See this page as a slide show
Introduction
CT320: Network and System Administration
Based on slides by Chris Wilcox
which were based on slides from Dr. James Walden at Northern Kentucky
University
Introduction
- SysAdmin Essential Duties
- SysAdmin Useful Skills
- Certifications and Organizations
- Site Classifications
- SAGE Job Descriptions
- SAGE Code of Ethics
- State of Machines
- Principles of System Administration
- References and Resources
- Curriculum for this Course
Simplistic View
- Add and remove users
- Add and remove hardware
- Perform backups
- Install new software systems
- Troubleshooting
- Performance tuning
- Auditing security
- Helping users
Essential Duties
- Hardware Management
- Procurement, Deployment, Troubleshooting, Upgrading
- Software Management
- Procurement, Installation, Troubleshooting, Upgrading
- Account Management
- Users, Passwords, Access, Quotas
- Data Integrity
- Backups, Security, Cleanup, Database Management
- Network Communications
- Web Servers, Email, Network Security
Essential Duties
- Troubleshooting
- Problem Reproduction, Debugging, Making Fixes
- System Monitoring
- Load Monitoring, Load Balancing, Provisioning
- Providing Documentation
- Documenting Processes, Training
- Strategic Planning
- Migration Planning, Provisioning, Purchasing
- Data Centers
- Site Management, Power, Cooling, Operations
Useful Skills
- System Expertise
- System Commands, System Tools, Utilities, Installation
- Market Awareness
- Hardware, Software, Peripherals, Networking
- Script Programming
- Shell scripts, Scripting Languages (Perl, Python)
- Heterogeneous Environments
- Windows, Linux, Macintosh Interactions
- Database Expertise
- Database Setup, Maintenance, Archiving
And a few more necessary skills!
- Management Skills
- Personnel Management, Vendor Negotiations, Budgeting
- Regulatory Compliance
- Safety, Standards, Legal Issues
- Green IT
- Energy Optimization, Server Virtualization, Demand Driven
- Programming Skills?
- Generally not Software Developers
Must require a certain personality!
Organizations
- USENIX: Advanced Computing Systems Association
- SAGE: System Administration Guild
- LISA: Large Installation System Administration (formerly SAGE)
- LOPSA: League of Professional System Administrators
Organizations
SAGE is the USENIX Special Interest Group for Sysadmins, an
international nonprofit professional that describes its goal as serving
the system administration community by:
- Offering conferences and training to enhance the technical and
managerial capabilities of members of the profession
- Promoting activities that advance the state of the art or the community
- Providing tools, information, and services to assist system
administrators and their organizations
- Establishing standards of professional excellence and
recognizing those who attain them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAGE_(organization)
Site Classification
- Small
- 2–10 computers, 1 OS, 2–20 users, often managed by a single
administrator
- Midsized
- 11–100 computers, 1–3 OSes, 21–100 users, often managed by
multiple administrators
- Large
- 100+ computers, multiples OSes, 100+ users , often managed
by hierarchy of administrators
SAGE Job Descriptions
- Novice
- UNIX familiarity; can explain simple procedures in writing or
verbally, has good phone skills
- Junior
- UNIX skills: system admin basics, capable of training users in
applications and UNIX fundamentals, and writing documents
- Intermediate
- Broad system administration knowledge
- Understanding of network/distributed computing concepts
(directories, authentication, network filesystems)
- Ability to automate tasks using scripting languages
- Capable of writing purchase justifications, training users in
complex topics, making presentations to an internal audience
- Independent problem solving, self-directed
SAGE Job Descriptions
- Senior
- A solid understanding of networking/distributed computing environment
concepts; understands principles of routing, client/server
programming, the design of consistent network-wide filesystem layouts
- Ability to program in an administrative (scripting) language, to port
C programs from one platform to another, and to write small C programs.
- Capable of writing proposals or papers, acting as a vendor liaison,
making presentations to customer/client audiences or professional
peers
- Ability to solve problems quickly and completely, ability to identify
tasks which require automation and automate them
SAGE Code of Ethics
- Professionalism
- I will maintain professional conduct in the workplace, and will not
allow personal feelings or beliefs to cause me to treat people
unfairly or unprofessionally.
- Personal Integrity
- I will be honest in my professional dealings, and forthcoming about
my competence and the impact of my mistakes. I will seek assistance
from others when required.
- I will avoid conflicts of interest and biases whenever possible. When
my advice is sought, if I have a conflict of interest or bias, I will
declare it if appropriate, and recuse myself if necessary.
SAGE Code of Ethics
- Privacy
- I will access private information on computer systems only when it is
necessary in the course of my technical duties. I will maintain and
protect the confidentiality of any information to which I may have
access regardless of the method by which I came into knowledge of it.
- Laws and Policies
- I will educate myself and others on relevant laws, regulations
and policies regarding the performance of my duties.
SAGE Code of Ethics
- Communication
- I will communicate with management, users and colleagues about
computer matters of mutual interest. I will strive to listen to and
understand the needs of all parties.
- System Integrity
- I will strive to ensure the necessary integrity, reliability,
and availability of the systems for which I am responsible.
- I will design and maintain each system in a manner to
support the purpose of the system to the organization.
SAGE Code of Ethics
- Education
- I will continue to update and enhance my technical knowledge and
other work-related skills. I will share my knowledge and experience
with others.
- Responsibility to Computing Community
- I will cooperate with the larger computing community to maintain the
integrity of network and computing resources.
- Social Responsibility
- As an informed professional, I will encourage the writing and
adoption of relevant policies and laws consistent with these ethical
principles.
SAGE Code of Ethics
- Ethical Responsibility
- I will strive to build and maintain a safe, healthy, and productive
workplace.
- I will do my best to make decisions consistent with the safety,
privacy, and well-being of my community and the public, and to
disclose promptly factors that might pose unexamined risks or
dangers.
- I will accept and offer honest criticism of technical work as
appropriate and will credit properly the contributions of others.
- I will lead by example, maintaining a high ethical standard and
degree of professionalism in the performance of all my duties. I will
support colleagues and co-workers in following this code of ethics.
Principles
- Policy: provides a foundation for behavior
- Predictability: goal is to avoid the unexpected
- Scalability: supports migration and growth
- Uniformity: increases predictability, decreases costs
- Variety: decreases risk, increases costs
- Specialization: delegation to experts, more efficient
- Minimum Privilege: do not work as root!
Certifications
- Windows
- Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE)
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)
- Linux
- Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
- Red Hat Certified Systems Administrator (RHCSA)
- Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC)
Curriculum
- Develop Linux System Expertise
- Account Management
- Automating Processes/Periodic Tasks
- Linux Installation/Software Updates
- Windows Installation ☹
- Shell Scripting
- Python Scripting
- Perl, the Greatest Language ever!
- Package Installation/Upgrading
- Network Installation/Network Security
