Workshop Overview
The "Maintaining Campus Network" workshop aimed to strengthen the skills of network professionals from Bangladeshi and regional universities in designing, managing, and troubleshooting campus networks. Organized by PSTU in collaboration with BdREN and supported by Asi@Connect, the five-day workshop included technical lectures, hands-on labs, and field visits.
Project Objectives
Primary Goal
To build the capacity of network professionals to manage, monitor, and secure university campus networks effectively.
Sub-objectives
Infrastructure Training
Deliver comprehensive training on design and maintenance of network infrastructure
Technical Skills
Improve understanding of BGP routing, VLANs, firewall and security, network servers, wireless LAN, and Radius server authentication
Hands-on Experience
Provide practical experience with monitoring tools like LibreNMS and NetFlow
Regional Collaboration
Support regional knowledge exchange and collaboration among network professionals
Activities Conducted
🎓 Technical Training
Duration: 5 days
Sessions covered network design, routing (OSPF), VLANs, NAT, firewalls, monitoring, Linux-based tools, and documentation practices.
🔬 Hands-On Labs
Practical exercises including OSPF routing, VLAN configuration, firewall setup, NAT translation, and LibreNMS monitoring.
🏛️ Technical Visit
Tour of SEA-ME-WE 5 (SMW5) submarine cable landing station to enhance understanding of core internet infrastructure.
🎊 Cultural Activities
Cultural night and social dinner fostered community engagement and cultural exchange among participants.
Key Outcomes
✅ Enhanced Network Competencies
Participants developed practical skills in managing routing, VLANs, NAT, and firewalls
🔧 Monitoring Tools Mastery
Participants trained in LibreNMS, NetFlow, and RANCID, improving monitoring capabilities
🤝 Collaboration Network
Participants formed an online group to share knowledge and troubleshoot network issues
🏫 Institutional Application
Skills are directly transferable for improving campus IT infrastructure
Challenges & Future Directions
⚠️ Challenges Identified
International Participation: Not all expected overseas participants could attend due to illness and time constraints
Time Constraints: Workshop duration was insufficient for deeper exploration of complex technical areas
🚀 Future Directions
Annual Training: Organize yearly workshops with broader topics and more international participation
Advanced Modules: Develop follow-up workshops on advanced routing, cybersecurity, and NOC operations
Infrastructure Expansion: Offer additional lab equipment and simulation tools
Sustainable Development Goals
This workshop contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: