I have been doing the stuff in the first block for quite a few years. I had a plastic scale model shop from 2004 until 2012. Its web site was based on a local server in the shop which I had configured and deployed. The code for the website was also written by me as part of the overall shop POS software. I was also running a few other web sites (for the local scale model clubs and my own computer consultancy) plus our own e-mail server.
As a result of all this, when we closed the shop and moved house, we needed to keep the web and e-mail servers going so I took on a free Amazon AWS server just until BT did its thing. Since then I have been running the servers from my apartment. Additionally, as part of a computer project, I needed a Riak (NoSQL database). I tried installing it on my iMac but that wouldn't work. It doesn't come as a Windows version, only Linux, so I had to find another way. I found out that Amazon has a Riak build available on its EC2 services so I signed up for a further free one year deal (under a different e-mail address - it helps to be able to create these as you need them).
This left me, I thought, pretty qualified to tackle TMA 01 without a lot of studying. I did my usual - skim the books, read the TMA and back fill what I needed to know. I was OK on Q1 but a little worried over Q2 as I have never run a Java based web server. In the end I worked it all out and put the TMA in with time to spare and both questions spot on for word count.
It was at 22.12 (according to the e-mail) on the 21st - just 4 days after the cut off, that i was told of the availability of the result. Because of my early presentation, I had had nearly two weeks to worry myself down to a bare pass. My wife had gone to bed but I woke here when I cheered at getting 79%. In retrospect, I ought to have done better but it was a level 2 pass, which is OK for me.
"TUTOR'S COMMENTS AND ADVICE TO STUDENT:
This is a very promising
start to this demanding module. This is a high grade two
standard. Well done, David. You have shown good understanding of many
of the concepts from block one. For the next assignment, link your
ideas more clearly to the scenario. You will find out more about
MagaMax (sic). Look for examples from them to illustrate your argument. Take
note of the important distinction between encoding and encryption."
I have now devoured the first three parts of Block 2 and am OK with what I have read so far. I haven't got involved in pricing up these cloud setups because I have been there, done that. I am concerned that we can see the next TMA but the two vitally important parts aren't being released yet and the forum moderator doesn't seem too keen to tell us when we might get them.
Is it that I know this stuff or are the parts fairly lightweight? I am getting through each of them in one two hour session. We shall see.
Regarding TM470, nothing is happening yet. I think that my project idea will run - especially as I have no need to show running code. This means that I can do the work in Smalltalk ( as it is a very clear language to read). I now have to wait until January when I get allocated a Tutor.
TMA 01 result in
I have been doing the stuff in the first block for quite a few years. I had a plastic scale model shop from 2004 until 2012. Its web site was based on a local server in the shop which I had configured and deployed. The code for the website was also written by me as part of the overall shop POS software. I was also running a few other web sites (for the local scale model clubs and my own computer consultancy) plus our own e-mail server.
As a result of all this, when we closed the shop and moved house, we needed to keep the web and e-mail servers going so I took on a free Amazon AWS server just until BT did its thing. Since then I have been running the servers from my apartment. Additionally, as part of a computer project, I needed a Riak (NoSQL database). I tried installing it on my iMac but that wouldn't work. It doesn't come as a Windows version, only Linux, so I had to find another way. I found out that Amazon has a Riak build available on its EC2 services so I signed up for a further free one year deal (under a different e-mail address - it helps to be able to create these as you need them).
This left me, I thought, pretty qualified to tackle TMA 01 without a lot of studying. I did my usual - skim the books, read the TMA and back fill what I needed to know. I was OK on Q1 but a little worried over Q2 as I have never run a Java based web server. In the end I worked it all out and put the TMA in with time to spare and both questions spot on for word count.
It was at 22.12 (according to the e-mail) on the 21st - just 4 days after the cut off, that i was told of the availability of the result. Because of my early presentation, I had had nearly two weeks to worry myself down to a bare pass. My wife had gone to bed but I woke here when I cheered at getting 79%. In retrospect, I ought to have done better but it was a level 2 pass, which is OK for me.
"TUTOR'S COMMENTS AND ADVICE TO STUDENT:
This is a very promising start to this demanding module. This is a high grade two standard. Well done, David. You have shown good understanding of many of the concepts from block one. For the next assignment, link your ideas more clearly to the scenario. You will find out more about MagaMax (sic). Look for examples from them to illustrate your argument. Take note of the important distinction between encoding and encryption."
That is where I lost my marks. For some reason, I was sloppy in my terminology and used "encoding" instead of "encryption". I know that! Why didn't I notice? Maybe I was thinking of Stargate where Walter gives his job as shouting out "Chevron 1 encoded... Chevron 7 locked".
I have now devoured the first three parts of Block 2 and am OK with what I have read so far. I haven't got involved in pricing up these cloud setups because I have been there, done that. I am concerned that we can see the next TMA but the two vitally important parts aren't being released yet and the forum moderator doesn't seem too keen to tell us when we might get them.
Is it that I know this stuff or are the parts fairly lightweight? I am getting through each of them in one two hour session. We shall see.
Regarding TM470, nothing is happening yet. I think that my project idea will run - especially as I have no need to show running code. This means that I can do the work in Smalltalk ( as it is a very clear language to read). I now have to wait until January when I get allocated a Tutor.