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Your Junior Technician Field Pack

The capstone project for Data Centre Technician: Racks, Power, Cooling, Cabling and Remote Hands — a free Data & Tech course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

One shared link (a Google Doc, or a folder with view access) containing every part. Hand-drawn diagrams photographed are fine.

What to do, step by step

  1. Part 1. Rack elevation: draw a 42U rack (on paper or in a spreadsheet) for this scenario: two top-of-rack switches, a patch panel, six 2U servers drawing about 350 W each and two 1U servers drawing about 200 W each, with blanking panels in every empty U. Mark the A and B PDUs and which power supply goes to which. Show the rack power sum and check it against the 80% rule for one 230 V, 32 A PDU.
  2. Part 2. Power and cooling chain: a labelled diagram from the grid and generators to a server's two power supplies, and from the cooling units through the cold aisle to the hot aisle. Explain in your own words what N+1 and 2N mean and what happens when one side fails.
  3. Part 3. Remote-hands checklist: a step-by-step checklist for replacing a failed hot-swap drive from a ticket, from reading the ticket to closing it with evidence, including how you confirm the exact device and part, how you work with the customer, ESD, and the chain of custody for the old drive.
  4. Part 4. Safety and conduct checklist: lifting, electrical limits, fire suppression alarms, laser safety, ESD, hot aisles and noise, visitors and tailgating, and customer confidentiality.
  5. Part 5. Fibre handling procedure: how to inspect, clean and inspect again before connecting, how to handle and store patch cords, and how to label both ends.
  6. Part 6. Incident note: write the note you would send at 2 am for this scenario: the inlet temperature at one rack in row C reads 27 °C and rising, and a blanking panel is missing. Include what you saw, what you did, who you told, and what happens next.
  7. Part 7. 90-day learning plan: the skills and certifications you will work on, a home lab or practice you will do, and where in Nigeria you will apply.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
The rack elevation and power sum are correct and the 80% rule is applied properly20%
The power and cooling chain is correct and redundancy is explained accurately15%
The remote-hands checklist confirms the exact device and part before touching anything and protects the customer's data20%
The safety and conduct checklist covers the serious hazards correctly20%
The fibre procedure and the incident note are clear, correct and usable15%
The 90-day plan is realistic and specific10%

You need 70% overall to pass. A human examiner also reviews this safety-critical project before any certificate is issued. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Data Centre Technician: Racks, Power, Cooling, Cabling and Remote Hands before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Data Centre Technician: Racks, Power, Cooling, Cabling and Remote Hands is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 70% overall to pass. Because this is a safety-critical trade, a human examiner also reviews every submission before a certificate is issued.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 7 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Data Centre Technician: Racks, Power, Cooling, Cabling and Remote Hands is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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