CAP 211: Introduction to Linux/Unix

Systems
Lecture 1: Introduction to System Administration

College of Informatics and Virtual Education

 Course Description
 This course is designed for students to build their
theoretical and practical skills in systems
administration on Unix/Linux to a level where they
can configure and manage workstations.
 Course Objective
 The main objective of this course is to introduce
students to the task of system administration,
looking after and maintaining linux/unix based
systems.
 Learning Outcomes
 Upon completion of this course, students should be
able:
 Perform installation of UNIX or Linux operating systems
 Perform basic configuration and maintenance of
UNIX/Linux systems
 Write simple shell scripts
  Mode of Delivery
 40 Lecture hours + 20, tutorial/seminar hours 10
Assignment hours, 20 independent study hours and
10 practical training hours.
 Course Contents
 Introduction to System Administration, Roles and responsibilities
 Background of LINUX, variation of LINUX
 Managing Users: Group, Individual, Process: Adding, Deleting,
Modifying User Attributes, Password, The Login Process,/etc/profile
and .profile.
 File System: Structure, File and Directory, Shared File & Directory,
Process: create, delete, rename file and directory, vi Editor
 Shell Scripting: Shell Programming, Example scripting, Advanced
Scripting
 Backup & Recovery: Backup Strategies, Essential Tools, tar, cpio
and dump command, network Backup Strategies
 Security
Recommended References/Textbooks:
 Nicholas Well, The Complete Guide to Linux
System Administration, Thomas Course Technology,
2005
 What is system administration?
 In computer technology, a set of functions that
provides support services, ensures reliable
operations, promotes efficient use of the system, and
ensures that prescribed service-quality objectives are
met.
 It plays a vital role when a system is accessed by
multiple users.
 In essence, system administration is used to
ascertain that there is little to complain about the
system’s performance or service availability.
 Systems Administration
 The subject matter of systems administration
includes computer systems and the ways people use
them in an organization.
 This entails a knowledge of operating systems and
applications, as well as hardware and software
troubleshooting, but also knowledge of the purposes
for which people in the organization use the
computers.
 A system Administrator
 A job position of engineers involved in computer
systems. They are the people responsible for running
the system, or running some aspect of it.
 A system administrator, or sysadmin , is responsible
for the installation, configuration, monitoring and
assurance of an IT infrastructure.
 This infrastructure is usually composed of computer
networks with hardware, such as switches, routers,
servers and workstations, and software running on
them, such as firewalls, databases and web servers.
 Duties of a System Administrator
A system administrator's responsibilities might
include:

 Applying operating system updates, patches, and

configuration changes.
 Installing and configuring new hardware and
software.
 Adding, removing, or updating user account
information, resetting passwords, etc.
 System performance tuning.
 Duties of a System Administrator
 Responsibility for documenting the configuration of
the system.
 Responsibility for security.
 Performing routine audits of systems and software.
 Performing backups.
 Analyzing system logs and identifying potential
issues with computer systems.
 Troubleshooting any reported problems.
 Using tools to automate repetitive and time-
consuming tasks (i.e reduce the amount of manual
labor needed to keep systems functioning smoothly)
 Duties of a System Administrator
 Introducing and integrating new technologies into
existing IT infrastructure.
 Answering technical queries.
 Insuring that the network infrastructure is up and
running
 To help develop sensible policies that govern the
acceptable use of computer systems, the
management and retention of data, the privacy and
security of networks and systems, and other areas
of regulatory interest
 May be tasked with selecting vendors, assisting
with contract negotiations, and implementing
solutions once the paperwork has been completed.
 Required Skills and Qualities
Hard skills
 Must be an expert hardware and software tinkerer

 Comfortable in multiple Oses

 Install and configure server and client software
 Know how networks work and how computers
communicate
 Script programming
 Leveraging the Internet for information
 Required Skills
 Hard Skills
 Linux, Windows, OS X, Solaris, Perl, PHP, JavaScript, HTML,
XML, CSS, AJAX, Active Directory, SQL, Amanda, TCP/IP,
HTTP, SMTP, IMAP, POP, SVN, CVS, LDAP, DNS, DHCP, SSH,
SFTP, FTP, SSL, Java, Apache, Tomcat, MySQL, PostgreSQL,
RRT, Cricket, Nagios, Samba, SMB, BOOTP, IPMI, PXE, Python,
sh, bash, csh, MPI, SGE, Globus, Grid, Cluster, CUPS, LPR, DFS,
EXT3, Reiser, XFS, JFS, Squid, iptables, IBRIX, Infiniband,
Ethernet, DVI, USB, PCI, PCI-X, PCIe, DIMM, CMOS, BIOS,
ISO, IIS, Postfix, sendmail, dovecot, courier-imap, scp, df, du, top,
uptime, find, tar, tail, less, grep, ls, vi, emacs, ps, man, which,
crontab, cp, dump, more, ruby, c, c++, sed, awk, proc, postscript,
pdf, latex, drupal, plone, modprobe, regedit, group policy, ping,
route……….
 The point is, you obviously can’t learn all of these,
so focus on getting a good foundation and being able
to learn new things quickly.
 Required Skills
Soft Skills
 Be an excellent communicator

 Written
 Verbal
 Communicating technical information clearly and
concisely is extremely hard!
 Adaptability
 The landscape is constantly changing. Stay ahead
of the curve by keeping track of current
development, maintaining current training, and
trying new things.
 Required Skills
Soft Skills
 Tolerance, Patience and Compassion

 End users can be difficult and unreasonable

 Put yourself in their shoes
 Self-Motivating
 Often, the only time you hear from users is when
there’s something wrong. The best ones remember
to praise you when things go right, but don’t rely on
it for motivation
 Creativity
 Ability to think outside the box and come up with
creative solutions to problems
 Successful System Admins
 Generalize.
 They become a Jack-of-all-Trades. They don’t
get trapped in a specific technology or product.
 Are expert problem solvers.
 They understand how to attack the unknown in
manageable, measured steps.
 Are very good at time management.
 They manage information and workflow
effectively.
 Successful System Admins
 Think ahead.
 Put monitoring systems in place before the problem
exists. Identify bottlenecks and weaknesses and address
them.

 Solve a problem once.

 Build a permanent solution, not a one-time hack job.
“Higher Order Administration”

 Are often outgoing, social people

 Types of Administrators
In a larger company, the following administrators may
all be separate positions within a computer support or
Information Services (IS) department. In a smaller
group they may be shared by a few sysadmins, or even
a single person.

 Database Administrator
 Network Administrator
 Security Administrator
 Web Administrator
 Technical support
 Computer operator
Types of Administrators
 Types of Administrators
A database administrator (DBA) maintains a database
system, and is responsible for the integrity of the data
and the efficiency and performance of the system.

A network administrator maintains network

infrastructure such as switches and routers, and
diagnoses problems with these or with the behavior of
network-attached computers.

A security administrator is a specialist in computer and

network security, including the administration of security
devices such as firewalls, as well as consulting on
general security measures.
 Types of Administrators
A web administrator maintains web server services (such as IIS
or Apache) that allow for internal or external access to web sites.
Tasks include managing multiple sites, administering security, and
configuring necessary components and software. Responsibilities
may also include software change management.

Technical support staff respond to individual users' difficulties

with computer systems, provide instructions and sometimes
training, and diagnose and solve common problems.

A computer operator performs routine maintenance and upkeep,

such as changing backup tapes or replacing failed drives in a RAID
array. Such tasks usually require physical presence in the room
with the computer; and while less skilled than sysadmin tasks
require a similar level of trust, since the operator has access to
possibly sensitive data.
 Challenges of system administration
 Designing a network which is logical and efficient.
 Deploying large numbers of machines which can be
easily upgraded later.
 Deciding what services are needed.
 Planning and implementing adequate security.
 Providing a comfortable environment for users.
 Developing ways of fixing errors and problems which
occur.
 Keeping track of and understanding how to use the
enormous amount of knowledge which increases every
year.
 The meta principles of system
administration
Principle 1 (Policy is the foundation).
System administration begins with a policy – a
decision about what we want and what should be, in
relation to what we can afford.

Principle 2 (Predictability).
The highest level aim in system administration is to
work towards a predictable system. Predictability has
limits. It is the basis of reliability, hence trust and
therefore security.
 The meta principles of system
administration
Principle 3 (Scalability).
Scalable systems are those that grow in accordance
with policy; i.e. they continue to function predictably,
even as they increase in size.
 System Components
What is a system?
A human-computer system is an organized
collaboration between humans and computers to solve
a problem or provide a service. Although computers are
deterministic, humans are non-deterministic, so
human–computer systems are non-deterministic.
 System Components
There are three main components in a human–
computer system
 Humans: who use and run the fixed infrastructure,

and cause most problems.

 Host computers: computer devices that run software.
These might be in a fixed location, or mobile
devices.
 Network hardware: This covers a variety of
specialized devices including routers, switches,
cables, etc..
 Handling hardware
To be a system administrator it is important to have a
basic appreciation of the frailties and procedures
surrounding hardware.
 Never insert or remove power cords from equipment

without ensuring that it is switched off.

 Take care when inserting multi-pin connectors that
the pins are oriented the right way up and that no
pins are bent on insertion.
 Handling hardware
Moreover:
 Read instructions, instructions are there for a reason

 Interfaces and connectors: An incorrect cable can

result in damage to an interface.
 Handling components: Before touching any
computer components, earth yourself by touching
the metal casing of the computer. If you are
installing equipment inside a computer, wear a
conductive wrist strap.
 Handling hardware
Moreover cont ...
 Memory: When buying and installing RAM, remember

 The physical size of memory plugins is important. Not all of them

fit into all sockets.
 Memory is sold in units with different capacities and data rates.
One must find out what size can be used in a system. In many
cases one may not mix different types.
 There are various incompatible kinds of RAM that work in
different ways. Error correcting RAM, for instance, is tolerant to
error from external noise sources like cosmic rays and other ultra
short wave disturbances. It is recommended for important servers,
where stability is paramount. On some computers one must fill up
RAM slots in a particular order, otherwise the system will not be
able to find them.
 Handling hardware
 Lightning: strikes can destroy fragile equipment.
 Power: failure can cause disk damage and loss of data.
A UPS (uninterrupted power supply) can help.
 Heat: Blazing summer heat or a poorly placed heater
can cause systems to overheat and suddenly black out.
 Cold: Sudden changes from hot to cold are just as bad.
They can cause unpredictable changes in electrical
properties of chips and cause systems to crash.
 Humidity: too much humidity can lead to condensation
and short circuits.
 THE LINUX ARCHITECTURE
 Linux Operating System has primarily the following
three components
 Kernel is the core part of Linux. It is responsible for
all major activities of Linux operating system. It
consists of various modules and it interacts directly
with the underlying hardware.
 System libraries are special functions or programs
through which application programs or system
utilities access Kernel’s features.
 System Utility programs are responsible to do
specialized, individual level tasks
Components of Linux OS
Architecture of a Linux System
 Architecture of a Linux System
 Hardware Layer: consists of all peripheral devices
(RAM/ HDD/ CPU etc).
 Kernel: It is the core component of Operating
System, interacts directly with hardware, provides
low level services to upper layer components.
 Shell: An interface to kernel, hiding complexity of
kernel’s functions from users. The shell takes
commands from the user and executes kernel’s
functions
 Utilities: Utility programs that provide the user
most of the functionalities of an operating system.