Course Description

The course introduces the ideas and techniques underlying the principles and designs of system administration. The course concentrates on the popular Linux operating system, and covers topics ranging from initial installation of Linux to day-to-day administrative tasks such as management of user accounts and disk space, and even imparting the trouble-shooting skills future system administrators will need to cope with unexpected behavior. The course is featured with working with kernels as well as securing and monitoring the Linux system.

Course Objectives

Learn about system administration. Use different tools and techniques for system administration. Identify and access file system, storage and network management services. Learn about the system kernels, security essentials and system monitoring.

Course Contents

1. Introduction

6 hrs

1.1. Linux workstation installation, Linux server installation, Post-install system configuration,

1.2. Scripting installation of custom setups using kickstart, Linux boot process,

1.3. SysV init concepts and configuration,

1.4. Managing startup of system daemons,

1.5. Controlling startup of services in xinetd / inetd

2. User Management

4 hrs

2.1. Creation, modification, and deletion of users and groups,

2.2. Creating group directories

2.3. Password aging under Linux,

2.4. The Linux login process and login authentication,

2.5. Regulating access to the root account via su and sudo

3. File System and Storage

4 hrs

3.1. Path Names

Absolute Paths

Relative Paths

3.2. File Types, File Attributes, Access Control Lists

3.3. Creation, modification, and deletion of partitions and file systems,

3.4. Management of RAID devices under Linux,

3.5. Disk space regulation using quotas,

3.6. Backing up and restoring Linux filesystems,

4. Process and Network Service Management

12 hrs

4.1. Scheduling jobs using cron, anacron, and at,

4.2. Management of processes running on the system, Usage of process accounting and implementation of process limits,

4.3. Configuration and analysis of system logs,

4.4. System performance analysis,

4.5. Configuring network interfaces, Setup of DNS and DHCP clients,

4.6. Diagnosing network setup issues, Configuring NFS clients

4.7. Basic installation and configuration of common network services: telnet and SSH servers file sharing via NFS, SMB, HTTP, FTP, and TFTP e-mail services via SMTP, POP, and IMAP ISC DHCP services

5. Working with Kernels

9 hrs

5.1. Configuration of optimized Linux kernels, Compiling and installing custom Linux kernels,

5.2. Using third-party patches with Linux kernels, Updating userland to support new kernels,

5.3. Concepts for troubleshooting Linux, Analysis of system logs to identify problems,

5.4. Use of systems-level debugging aids in troubleshooting, Usage of the Linux rescue environment

6. Security

5 hrs

6.1. Securing freshly installed Linux systems,

6.2. Protecting files and the file system,

6.3. User authentication,

6.4. Keeping Linux systems up-to-date, Configuration of Linux firewalls

7. Managing System Resources

5 hrs

7.1. Monitoring and Controlling Processes

7.2. Managing CPU Resources

7.3. Managing Memory

7.4. Monitoring Disk Space Usages

7.5. Managing Network Performances

Laboratory Works

Student should have practical session for configuring and using above mentioned topics in Linux. The lab work should be practiced for minimum of 3 lab hours per week.

1.Linux Configuration

Text Books

1.Æleen Frisch, Essential System Administration, O'Reilly

Reference Books

1.Fedora System Administrator's Guide
2.Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administrator's Guide
3.Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein, Linux Administration Handbook, Addison-Wesley Professional
4.Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein , Ben Whaley Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook, Prentice Halls
5.Ronald McCarty, Ubuntu Linux System Administration

Network and System Administration

Network and System Administration

Select University

Select Program

TabFlux . System Administration . FWU . BSc. CSIT

System Administration