MAKERERE UNIVERSITY

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL

FACULTY OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATICS

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMPUTING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS COMPUTING

REPORT ON FIELD ATTACHMENT CARRIED OUT AT

UGANDA REVENUE AUTHORITY

June 4th, 2018 – August 3rd, 2018

OYOO WILFRED

Registration No: 16/U/17600/PS

Student No: 216012548

Academic Supervisor
ABDALLAH IBRAHIM NYERO

Field Attachment Report submitted to Makerere University Business School in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Business Computing of Makerere University
December, 2018

i
DECLARATION

I OYOO WILFRED declares that this report written in partial fulfillmentfor the award of
Bachelor Degree of Business Computing of Makerere University is my own work and the
content of this thesis has never been submitted to any University or institute.

Signature

_____________________________________________________________________

Date

_____________________________________________________________________

OYOO WILFRED

i
APPROVAL

This report has been written and submitted for Examination with approval of the undersigned
supervisor

Academic Supervisor

Signature

_____________________________________________________________________

Date

_____________________________________________________________________

Abdallah Ibrahim Nyero

Department of Applied Computing and Information Technology

Makerere University Business School

ii
DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this report thesis to my parents and guardians for the guidance, support,
advice and prayers. May the almighty God bless you abundantly.

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to appreciate everyone who gave me a hand both directly and indirectly towards this
successful completion of this internship training.

My humble regards go the overall staff body of Uganda Revenue Authority who worked
tirelessly as a team to support us towards achievement of applicable skills during the field
attachment period.

My special appreciation goes to my field supervisors Paul Kakaire (Nakawa Business Park),
Solomon Ddumba and Damiano Kato (URA Headquarters), Lynette Agaba, Sam Oloya and
Alpha Baggaga (Crested Towers), EriaKaduli who permitted and supported me to work in the
various fields and checking up on our progress. Thank you so much.

My utmost gratitude goes to my faculty, all academic and non-teaching staff members. I would
like to thank Assoc Prof Moya B. Musa, Dean, Faculty of Computing and Informatics for the
immediate action and arrangement made towards our training period through assignment of
academic supervisors. And my humble regards goes to my academic supervisor Abdallah
Ibrahim Nyero for the support and guidance given to me towards the best of my capabilities,
thank you so much.

I would also like to say thank you to my benefactors Mr Julius Kinyera, MsKellenKiconco , Ms
Martha Nakazibwe for the support, advice to mention but a few. I am so grateful.

In a special way, I would to recognise my dear friends Raymond Mwesigye, SyliviaNamatovu,

Sharon Nakiranda, JaliaBabirye, Farida Nakatudde who gave me company during my stay at
URA and also Brenda Nabiryo, Halima Hussein, Diana Nabukwasi, and the wonderful
experiences enjoyed with the Communication interns to mention but a few not forgetting my
Campus group The Ultimate 5 and Networking team mates Martha Mercy Apolot, Henry
Makambi, Herbert Barassa, thanks for putting your trust in me as your leader. I am so humbled.

Lastly, I would like to give a heartfelt appreciation to the Almighty God for making this training
possible for me and keeping not only me but also my benefactors, friends, colleagues and
supervisors fine and healthy. Thank you so much.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENT

DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................. i
APPROVAL ................................................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................. iv
TABLE OF CONTENT .................................................................................................................. v
LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii
ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................... ix
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. xi

CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION........................................................................................ 1

1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction to Field attachment ........................................................................................... 1
1.2 Objectives of Field Attachment ........................................................................................... 1
1.2.1 Objectives of Field Attachment to the students ................................................................ 1
1.2.2 Objectives of Field Attachment to the Organisation......................................................... 2
1.2.3 Objectives of Field Attachment to the University ............................................................ 2
1.3 Benefits of Field Attachment ............................................................................................... 2
1.3.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2

1.3.1 Benefits of field attachment to the student ........................................................................ 3

1.3.2 Benefits of Field Attachment to the Organisation ............................................................ 3
1.4 Organizational Background .................................................................................................. 4
1.4.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4
1.4.1 History of Uganda Revenue Authority .............................................................................. 4
1.4.2 Location ............................................................................................................................. 5
1.4.3 Mandate.............................................................................................................................. 5
1.4.4 Strategic Direction ............................................................................................................. 6
1.4.5 Mission............................................................................................................................... 6
1.4.6 Vision ................................................................................................................................. 6
1.4.7 Client Service Charter ........................................................................................................ 6
1.4.8 Organisatiion core values ................................................................................................... 6
1.4.9 Client Value Proposition .................................................................................................... 7
1.4.10 Culture statement ............................................................................................................. 7
1.4.11 Organisation structure ...................................................................................................... 8
1.4.3 Broad functionalities of Uganda Revenue Authority....................................................... 10

CHAPTER TWO - FIELD ATTACHMENT ACTIVITIES .................................................... 12

2.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 12
2.1 Business Support and System Administration (Crested Towers) ....................................... 13
2.2 Business Support and System Administration (Nakawa Business Park)............................ 13
2.2.1 Setting up internet connectivity to the machine ............................................................... 13
2.2.2 Adding a computer to the domain .................................................................................... 14
2.2.3 Installation of Windows 10 OS ........................................................................................ 15

v
2.3 Information Technology Infrastructure (Nakawa Headquarters) ....................................... 18
2.3.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 18
2.3.1 Wireless Local Area Network .......................................................................................... 18
2.4 Wide Area Network ............................................................................................................ 20
2.4.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 20
2.4.1 Configuration of centralised authentication using TACACS+ server ............................. 20
2.4.2 Active Directory and Domain Service ............................................................................. 23
2.4.3 Exchange server configuration in VMware workstation ................................................. 25
2.4.4 Information Technology Security .................................................................................... 26
2.4.5 The data center ................................................................................................................. 29
2.5 Data Collection, recording and presentation ....................................................................... 32
2.5.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 32
2.6 The 12th Open Mind Forum ................................................................................................ 33

CHAPTER THREE - LESSONS, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES ......................................... 34

3.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 34
3.1 Lessons and Experiences .................................................................................................... 34
3.2 Skills ................................................................................................................................... 35
3.2.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 35
3.2.1 Technical skills ................................................................................................................ 39
3.2.2 Academic skills ................................................................................................................ 39

CHAPTER FOUR - CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONS, ENJOYMENTS AND

LIMITATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 41
4.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 41
4.1 Challenges faced and how I was able to manage them ....................................................... 41
4.2 Enjoyments derived during internship ................................................................................ 44
4.3 Social experiences ............................................................................................................... 45
4.4 Challenges and limitations .................................................................................................. 45

CHAPTER FIVE - CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ........................................ 47

5.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 47
5.1 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 47
5.2 Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 47
References ................................................................................................................................. 49
Appendices ................................................................................................................................ 50

vi
LIST OF FIGURES

Fig 1: Organisational structure ....................................................................................................... 8

Fig 2: Internet settings .................................................................................................................. 13
Fig 3: Proxy server settings .......................................................................................................... 14
Fig 4: Exception configuration ..................................................................................................... 14
Fig 5: Termination of Ethernet cable ............................................................................................ 18
Fig 6: Centralised authentication topology ................................................................................... 21
Fig 7: Packet tracer simulation ..................................................................................................... 22
Fig 8: Remote access using telnet ................................................................................................. 23
Fig 9: Management of ports at subnet level .................................................................................. 29
Fig 10: Barracuda spam firewall deployment ............................................................................... 31
Fig 11: Fortinet firewall deployment ............................................................................................ 31

vii
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Packet filtering firewall .................................................................................................. 27

Table 2: Computer asset data collection and recording ............................................................... 32

viii
ABBREVIATIONS

ACL Access Control Lists

ADDS Active Directory and Domain Services
ARP Address Resolution Protocol
BGP Border Gateway Protocol
BIOS Basic Input Output System
BSSA Business Support and System Administration
CCTV Closed – Circuit Television
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CGO Commissioner General Office
CLI Command Line Interface
CMOS Complementary Metal oxide semi-conductor
CPU Central Processing Unit
CSD Cooperate Services Department
CVP Client Value Proposition
DC Data Centre
DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
DNS Domain Name Service
DR Data Recovery
EAC East African Community
E-MAIL Electronic Mail
Ext Extension
FTP File Transfer Protocol
FTP File Transfer Protocol
GDP Gross Domestic Product
HDD Hard Disk Drive
IP Internet Protocol
IPSEC Internet Protocol Security
LAN Local Area Network

ix
MOFPED Ministry Of Finance Planning and Economic Development
No. Number
NOS Network Operating System
OMF Open Mind Forum
OS Operating System
OSI Open Systems Interconnection
OU Organisational Unit
PCA Public and Cooperate Affairs
RAM Random Access Memory
RITE Respect Integrity Teamwork Excellence
RJ Registered Jack
RPD Research and Planning Development
SATA Serial – ATA
SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SSH Secured Shell
SSID Service Set Identifier
TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
Tera Term Tera Terminal
UDP User Datagram Protocol
URA Uganda Revenue Authority
US United States
USB Universal Serial Bus
UTP Uninterruptable Power Supply
UTP Unshielded Twisted Pair
VPN Virtual Private Network
WAN Wide Area Network
ZFs Zettabyte File systems
ZLDRA Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliances

x
ABSTRACT

Field attachment is an opportunity given to undergraduate students to help them relate theoretical
knowledge gained in class into more of practical experience in the real world settings.
I had a chance to conduct my field attachment training at Uganda Revenue Authority for a period
of eight weeks.
During the placement, I was placed in the Cooperate Services Department (CSD), Information
Technology specifically. I was able to work in the Business Support and System Administration
section in Crested Towers and Nakawa Business Park stations for three weeks before
specializing in the IT infrastructure section in core networking.
This report thesis is built on a five chapter content which is briefly summarized as follow;

Chapter one; This points out the introduction to field attachment, its objectives to the various
parties i.e. student, university and the organisation. It further stretches to give highlights on the
organisation, its background, structure, services provided and functions.
Chapter two; This chapter breaks down the activities I undertook during field attachment ranging
from computer asset recording, troubleshooting and hardware maintenance, to core networking
in the IT infrastructure department.
Chapter three; On the other hand, this chapter highlights the lessons, skills and experiences
developed during field attachment. Experiences are area of knowledge accumulated over a
certain time period. Lessons on the other hand are derived from the experiences got during
internship and skills are proficiencies gained in carrying out specific tasks or acquired technical
knowledge in performing tasks.
Chapter four emphasizes on the challenges included financial implications. Enjoyments included
interaction with different colleagues, teamwork, attending events among others.
The last chapter being Chapter five underlines the conclusion about my general perception about
this placement and the recommendation I fill can best fit the university, students and the
organisation of placement.

xi
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

_____________________________________________________________________________

1.0 Introduction

This chapter underlines some basic information about field attachment. It points out the meaning,
benefits and objectives if field attachment. It further stretches to the organisation background
with emphasis on structures, services offered and others as follows;

1.1 Introduction to Field Attachment

Field attachment program is an opportunity for an undergraduate student to apply his or her
theoretical knowledge gained during the university academic program into real world of
technology, its applications and professional experiences. The objectives of such programs are to
enhance participants‟ skills, and to enrich their industrial knowledge by keeping them updated
with the latest technologies. This opportunity has extremely helped me get that exposure into an
environment where I could think of as a network administrator instead of just as a software
developer.

1.2 Objectives of Field attachment

There are several objectives of field attachment to students, organization and university among
which include;
1.2.1 Objectives of Field attachment program to students
• To get exposed to working pressures, learning how to cope up with them and appropriately
respond to them i.e. learn to beat deadlines.
• To learn to easily adopt to new working environment.
• To give the student an opportunity to learn how to relate with people in the field i.e. team
player.
• To give the student an opportunity to gain more practical skills.
• To give the student an opportunity to put theoretical knowledge learnt into practice.

• To give the student exposure to rapid changing technology world.

1
1.2.2 Objectives of Field attachment program to the Organization
• The organization aims at tapping new and bright ideas that interns usually possesses, and
such ideas can be used by companies to improve their services and earnings.
• The organization view field attachment as an opportunity for future recruitment of employees
whereby trainees who display exceptional abilities can be recruited the company in the near
future.
• Some organizations view filed attachment as an opportunity for tapping cheap labour from
the interns for a specific time period.

1.2.3 Objectives of Field attachment program to University

• To create a working link between the university and the organization where the student is
training from.
• The university views the industrial training places as partners in the task of educating the
students.
• To provide the student with practical work to consolidate the theoretical work taught at the
university.
• Industrial training acts as the evaluation of the universities by the companies or organizations
and hence if the intern display credible knowledge and performance, the university gets a
good recommendation.
• The students are expected to obtain new ideas from their industrial training places which
when presented to the university through reports can help the university to modify the
content of the syllabi so as to suit job standards.

1.3 Benefits of Field attachment

1.3.0 Introduction

Field attachment program is also associated with a number of justifications to all parties that is
the students, organization of establishment and the University.

2
 Among which include the following;

1.3.1 Benefits of Field attachment training to Student

• Students can apply their classroom learning in professional environments. Students have the
opportunity to develop and apply the skills, theories and concepts learned in the classroom. The
ability to develop and hone professional skills that promote growth and development while at the
same time gaining industry-specific and often technological skills related to their field is
valuable.

• Students can gain exposure to their chosen field. Through internship, students get to embrace
their potential in such a way that the field that may initially appeal to them most as they begin
their college experience may not pan out to be all they expected as they learn more about it.
Participating in internships can be a great way to get a taste of the actual professional experience
in a particular field before you commit yourself to it fully.

• Students can establish critical networking connections. Through experiential learning

opportunities like internships, the invaluable chance students have to forge important
professional connections before they even reach graduation. In other words, internship is a
stepping stone to additional opportunities within the same organization, including fulltime
employment.

• Students can gain coveted work experience. One of the greatest frustrations graduates who
struggle to find employment report is the problems that arise when the only open positions
require work experience they've not yet had a chance to acquire. In this case, best real work
experience one can have is internship.

1.3.2 Benefits of Field attachment training to the organization

3
 Employers can reap immediate rewards without a hiring commitment. Companies devote
time and resources to finding, selecting and training interns which in turn gives a return to
their investments i.e. using services of talented individuals without having to make a hiring
commitment.
 Employers can evaluate up-and-coming talent. When it comes to hiring new employees,
hiring managers are always taking on a certain element of risk in determining whether a
candidate will be the best fit. Therefore through internship, the employer evaluates and
accesses an individual for competences.

 Employers can expose young professionals to their brand. Since many internships are
coordinated with school programs, there is need to expose those entering the workforce to
the company's brand.

 Employers can learn from students' fresh perspectives. Interns can come up with some of the
best and most innovative ideas. Just as students reap the benefits of an organization
mentoring, teaching and guiding them in their learning processes, employers too can learn
just as much from their interns.

1.4 Organizational Background

1.4.0 Introduction

This section points out in details the organisation background i.e. when URA was founded, Its
physical address, contacts, its mandate, strategic direction, mission, vision, core values, culture,
the general organizational structure, and its broad functionalities.

1.4.1 History of Uganda Revenue Authority

Uganda Revenue Authority was established in 1991 as a central body for the assessment and
collection of specified government revenue by the Uganda Revenue Authority statute of 1991
and set up in September of the same year to administer and enforce all the laws relating to such
revenue and to provide related matters. This statute incorporated all the laws that were in force
then regarding tax collection. The new organization (URA) merged the three tax administration

4
 departments that were responsible for all the taxes collected by the Central Government of
Uganda. These Departments were Customs & Excise, Inland Revenue and Income Tax
Department

The URA was created as a quasi-autonomous unit with a Board of Directors appointed by and
responsible to the Minister of Finance. The URA statute grants a considerable degree of
independence to the Board in terms of over day – to – day operations. However, the Ministry of
Finance (MOFPED) maintains control over two important areas;

1. Budget; For budgetary purposes, URA is regarded as a department of the MOFPED and is
subject to the same financial rules and disciplines of its other departments.
2. Revenue; The Ministry sets the revenue targets and how such targets are to be over different tax
heads.

Among the objectives, URA was to improve the standard of tax administration and correct the
weaknesses that characterized the old tax administration.

The URA is a state owned organization with number of branches all over the region like Crested
Towers, Nakawa Business Park, Entebbe International Airport, Port bell among others.

1.4.2 Location

The Uganda Revenue Authority is located on Plot M193/M194 Nakawa Industrial Area.

Nakawa – Jinja Road Kampala

Telephone (+256) 417442097

Email: services@ura.go.ug

Website: https://bridge/ura.go.ug

Whistleblower lines: (+256) 417442222 (+256) 417442047

1.4.3 Mandate

To assess, collect and account for Central Government Tax Revenue (include Non-Tax

5
 Revenues) and provide advice to government on matters of policy relating to all revenue sources
1.4.4 Strategic Direction

Cultivate a tax- paying culture through provision of reliable services, leadership development
and building strategic partnerships.

1.4.5 Mission

To provide excellent revenue services with purpose and passion.

1.4.6 Vision

To be a model for best practice and innovation in revenue services

1.4.7 Client Service Charter

The charter outlines our commitment to providing quality services to all our clients. It provides
information on what we do and the standards of service you can expect from us. It spells out the
rights and obligations of our clients.

1.4.8 Organization Core values

One can become a URA employee, but to become part of the URA family, one must adhere and
live the URAway in line with the organization core values with an acronym RITE.

• Respect

We shall highly respect our esteem clients while delivering a responsive service.

• Integrity;

We shall with accountability, transparency, trust, honesty and consistency in all we do.

• Teamwork;

We shall promote team efforts, trust and partnership to achieve our set goals.

• Excellence;

6
 Excellence in service, client care, image and presentation

We continuously strive to offer a better service today than we did yesterday with an aim to
exceed client expectations.

1.4.9 Client Value Proposition (CVP)

We promise excellent revenue services everywhere. All the time at the lowest cost possible.

1.4.10 Culture Statement

We are a client focused and responsive organization that attracts and nurtures talent and
innovation to deliver great customer experience in an enjoyable environment.

1.4.11 Organization Structure

An organizational structure defines how activities such as task allocation, coordination and
supervision are directed toward the achievement of organizational aims.

The URA structure in abstract can be divided into seven main groups which are Corporate
services, Domestic taxes, Tax investigations, Customs, Internal audit and Compliance, Legal
services and Board affairs and the General‟s office. All the different departments are each
managed by a Commissioner. In order to enhance close supervision each department has got
different sections of which each having a Supervisor assigned four officers who collaborate as a
team to enhance the institution‟s core values towards collective development of the Republic of
Uganda. The whole organization is managed by the Commissioner General.

7
 Fig 1: Organizational structure

The departments can be further grouped into;

1. Commissioner General Office

• Public and Cooperate Affairs (PCA)

• Research and Planning Department (RPD)

• Commissioner General Office (CGO)

2. Domestic Taxes Department

• Compliance Policy

• Business Policy

• Large taxpayers' Office

• Service Management

8
 • Oil and Gas

3. Customs Department
• Field Services

• Customs Audit

• Enforcement

• Trade

• Customs Compliance and Business Analysis

4. Cooperate Services Department

• Finance

• Human Resource

• Information Technology

• Administration (Fleet and Procurement)

5. Tax Investigation Department

• Intelligence

• Investigations

6. Legal Services and Board Affairs

• Litigation (Representation in Courts of Law)

• Board of Affairs (Policy and Rulings)

7. Internal Audit and Compliance

• Internal Audit

• Compliance

9
1.4.12 Broad Functionalities of the Uganda Revenue Authority are as follows;

Uganda Revenue Authority is in charge with the responsibility of providing the foundation for
development through revenue mobilization to:

• Identify the tax payer and inform the tax payers of their tax rights and obligations by
providing them with necessary information, fair assessment of tax payers with regard to those
taxes relevant to them, collect the taxes in accordance with statute and Enforce collection of
taxes where default has occurred.

• The Uganda Revenue Authority Administers the following revenue related laws;

The income Tax Act, 1997

The stamp Duty Act, 1998 (Cap 172) as amended;
• Finance current and capital development activities.
• Increase the standard of living of all Ugandans and reduction of poverty.

• Increase the ratio of GDP to a level at which Government can fund its own essential
expenditure.

• From the foregoing, the role of Uganda Revenue Authority can be summarized as follows;

- The Finance Statute 1998 (statute No.4 0f 1998) section 12 and the seventh scheduled to the
statute (Which provide for the imposition and collection of road users tax) as amended.

- The Customs Traffic Act, 1970 (Act No.17 of 1970) as amended.

- The East African Customs Management Act 2004.

- The value added tax Statute, 1996 as amended.

- The Traffic and Road safety Act, 1998 (Act No.15 of 1998) and Regulations. All provisions
for the collection of license fees and other fees, fines (other than fines imposed by courts)
and other levies collectable under the Act.

10
- The Excise Tariff Act (Cap.174) as amended and The East African Excise Management Act
(EAC cap.26) as amended.

11
 CHAPTER TWO

FIELD ATTACHMENT ACTIVITIES

_____________________________________________________________________________

2.0 Introduction

Chapter two points out in details the activities, tasks and assignments undertaken during the
internship period at the different placement stations.

2.1 Business Support and System Administration (Crested Towers)

Under this section, I undertook a number of activities and assignment which were hardware
related. I looked at the various components of the system unit among which include CPU,
peripheral connectors, the heat sink, the different types of motherboards, the CMOS battery, the
SATA cables, the Hard disk drive, the power supply unit, RAM chips and the fan.

I also went ahead to disassemble the system unit components and put back and checked whether
it was able to function or operate. I was able to work out the different troubleshooting techniques
on non-functioning computers due to the missing OS, RAM or HDD. I was able to tell all these
simply by hearing the beeping sounds, the sound produced by the fans, the screen displayed.
Issues about inability of the computer to auto-reset time was mainly due to a fault in the CMOS
battery so the way was to have it replaced for such problem to be solved.

Another activity I undertook under hardware was dealing with the Uninterruptable Power
Supply. We found out that for the operations of the organisation to be in continuous process,
there need to be constant power supply. Therefore, I was introduced to the UPS which we had to
configure it to a network through inserting a Network Interface Card (NIC). Through this we
were able to plug a console cable and add the UPS into the network using a simulator (Hyper
terminal).

12
2.2 Business Support and System Administration (Nakawa Business Park)

Business Support and System Administration (BSSA) mainly emphasizes on the utmost
performance of the company‟s computer resources so as to enhance business operation processes
in the various department of URA.

Since URA has embraced the use of IT in all its operations, that means there is need for fast and
reliable internet services.

One of the operations I did to ensure there was internet connectivity and reliability, adding the
computers to the domain, Installation of antivirus application, and Microsoft Office 2016 at
the CSD using the administrative account was as follows;

2.2.1 Setting up internet connectivity to the machine.

• Using Internet Explorer application, Go to the Settings

Fig 2: Internet Settings

13
• Then hit Internet Option

• Opt for Connection on the menu.

• We have to change the LAN settings

Fig 3: Proxy server settings

• Later we advance to proxy settings and configure and exception as follows

Fig 4: Exception configuration

2.2.2 After all that process, I had to connect the computer to the domain.

I also added a computer to a domain ura.local

A domain is a kind of network that allows a client to login into their user account from any
computer on the network.

Go to start button and search Control Panel then hit System and Security
Later click on System on the presented screen.

Afterwards, click change settings

System Properties windows is displayed

14
Under Computer Name/Domain Changes, You can change the Computer name if you prefer and
later opt for Member of Domain which is ura.local and hit OK

You are then prompted for the user Credentials enter the Administrator username and password
then strike OK. Later Restart the Computer in order to save the changes made.

2.2.3 Installation of Windows 10 OS

Every computer system needs to have an effectively functioning components i.e. both hardware
and software. I was assigned a task of installing windows OS, and later MS office, a browser and
and Kaspersky antivirus program on a computer.

This was a computer which had no HDD due to the signs and the sounds it produced. I started
with inserting opening the system unit and inserting and carefully plugging in the SATA cables
and later powered the computer system on and undertook the following procedures in the
installation process.

After creating an installation media, I wanted

to make sure the device can boot from the
USB flash drive, therefore I accessed the
BIOS and adjusted the boot menu by pressing
F9 key and made USB FDD to be first on the
boot menu.

Then this screen will pop up whereby you choose the OS language, time and currency and the
input method. Since the keyboard was a US keyboard, I had to adjust the settings accordingly

15
This was the next step I interfaced with.
It was obvious I clicked install now
.

By checking that option I accepted the License

terms after reading them of course.

Later, I was presented the screen aside where I

had to choose to either upgrade (files,
settings, andapps are moved to windows) or
custom install (files, settings and apps are not
moved). The latter is the one to choose if you
prefer a clean install

Here is where I had to select a drive to instal

Windows 10 OS on. One can Format a drive or
partition it as well. But it is advisable not to
even temper with either formatting or deleting
any drive since it may contain client‟s data
Therefore, I chose a drive with a higher memory
capacity and hit next.

16
 Now, I was patient and decided to wait for the
configurations to proceed.

Before I could start using Windows, there are

some personalization, location, browser and
protection and connectivity and error
reporting settings that I had to adjust.
Someone can zip through all these by using
the Express settings which basically turn
everything on or you can hit the small print
that says „Customize settings‟ to customize
them.
I decided to click use Express settings.
Thereafter, I added some credentials in terms of username and default password to computer and
that was it.

Quick tip:
When in the process of installing the OS, I was advised not to delete or format ant HDD since it
may contains clients‟ data. So I had to always choose other options rather than delete or format.
All the previous data were kept in windows.old folder in Drive C.

17
2.3 Information Technology Infrastructure (Nakawa Headquarters)

2.3.0 Introduction

Information technology infrastructure is defined broadly as a set of information technology

components that are the foundation of an IT service; typically physical components, but also
various software and network components.

IT infrastructure is a department under the Cooperate Services Department (CSD) which aims at
ensuring effective data communication and networking within the organization.

The IT infrastructure is further categorised in WAN section, LAN section, IT security section.
This is so because of the need for quality assurance and the need to deliver excellence in clients‟
service. Therefore officers perform tasks they do best either in WAN, LAN or IT security.

2.3.1 Wireless Local Area Network

A WLAN is a local area network that doesn‟t rely on wired Ethernet connections.
WLAN can be either an extension to a current wired network or an alternative.
Under the Local Area Network, we made a fully functional Ethernet cable.

Requirements;

UTP patch cable, Crimping tool, Modular connector and cable tester.

There are four pairs of wires in an Ethernet cable and an Ethernet connector (8P8C) has eight pin
slots. Each pin is identified by a number, starting from left to right, with a clip facing away from
you.

Fig 5: Termination of Ethernet cable

18
Using the T568A standard, we assembled the Ethernet cable using the following procedures.

1.First we stripped the cable jacket about 1.5 inch down the end.

2. Then we went ahead to spread the four pairs of twisted wires apart using the pull string
then cut the pull it.

3. Later we untwisted the wire pairs then neatly aligned them in the T568A orientation. We
had in mind not to untwist them any further down the cable than where the jacket begins.

4. We then cut the wires as straight as possible about 0.5 inches above the end of the jacket.

5. Carefully inserted the wires all the way into the modular connector (RJ - 45) making sure
each wire passes through the appropriate guide inside the connector.

6. Push the connector inside the crimping tool and squeeze the crimper all the way down.

7. Later I was given the chance to repeat step 1 – 6 for the other end of the cable.

8. Making sure we had successfully terminated each end of the cable, we applied a cable
tester to test each pin.

19
2.4 WIDE AREA NETWORK

2.4.0 Introduction

A wide area network is a telecommunications network or computer network that

extends over a large geographical distance/place. Wide area networks are often
established with leased telecommunication circuits.

Under this section of core networking, I learnt how to create LANs configure
switches that is at the Data link layer (second layer of the OSI model).

I also learnt that URA uses leased lines from telecommunication companies so as to
aid in configuring wide area network country wide. This comes with a number of
benefits like less costly than having to I created and configured VLANs, IPSEC
VPN, BGP, DHCP, Centralized authentication using TACAC+ server, ACL, Remote
Access using telnet.

I also accomplished basic router and switch configurations which include;

1. How to setup hostnames

2. Setting up passwords like console passwords, vty passwords and enable password

3. Configuring interfaces.

2.4.1 Configuration of Centralized Authentication using TACACS+ server

TACACS+ is a protocol for security with AAA services. It is used as a centralized

authentication to connect networked devices. It can also provide a specific
authorization with centralized access to a particular user to work with the network.
Accounting gives a mandatory audit logs by logging all actions executed by
privileged users.

I configured the topology below in packet tracer.

20
 Fig 6: Centralised authentication topology

Below is a summary of the ISO I used to successfully configure the above topology of
the centralised authentication.

BusinessPark (router)
en
config t

I renamed the router to BusinessPark

hostname BusinessPark
line console 0
password 123
login
I later assigned IPV4 address and turned on the router
int fa 0/0
ip address 192.168.11.30
255.255.255.0
no shut

21
I wanted to make sure the router is able to communicate with that of HQ and
CrestedTowers
using;
line vty 0 4
transport input telnet
ip route 192.168.12.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.11.40

When configuring the remote access, I used the following

commands;
aaa new-model
aaa authentication login uraIntern group tacacs+
local username Wilfred privilege 15 password
800
tacacs-server host 10.1.12.131 key nakawa01
line vty 0 4
login authentication uraIntern
privilege level 15
I had to save the configurations;
do wr

Using simulation on packet tracer, I tested my routers and end devices and they were
able to be reached. Below is a screen shot.

Fig 7: Packet tracer simulation

22
Using Wilfred‟s computer based at Crested Towers station, it was actually possible to
telnet BusinessPark router. One of the benefits of remote access is it makes network
administration really convenient. Imagine a scenario whereby a new network officer
has been recruited in Gulu station that cost one will incur to travel just to add the new
employee on the network.
Since in the configuration, Wilfred was given a privilege level of 15 that is why he
is actually able to access up to configure terminal point.

Fig 8: Remote access using telnet

2.4.2 Active Directory Domain Service

Project carried out;

23
AD DS is called a domain controller. It authenticates and authorizes all users and computers
in a windows domain type network.

Under AD DS, a database and directory service which maintains the relationship
between resources and enable them to work together and provides centralised
repository for user account information and directory authentication, authorisation
and assignment of rights and permissions.

I was able to accomplish the different tasks assigned to me and my team for instance I
created virtual machines and installed windows server 2012R on the machine, I also
created client virtual machines and installed windows 7 professional OS on those client
machines.

I later configured a static IP address to the server machine and client machines. I ran the
ping command on both machines CLI terminal to make sure they were able to
communicate.

Installed the role of active directory, promoted the server as a domain controller on the
server machine. I created a domain and DNS still on the server machine, later added
organisation units (OUs) plus users and computers.

In the AD DS server, we added and configured the following roles and features;

• Users. (Go to Users and Computers, Right click, New, group, Contact,
user, Printer). To delegate (To give privileges to another user to control the
domain. And users‟ account unlocking.

• Denying user access basing on 3 unsuccessful login attempts. Install (Add

Roles and Features IIS Manager), Go to FTP Login Attempt, Adjust the
feature. Using Local Security Policy. Go to Account Policy, Account
Lockout Policy, Account Lockout threshold Properties. To our
disappointment this feature was inactive. Therefore we issued a some
commands in the CLI netaccounts / lockoutthreshold: 3

24
• Created Group Policies to the domain, OUs and users for instance
password complexity, administrative policies such as desktop policies and
task manager and control panel access policies for the VMware
workstation.

2.4.3 Exchange server Configuration in VMware workstation

I installed another virtual machine running windows server 2012R. Later I extracted
the ISO image setup for exchange and copied to the virtual machine desktop (Having
the name Exchange Server).

Opened Windows PowerShell

25
We had to prepare the Active Directory by issuing the following commands.

Install-WindowsFeature AS-HTTP-Activation, Desktop-Experience, NET-Framework-

45Features, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface,
RSATClustering-Mgmt, RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell, Web-Mgmt-Console, WAS-Process-
Model,
Web-Asp-Net45, Web-Basic-Auth, Web-Client-Auth, Web-Digest-Auth, Web-Dir-Browsing,
WebDyn-Compression, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Http-Redirect, Web-Http-
Tracing,
Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console, Web-Metabase, Web-
MgmtConsole, Web-Mgmt-Service, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Request-Monitor, Web-Server, Web-
Stat-
Compression, Web-Static-Content, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-WMI, Windows-
IdentityFoundation, RSAT-ADDS

.setup/Preparead /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms/OrganizationName: LAB

.setup/Prepare Schema /IAcceptExchangeLicenseTerms

2.4.4 Information Technology Security

This sections highlights an overview on the different preventive measures URA undertakes to
enhance safety and security as in line with their core values that is to say integrity.

We had a half day with the IT security officers in the IT infrastructure CSD. Here, we were
briefed and lectured on the different security measures URA undertakes to guarantee safety of
data and information of clients. Among the measures include;

1. Firewall

A firewall is simply a barrier through which the traffic going in each direction must pass. A
firewall security policy dictates which traffic is authorized to pass in each direction. It may take
the hardware or Software form. Firewall has a number of types among which include,

A study research was given to each member to go and read about firewall and their types. Here
were my findings.

26
• Packet filtering Firewall
A packet filtering firewall applies a set of rules to each incoming and outgoing IP packet and
then forwards or discards the packet. Filtering rules are based on information contained in a
network packet:

Table 1: Packet filtering firewall

Source IP address: The IP address of the system that originated the IP packet (e.g., 192.178.1.1)

Destination IP address: The IP address of the system the IP packet is trying to reach (e.g.,
192.168.1.2)

Source and destination transport-level address: The transport-level (e.g., TCP or UDP) port
number, which defines applications such as SNMP or TELNET

IP protocol field: Defines the transport protocol

Interface: For a firewall with three or more ports, which interface of the firewall the packet
came from or which interface of the firewall the packet is destined for.

• Application-Level Gateway

An application-level gateway, also called an application proxy, acts as a relay of application-

level traffic. The user contacts the gateway using a TCP/IP application, such as Telnet or FTP,
and the gateway asks the user for the name of the remote host to be accessed.

• Stateful Inspection Firewalls

A traditional packet filter makes filtering decisions on an individual packet basis and does not
take into consideration any higher layer context. To understand what is meant by context and

27
 why a traditional packet filter is limited with regard to context, a little background is needed.
Most standardized applications that run on top of TCP follow a client/server model. For
example, for the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), e-mail is transmitted from a client
system to a server system. The client system generates new email messages, typically from user
input. The server system accepts incoming e-mail messages and places them in the appropriate
user mailboxes.

2. Network Scanning and Inspection

This is done to detect and classify system weaknesses in computers, networks and
communications equipment and predict the effectiveness of countermeasures on timely basis.

3. Use of audit trial (audit log) in database

An audit trial is a security – relevant chronological record, set of records or destination and
source of records that provide documentary evidence of the sequence of activities that have
affected at any time a specific operation, procedure or event such transactions have occurred.
This plays a big role in maintaining integrity and confidentiality among Database officers and
the whole organization at large.

4. Use of role based access control

This is a method of regulating access to computer or network resources based on the roles of
individual users within the enterprise. Therefore IP address are assigned to users basing on their
roles i.e. a Network Officer will not have access to social media sites unlike a Finance client.

5. Whitelisting and black-listing of applications basing on their behaviours.

Behaviour whitelisting is a security method in which permissible actions within a given system
are specified and all others are blocked. This is used to secure websites, services and forums
from bots and hackers, computers from malware and hacking attempts and all emails from spam
and phishing attempts.

Blacklisting is used to filter messages sent from email addresses, IP addresses that have been
flagged as spammers. Messages from these sources generally end up in the junk Mail folder.
Therefore this helps protect systems against malicious code by blocking known malware from
opening or running.

28
6. Installing and updating antivirus programs.

Antivirus program is also another logical access measure deployed in securing the clients data
within the organisation. But in order to save time and make it more convenient, policies are
written from a single console to propagate to approximately over 1500 computers connected on
the network other than visiting every client wherever they are and installing and updating their
computers‟ antivirus programs.

7. Blocking of ports at subnet level

At times an attempted attack is made from a given node or computer connected on the network
which cause harm to the entire network. So that particular port is blocked from accessing the
network until the risk has been dealt with.

Fig 9: Management of ports at subnet level

2.4.5 The Data Centre

On July 11th, 2018, my team and I had a chance access and tour the data centre. While at the
server room, I was able to see a number of components which renders a number of functions
towards the common goal of data safety. I wrote and did research on how some of them
function.

Data centre or server room is simply a centralized location where computing and networking
equipment is concentrated to enhance effective data storage, confidentiality and retrieving in
case certain information is needed.

29
 URA has a number of servers in the various stations within the region. In order to enhance
centralized data storage, the DC is put in place with very powerful servers running 24/7 which
are often stacked in racks due to their high concentrations.

The DC also provides important services like data storage, backup and recovery, data
management and networking. In case of server breakdown, the DR takes over to enhance the
continuity of the operations within the organisation.

The DC is monitored to keep track of environmental variables like temperature, humidity and
alert administrators of the potential problems before they become critical emergencies.

To enhance safety against all these variables, the DC is well equipped with cool aerations which
produce temperature ranging from 18°C – 25°C, burglar proofing, biometric accessed and
installed CCTV cameras to enhance data safety.

The DC has got a number of equipment which serves a certain purpose towards the
organisational goal of security the client’s data promptly. These equipment among others
include;

• Firewall

A firewall is simply a barrier through which the traffic going in each direction must pass.

The DC has got a number of Firewall among which include;

Barracuda Spam Firewall. It stops Email borne threats, prevent sensitive data and ensure critical
Emails are delivered.

Fig 10: Baracudda spam firewall deployment

30
 Fortinet Firewall.
It delivers end-to-end network security with one platform, one network security operating system
and unified policy management with a single pane of glass for the organization‟s best protection
against the most advanced security threats and targeted attacks.

Fig 11: Fortinet firewall deployment

Poll alto Firewall.

This filters the inbound and outbound traffic before being transmitted to their destinations.

• Vblock Systems

Made of storage, provisioning and data protection services from switches and servers made by
Cisco along with VMware.

• Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliances

ZDLRA is a cloud-scale engineered system designed to dramatically eliminate data loss and
reduce data protection overhead for all Oracle databases in the enterprise. In other words, it
enables a centralized incremental forever backup strategy to hundreds and thousands of within
URA.

• Oracle ZFs Storage Appliance

31
 This delivers the best storage performance and unprecedented observability of workloads in the
organization.

2.5 Data Collection, Recording and Presentation.

2.5.0 Introduction

My team and I assigned tasks of recording all the company‟s computer assets within the stations
that we were assigned i.e. Nakawa Business Park, Crested Towers and Entebbe International
Airport.

The form had the following details.

CPU Keyboard Model + Monitor Model + O Use Computer IP Phone Mode

Model + No. No. S r Name + Ext
No

Table 2: Computer asset data collection and recording

We thereafter approached different clients, asked for permission to capture their computer details
and recorded them on the forms later we made records using MS Excel then presented the soft
copy to the Field based supervisor.

2.6 The 12th Open Mind Forum

On July 12th, we were all urged to go and attend the 12th OMF event organized by URA and its
partners. The Open Mind Forum was associated with the theme “Skilling Uganda‟s youths with
financial discipline and mind-set of business success.”

The OMF was conducted in line with a number of objectives among which include

• To provide a platform for sharing experiences and information on key practices of business
success.

32
• To provide a platform for business skilling for youth entrepreneurs.

• To cultivate an enterprise development culture among the youths.

• To create network for the youth entrepreneurs adept with business resilience.

• To emphasize the practice of embracing financial discipline for business success.

The panel discussions were conducted by successful youth entrepreneurs from various strands of
life and professions. Its objective articulated the fundamentals that supported and sustained
business. The panelists included Ms Ruth MatovuBiyinzika (Skilling Uganda, PFSU), Mr James
Abola (Team leader, Akamai Global) Financial Management, Lillian Katiso (Director of Finance
and Training – Zaddock Associates Ltd) Financial Management , Niyitegeka Michael (ICDL
Africa Country Manager, Uganda) IT Ethan Mussolni (CEO, Success Africa).
The forum was graced by Hon. Florence NakiwalaKiyingi (Minister of State for Youth and
Children Affairs) as the Guest of Honour and Ms Doris Akol (Commissioner General URA) as
the key Note address speaker.

While at the event, I was able to interact with a number of individuals of different professions
and took home a lot of information concerning growing professionally, improving digital images
and much more.

33
 CHAPTER THREE - Lessons, Experience and Skills
_____________________________________________________________________________

3.0 Introduction

Chapter three underlines the various lessons I undertook, the experiences I got when performing
specific tasks repeatedly, and the skills that were added to my career. There below are some of
the lessons, experiences and skills I achieved during this field attachment period at Uganda
Revenue Authority.

3.1 Lessons and Experiences.

Experiences simply means the value someone gets as a result of performing a given task or tasks
repeatedly for sometime

The placement at URA was associated with a number of tasks and assignments which tunes a
person's mind towards the general work environment within the organisation. The following are
some of the experiences I got during my stay at URA.

• Operating as a team. Being a team of five interns, this enabled me to work hand in hand so as
to perform the assigned tasks effectively and efficiently, being a team planner, I always took
the lead and this gave me more confidence about the future. Team work helped me to learn
what wasn‟t previously known from the fellow colleagues or even the officers which was
beneficial to everyone. This called for maximum co-operation and team work in order to
accomplish the different tasks.

• Relatedness of University‟s taught programs to the field of work. I was able to find the
applicability of a number of course units taught at the university in the field among which
include;

According to Enterprise Network Administration and Management (ENAM) as a course unit at

the university, it elaborates about the different network components which include Firewalls,
Routers, Switches, network cables, and others which are used in the networking process. During
the internship period I got an opportunity to configure different network topologies like VLANS,
IPSEC VPN, DHCP, Centralized Authentication using TACACS+ server and others.

34
 In Business Software Application, I was taught how to apply the different MS office packages
like MS Excel which I applied in the recording process of the computer details, MS Access
which is used to teach one of the staff from the Procurement department. And I was able to relate
the different features in order to present a good information.

In ICT fundamentals, I was taught the different hardware components and the possible
troubleshooting techniques not forgetting hardware maintenance. This was clearly done in the
field as I solved the problem of internet connectivity issues of one of the clients‟ computer from
PCA, updating windows defender antivirus, and fixing a frozen mouse. The techniques and
processes mentioned in class were not any different with ones in the field.

In line Business Law as a course unit, I was able to find out some of the litigation issues
governing the operations of URA.

• Resume enhancements. I gained valuable experiences and accomplishments to add to my resume

and enhance my application to the university. It also created an advantage over other graduate
school applicants.

• Networking and establishing mentors and references. I met new people and practiced networking
skills while establishing a network of professional contacts, mentors and references to attach on
the resume some point in time.

3.2 Skills

3.2.0 Introduction

A skill is proficiency gained in carrying out specific tasks or acquired technical knowledge in
doing work and during events hosted by the organisation. The following are some of the skills I
got during this placement.

• Communication skills. Different communication skills helped me to be positive and interact

more with other workmates at the Organization. During lectures in class in the course unit for
Business Communication Skills, I was taught more on how to handle and communicate to people
in a diplomatic and firm way hence the internship helped me a lot in increasing such skills.
Internship gave me an opportunity to improve on the communication process especially the

35
 feedback stage because my team and I always had to give our supervisor feedback on different
tasks assigned.

• Time management. Being able to successfully take a full course load every semester and meet
assignment deadlines to some extend gave me that time management skills. But during
internship, I was able to organize my time and produce results. I was able to prioritize
responsibilities and recognize when it was appropriate to multitask on various tasks for instance
when I was doing assignments on routing and switching concepts, my team and I were also able
to switch to active directory and domain service configurations.

• Flexibility. Being so focused to change and with willing to learn attitude towards new things we
were being trained. When it came to focusing in one section, I was so flexible to adopt to the
Network Infrastructure section with a willing to learn attitude.

• Initiative. Especially contributing towards a discussion of what to cover (depth) so as my team

and I can do not only basics but also fundamentals of networking

• Writing skills. At times my team and I were assigned tasks of data collection basing on the
company‟s computer assets which required some recording of computer specific details. In case
of hardship I got assistance from a fellow workmate before approaching the supervisor hence
perfecting my writing skills.

• Typing skills. This was one of the skills I just improved on because in course of studying
Information Technology the student used to type a lot and this helped a lot more so when it came
to typing the previously written records of the computer assets. In this case since free computers
were few at organization, when my turn for typing came, I typed at a high speed hence widening
experience and improving typing skills.

• Receptiveness. The ability to receive feedback by supervisors are very critical. At times we had a
number of challenges during the configuration of AD DS and exchange server. I was able to
always keep updating the supervisor on every errors and steps we are to accomplish and what
approach we use to approach them.

• Adaptability. I was able to adapt to a number of situations. For instance switching from one team
and work stations to another. In addition to that, I was not only performing duties as networking

36
 intern but also IT support in terms of troubleshooting, working at the business units and training
some staff members in software applications (Microsoft Access). In this case, I had in mind not
only an interest in a particular field but also willingness to become familiar with the different
parts of the organization which greatly increased my exposure within URA.

• Collaboration. As an intern, I was able to collaborate with other interns from my campus and
other higher institutions of learning. It was not a hard task to communicate and related well with
others towards a common goal. As part of a team I was able to understand my own strength and
weaknesses so I knew how best I could contribute as well as knowing how to bring the best in
others.

• Listening skills. A chance to work at URA gave me an opportunity to put into practice what was
studied in Business Communication skills. This greatly improved my ability to listen carefully
and understand what was communicated. As I moved on to the WAN section at the headquarters,
the process was entirely oral and practical so I had to ensure that I listen carefully thus
improving my listening skills.

• Leadership skills. I learnt that being a leader comes along with a bunch of responsibilities. Since
I was not only a team leader but also a team planner, this brought in a lot of advantages since I
had to gear up, mobilize and lead the team as they performed the different tasks assigned by the
field supervisor and also give a reminder to him on a day we had no task to perform.

• Interpersonal skills. I was able to build and maintain relationships and the kind of person team
members wanted within the team with them every day. I was able to identify the needs and wants
of the teammates and was able to recognize and acknowledge the value of differing perspectives.

• Analytical skills. I gained analytical skills which involved the ability to attempt some tasks with
a keen note, this was more with OS installation, troubleshooting a computer, and reassembling
the system unit components. I had to carefully analyse the different steps and avoid formatting
any data on the HDD, signs and sounds made by the computer system, where different SATA
cables go and how the components are fixed respectively very well.

• Ability to go extra mile. Given the fact that there was always constant internet connection both
guided and wireless, we were given accounts for access the wireless internet. We made use of

37
 the CISCO netacadplatform for reading resources so as to broaden our knowledge on the various
configurations we were establishing.
• Creative problem solving. After attending the resource 12th Open Mind Forum, I got skills on
how to anticipate and manage day-to-day recruitment issues and getting to the bottom of the root
cause. I learnt that there are possible ways on how to confidently make decisions under pressure
and recommend workable solutions.

• Resilience. During this training, I was able to hear from a number successful personnel and I
learnt that keeping calm under pressure with the ability to stay positive when things don‟t go
well will make one a happy and a successful consultant.

• Commercial understanding. I got to know a thorough understanding why companies are hiring
and where their needs and expectations lie. Therefore, it is upon me to keep up-todate with
changes in the market I am getting exposed to that will help set me apart from other clients.

• Self-management. I was inspired to have the ability to plan ahead, be organised and always focus
on details which is key. Getting details right is crucial to building relationships but to be
successful, one is also required to work with an entrepreneurial mind-set, with an eye on new
opportunities towards the growth of one‟s business.

• Results driven. I embraced the idea that to make something happen it always require a positive
approach and one will combine this with the desire to achieve challenging targets.

• People focus. I learnt that using open and honest communication is the key to building lasting
relationships. Having this spiced up with a strong team spirit leads to harmonious information
sharing, best practices and increase performance.

• Technical proficiency. I was able to not only do some reading and research about the various
computer errors and symptoms which required troubleshooting but also do some simple
troubleshooting techniques for instance correcting a senseless mouse, internet connectivity
issues, updating anti-virus programs and others. All these gave me a package of added skills.

3.2.1 Technical Skills

38
• I acquired practical skills in dealing with computer hardware components, setting up a working
computers for the clients.

• Punctuality. Time keeping was a part of my daily routine so as to catch up with schedule and
assignments.

• I had a lot of opportunities visiting server rooms at the long building and the data centre. This
was when installing firewalls especially the polo alto firewall, checking for unusual signs and
symptoms on servers. It made me busy and I developed a tendency of requesting for tasks to
perform in most cases.

3.2.2 Academic Skills

• I gained skills in data collection, recording using MS Excel application while maintaining a high
level of communication while approaching clients.

• Receptiveness. Being able to give feedback on past-learnt and still to learn things basing on the
targeted outline and the time schedule.

• I obtained the skills of installing OS such as Windows 7, 10 and Windows Server R, Application
Software such as VMware work station 12 Professional and configuration VMware tools for
effective functionalities of Keyboard and Mouse on the virtual machines.

• I also learnt how to install and configure Active Directory to provide domain services, promoting
servers such as Domain controllers, adding users, organisation units, and computers to the
domain and administering Group Policy Objects (GPO) such as password complexity.

• I got skills on how configure static and DHCP IP addresses, configuring interfaces for both
routers and switches, configuring routing protocols, telneting and SSH and much more using
Cisco Packet Tracer and GNS3.

• I also obtained skills on how to install Microsoft Exchange Server using Windows PowerShell.

• I got knowledge on IT security i.e. different security measures to safeguard clients‟ information
both logical access and the physical access measures.

39
• I was able to physically see the various appliances at the server room with powerful servers,
cooling systems and other components which granted more security to the clients‟ data within
the organisation. Looking at the configuration of the Poll alto firewall boosted my confidence in
learning the various fields in network administration.

40
 CHAPTER FOUR

Challenges, Limitations, Enjoyment & Disappointment

4.0 Introduction

Every single scenario in life possess both a negative and positive impact. Therefore Chapter four
notes the various challenges, Limitations, enjoyments and disappointments I encountered during
this internship period

4.1 Challenges faced and how I was able to manage them

These challenges were personal, organizational, work group, community and others. Despite the
fact that they were really so depressing, I found possible ways of going about them and they
include following;

• Adopting to the working environment. Due to the fact that I was new in the organization, it took
some time to get used and cope with the working environment. I was not used to this culture and
society this was a big challenge. Therefore in the first days of internship I did not have much to
do and had to be vigilant and sit and the day ends without having much to do this was a
challenge because it made me so idle and bored for the first weeks in the organization.

I overcame this challenge by constantly befriending colleagues from different universities and
also staff members which really gave me some ease during my stay in the different stations of
the organisation.

• Boredom. During the field attachment, I had to endure boredom especially towards the end
of BSSA work areas at Crested Towers and Nakawa Business Park. This was due to the
monotony of the work being carried out and there was little to learn except for the fact that
there was an expectation for the work load to increase at a later date.

I always approached my supervisors for some tasks so as to us busy. This really helped in
making our time a resourceful one since we did some bit of programming in JAVA (using
hackerrank.comwebsite) and we were introduced to Angular JS for websites. At times

41
 sympathetic friends and parents hearing us complain during the first weeks of the training
always recommended us to try working on report or do something constructive which kept us
busy all times.

• Too much information absorptions. This started right from the orientation, and every time I was
recruited in a new station with different personalities who later introduced us to completely new
concepts which must be absorbed.

The only way which made me switch to such pace was to read ahead and consult the different
officers and minimize time wastage (Siting without a task to perform) by each and every time
finding sometime to do or request for a task from the Field based supervisor.

• Inadequate equipment. This was the biggest factor in the organization, inadequate equipment
included, computers, and chairs for the trainees. At the URA especially Crested Towers station
there were limited chairs and inadequate computers, this limited the intern‟s experience during
data recording process which was done in phases.

This challenge was solved by recruiting the whole team to different sections i.e. some members
were shifted to BSSA, IT Infrastructure, and others in order to enhance performance within the
different sections.

• The network had some restrictions. Looking at the positivity associated returns from such is
increased output from the employees since the company‟s internet will be used for the rightly
purpose. But on the other, it made our work a bit complicated since we needed to watch some
YouTube videos on the various configurations yet YouTube could only be accessed after 5PM.

The only solutions we had for this was to stay for some extra hour after 5PM so as to get the
work done in time.

• The distance from home to the initial work place. Being initially recruited at Crested Towers was
really a challenge since every time I will need to compete with traffic jam and arrive at work in
time which at times was costly.

I got over it by planning earlier enough so as to be just in time so as to prevent the pressure
associated with traffic jam, transport fares, and arrival at work.

42
• At times my tasks were not challenging. Our initial assignments of data collection, recording and
presentation were not challenging which made it boring and we had that negativity towards the
tasks being assigned to us since we were much interested in Information Technology cores.

Constant visiting the Board room at the Headquarters to hold a meeting with MrEriaKaduli who
motivated us time and again on what tasks are done within the organisation and finally assigning
us into the different sections.

• Our supervisors were quite busy and up and down at times. This became a challenge for my team
and I since we were already given the task schedules. Therefore following up and completion of
tasks within the time bound became a challenge since I was still new to the concept of core
networking.

I was constantly in touch with the field based supervisor who always send work, and guides on
email. Therefore it was always my task to mobilise the team so as to go an extra mile with the
concept so that when the supervisor comes, we can just pass over it to see where the hardships
where.

• I also had a challenge with some of the team mates who wanted to use the work hours for
personal things like Instagram since we were assigned to one computer. This became challenge
since it was not always easy to keep reminding someone of the tasks they already know which
was so uneasy for them to switch.

The only solution I got for this was to always arrive at work easier than them so as by the time
they come, we just get back to business since it was the reason as to way we came to work.
• I got some challenges when it came to asking some staff member questions. All of a sudden, I
got a chance to prove myself but was not so sure which at times gave me some pressure to be
self-sufficient and independent intern.

I always followed a simple rule to become a better intern each and every day by always checking
if I am sure of what I was to ask and not just assuming. This always made me avoid silly
mistakes and crumbling bridges.

43
 4.2 Enjoyments derived from field attachment.

My stay at URA also brought me a number of unforgettable moments. These came with
fascinating experiences each day after the other among which include.

• I was able to meet and work with potential employers and other staff members from the different
stations I was assigned at like social workers and welfare officers thus socialization.

• Exposure to the demands and challenges of the work place like giving feedback in the
appropriate time, reporting early enough at work, and relating with different categories of people
as well as performing the daily activities.

• It was a great achievement and enjoyment during the Open Mind Forum 2018 which was
organised by URA and its partners. Besides the refreshments, I was able to attend and acquire
real life ideas and motivations from the various successful entrepreneurs, motivation speakers,
and much more free of charge

• The internship program helped me to gain more confidence since I had to do different activities
which at times required approaching the different offices for consultations, or even access their
user computer details.

• New knowledge and practical experience was acquired in fields of communication, computer
networking like basic knowledge on GNS3, Team viewer and Wireshark and their applications,
and interpersonal skills among others that would help thre future in the future employment
fields.

• I got an opportunity to relate with different categories of people among which include
researchers who provided me some questionnaires for the research study they were conducting.
This gave me a highlight on what I will encounter, and how I will do it when I get to face the
final year research proposal writing.

• I enjoyed the moment when the PCA team joined the IT section at the headquarters. I was
humbled by the well welcome, coordination and association between different
departments within the organisation. This made my stay indeed a wonderful one.

44
 4.3 Social experience

• I learnt how to take responsibilities and do assignments with less or no supervision. For instance
in most times when the team was idle, I always approached the supervisor for an assignment so
as to keep the team busy every time.

• I was able to take an officer from the Procurement department through MS Access practice. This
boosted my confidence level and interpersonal skills.

• I also improved on my leadership and cooperation skills with the team members in every station
I was assigned whereby I was able to be appointed as a Team leader by the team members.
Therefore it was always upon me to request for tasks to be done from the various supervisors so
as to make the team busy.

• I greatly improved on my communication and interpersonal skills when it came to dealing with
different personnel within different levels of competences and qualifications the working
environment.

• Team work. I learnt a lot about the power and spirit of a focused team and its associated benefits
in line with the set targets. Most of our tasks were accomplished within a given time frame
especially when it came to computer data collection at Nakawa Business Park and Crested
Towers stations.

4.4 Challenges and Limitations

• Financial constraints. This was mostly on breakfast and meals which were so expensive within
and around the organizational premises whose costs were so high. This was quite
inconveniencing since we had to go a distance to have lunch so as to minimise some expenses.

• Limited time to cover the fundamental contents of core networking. In most cases we were taken
through the basis of Core networking so as to catch up with the time scheduled to the various
networking architectures we were to cover.

• I also faced a challenge with some clients especially those concerned with tea at the
headquarters. They mainly used to undermine the interns for instance receiving no reply after
45
greeting someone for two times consecutively which really created unfriendly work environment
for some interns especially during break time.

46
 CHAPTER FIVE

Conclusion and Recommendation

5.0 Introduction

Chapter Five draws a summary on the various activities offered by the different parties towards a
student's career and development. It points out the conclusions in terms of how better or bad
something was in the trainees perspective whereas recommendation for this case puts emphasis
on how well can the different parties adjust for the better towards provision of training to the
interns.

5.1 Conclusion

This section elaborates the recommendation to the organization and the university, and the
conclusion of the entire internship report.

The training impacted a lot of skills and experiences in me. I learnt a lot of technical skills,
communication skills and Team leadership skills and more still the 2018 Open Mind Forum
challenged me into changing my mind set, improvement on the self-esteem, attitude and the way
I look at things around me which has reinforced my future career prospects.

Much as the training was enriching, a lot were looked at and introduced to a number of basic
skills, therefore a lot more tasks remain to be done in order to support the experiences gained.

Finally, I think there is a lot for us students to do so as to level up with fast growing
technological world so as to be the right employees with the right skills to attempt the right jobs
at that right point in time.

5.2 Recommendations

I believe that URA is a great place for a student to do his/her industrial training. Some of the
reasons I would put forth are;

47
• Great Technical Experience and Knowledge. My team and I had a sound technical exposure to
new technologies, and excellent procedures and standards at URA.

• Responsibility and Accountability for Your Actions. My team and I had a couple of trouble
shooting activities under BSSA whereby we had opportunities to install some Windows 10 OS,
we were briefed on the idea of formatting HDD which is very critical since it is a major storage
hardware which may clients critical data. This is the right kind of experience and responsibility
needed to build up accountable, professional IT graduates.

• Training Personnel and their Enthusiasm towards trainees. The staff within a given department in
which we were assigned were always ready and willing to help us trainees by giving us new
practical skills in their section and more still covering up to volunteer to give us some training
whenever a colleague isn‟t around. It is not a scenario of giving us some work and forgetting
about us, instead, they had a proper plan for our training and were always working closely with
us, monitoring our work and giving feedback where necessary.

• Providing an overall learning. URA understands that it is not only technical expertise which will
make a successful IT professional or make an intern exceptional in his or her field and therefore
they are continuously working to ensure that we get an all-round learning and skill development.
We had plenty of trainings and opportunities to develop our communication as well as leadership
skills. More still organizing the 12th Open Mind Forum which had a great investment of
successful minds into skilling not only the trainees but also the whole Uganda at large.

• However I recommend the organization to channel non – focused interns into a specific
department of their choice in the starting days of the training so that they get basic content on
tasks and assignments under such sections. This tends to minimize the complaints regarding
inadequate time.

48
References

Uganda Revenue Authority website

https//:bridge/www.ura.go.ug

Cisco Global Homepage

www.cisco.com

Windows Server 2012

www.tutorialspoint.com

Organisation Core values, Mission and

Strategic Objectives
https://www.ura.go.ug/readMore.do?contentId=999000000000199&type=TIMELINE

Client Value Proposition and Culture Statement

https://www.ura.go.ug/readMore.do?contentId=999000000000785&type=TIMELINE

Student‟s Logbook

49
Appendices
______________________________________________________________________________

These are additional information considered appropriate to support the main text. Suggested
appendices are as follows;

Appendix 1
Configuration of Remote Access and Centralised Authentication using TACAC+ server in Cisco
Packet Tracer simulator.

I configured a TACACs+ server which is a protocol for security with AAA services. Its major
role was to provide a centralised authentication to connect networked devices.

Appendix 2

50
Hardware maintenance and Troubleshooting

Appendix 3

Computers Data Collection, Sorting, Recording and Presentation

51
I was assigned at crested towers station and Nakawa Business Park (Cooperate Services
Department). The screenshot below shows part of the recorded information about URA
computer assets I captured during the placement.

Appendix 4

VMware Workstation 12.

52
When I was attached at the headquarters, Configuration of AD DS was one of the activities I
undertook when virtualizing the computers before installing Windows Server 2012R.

53