE [workmate_sql]GOCREATE TABLE [dbo].[Stems]([Empnumb] [varchar](50) NULL,[StemLength] [int] NULL,[StemsGraded] [int] NULL,[BonusRate] [float] NULL,[ExtraStems] [int] NULL,

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[ExtraAmount] [float] NULL,[Target] [int] NULL,[StemsDate] [datetime] NULL,[Number] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL) ON [PRIMARY]

GOCREATE TABLE [dbo].[PERSONNEL MASTER]([Empnumb] [varchar](50) NULL,[EmpName] [varchar](50) NULL)Go

USE [workmate_sql]GO/****** Object: StoredProcedure [dbo].[Transfers] Script Date: 03/20/2012 18:47:07 ******/SET ANSI_NULLS ONGOSET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ONGOcreate procedure [dbo].[Transfers]as insert into Stems_Archive(Empnumb,StemLength,StemsGraded,BonusRate,ExtraStems,ExtraAmount,Target,StemsDate,Number)select * from Stems

2.2 HARDWARE SECTION.

This part involved dealing with the computer and its peripherals. The activities are:

a) Installation of computers and its peripherals: here we were able to install the newly acquired

machines to different departments in the company.

b) Maintenance.

This includes:

Dust blowing-Due to regular cleaning of the offices,dust tends to settle on these equipment

requiring that they be blown after a short period of time to avoid malfunction of these systems

due to dust related complications.

c) Troubleshooting –most computers tend to malfunction due to some factors which can be

human, natural or other physical factors. Some of The computer problems we were able to deal

with are:

Booting problems-some computers were unable to boot. First we check the error message to

determine what the problem is. For instance, “boot manager is missing”. This means that the

operating system is corrupt since the boot manager is not being detected; in this case, we

perform the operating system repair.

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Hard disk errors.

RAM errors.

Monitor errors.

Other peripherals not being detected:

Check whether the devices themselves are functioning, if not, replacement is

done/troubleshooting.

First check the port whether it’s working by interchanging the ports.

Go to the device manager to check whether the drivers have been installed, if not, we installed

necessary drivers.

Printer problems

The company uses advanced and more sophisticated Hewlett Packard (HP) printers that require

technical monitoring and maintenance.

The problems we encountered include:

Paper jam-this is caused by a malfunctioned toner, gears or papers manually pulled from the

printer while printing thus leaving some pieces inside. This was solved by checking any of the

above and relevant remedies conducted i.e. installation of the whole maintenancekit (gears, toner

etc.), opening and removal of any traces of papers.

Worn out cartridges-this resulted into faint pages being printed thus requiring faster

replacement since the company relies heavily on printing services. Replacement was done with

immediate speed.

Repair of malfunctioned printers and subsequent replacement of the worn out parts.

Printer- Network problems

d) Replacing malfunctioned components of the computers e.g. mouse, RAM, DVD drives,

keyboard, printers, and hard disks.

e) Replacing UPS batteries.

f) Installation of DSTv satellites and decoder.

g) Installation of landline phones.

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2.3 Networking section.

Karuturi Limited Company limited primarily depends on the network infrastructure

for almost all of its activities.

All computers in the company have been networked to ease communication within

the organization. Most of the departments rely on the network to process

documents and forward them to relevant staff. The main internet provider is

Telekom and KDN as the backup in case there is a failure in the Telekom link thus

enabling constant and reliable communication in the company.

Domain

All the staff in the company remotely login directly to the server through the

various domains in different The network administrator facilitates the creation of

an account in the domain fornew users.

Applications:

Windows 2008 server

Microsoft databases

Kaspersky Antivirus

Email configuration

The company implements the Microsoft Exchange Server for EmailExchange

services. There are two exchange servers in the company located at the in the

company.

Once the users have been given their accounts from the networking section, the

ICT staffs facilitate the configuration of the users’ machine to enable access to

email.

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The company utilises the Microsoft outlook client service to facilitate faster access

to the emails locally on the remote computer/account of the user.

Internet configuration

The main Internet service provider is Telekom Kenya while the backup service

provider is Kenya Data Networks.

I was familiarised to the remote Internet configurations to enable users to access

the internet. With the help of my supervisor, I was able to be well versed with all

internet configurations.

Network cabling

This included laying cables for the network, configuration and final setting up of

the network. Termination of network cables and subsequent testing of the cables

for verification.

This also encompassed of switch installation,biometric clocks

installation ,uploading of fingerprints for staff to the system,downloading of the

muster roll through the network layout to the computer.

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3.0 Impact of the attachment.

3.1 Social conditions.

The entire fraternity of the company provides a smooth and enabling working environment for the staff. This ideally impacted positively to my acquisition of relevant skills as a social being.

The employees of the company

3.2 Implication on the future study.

Being a student in my first degree, this period ignited the urge to study more in Networking and Software development since they make key impact in the smooth running of the company considering the domain structure and software development and other ICT departments without isolation.

4.0 Recommendations and conclusion

4.1 Recommendations

The whole of the attachment period comprised of various activities that made me gain a lot of experience, however ,I would recommend that IT attaches’ be introduced to advanced features of SAP software in order for them to gain more knowledge in software development and the complexity to be overcome.

4.2 Conclusion.

In conclusion, I have to attest my supervisor Mr Frank Wambua for the good job. I really appreciate the way I have been guided through this attachment programme with Karuturi Limited Company, beginning from the opportunity to take the time I needed to refresh and expand my knowledge in several issues concerning domain structure and its functionality, software installation and implementation,software development in visual basic 2010 and sql server 2008 hardware maintenance and repair, and finally earned the confidence to deal with assignments myself. It is through him that I did enjoy my work every day.

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