Lecture 1: Introduction to System Administration

Reading: ESA Chapter 1; SAGE Job Descriptions (LAH pp13-16) Go over syllabus Introduction to System Administration: SAGE levels, Microsoft certifications (MCSE/MCSA) and Red Hat certifications (RHCE/RHCT/RHCA/RHSS) Mark Burgess' Principles of System Administration

Lecture 1: Introduction to System Administration (cont.)

Financial and presentation aspects SUM CRUD model Evard's 5 states of machines Video of Thunderbird HPC build

Syllabus
See:

syllabusF10.html 4417SyllabusFall2010.doc

SAGE
SAGE (Systems Administrators Guild) -

organized with the following goals: Advance the status of computer system administration as a profession Establish standards of professional excellence and recognize those who attain them Develop guidelines for improving the technical and managerial capabilities of members of the profession Promote activities that advance the state of the art or the community

SAGE Systems administrator levels

First, some definitions

Small uniform site: <50 computers, all running the same operating system, and 20 or fewer users (A computer used by only the administrator does not qualify as a site) Complex site: up to 100 systems, running more than 2 different operating systems, and up to 100 users Large complex site: >100 computers, potentially running more than one operating system, and >100 or more users

SAGE Level I - Novice

Skills: Can explain simple procedures in writing or verbally, has good phone skills Familiar with OS commands/utilities at a user level - can edit files, use a shell, find users' home directories, navigate through the file system, use i/o redirection, etc. Is able to follow instructions well Background: Two years of college or equivalent education or experience

SAGE Level I - Novice (cont.)

Other desirables: A degree or certificate in computer science or a related field Previous experience in customer support, computer operations, system administration or another related area; Motivated to advance in the profession Appropriate responsibilities: Performs routine tasks under direct supervision Acts as a front-line interface to users, accepting trouble reports and dispatching them to appropriate system administrators

SAGE Level II - Junior

Skills: Can train users in applications and OS fundamentals, and writing basic documentation High skill with OS commands/utilities - can boot/shutdown a machine, can add/remove user accounts; also understands soft and hard links, distinctions between the kernel and the shell, etc. Background: One to three years of system administration experience

SAGE Level II - Junior (cont.)

Other desirables: A degree in computer science or a related field Familiarity with networked/distributed computing environment concepts; for example, can use the route command, add a workstation to a network, and mount remote file systems Ability to write scripts in some administrative language (Perl, VBScript, shell, etc.) Programming experience in any applicable language Appropriate responsibilities: Administers a small site alone or assists in the administration of a larger system; Works under general supervision

SAGE Level III - Intermediate

Skills: Can write purchase justifications, train users in complex topics, make internal presentations, and interact positively with upper management. Independent problem solving; self-direction Is comfortable with most aspects of OS can configure mail, install/ configure systems, setup printing, manage basic security, install software, use nslookup/dig; also understands paging and swapping, process communication, devices and drivers, file systems, basics of routing, etc. Can write scripts in some administrative language and do minimal debugging and modification of C programs Background: Three to five years systems administration experience

SAGE Level III - Intermediate (cont.)

Other desirables: A degree in computer science or a related field Significant programming background in any applicable language Appropriate responsibilities: Administers a mid-sized site alone or assists in administration of a large site and manages novice system administrators or operators Initiates some new responsibilities and helps plan for the future Evaluates/recommends purchases; has strong influence on purchasing

SAGE Level IV - Senior

Skills: Can write proposals or papers, acts as vendor liaison, makes presentations to customers/clients/peers, and works closely with upper management Ability to solve problems quickly, often by use of automation Understands all aspects of OS system tuning, client/server programming, design of consistent network-wide file system layouts, etc. Ability to program in an administrative language, to port C programs from one platform to another, and to write small C programs Background: More than five years previous systems administration experience

SAGE Level IV - Senior (cont.)

Other desirables: A degree and publications in computer science or a related field Extensive programming background in any applicable language Appropriate responsibilities: Works under senior management to design/implement complex networks of machines or manage a large site or network Establishes/recommends policies on system use and services Supervises system administrators, system programmers, or others of equivalent seniority Has purchasing authority and responsibility for purchase justification

SAGE - Other skills to consider

Heterogeneity Experience Experience working in an environment with more than one operating system Networking Skills Experience configuring file systems, synchronization, automounters, license managers, NIS/NIS+, TCP/IP, high-speed networking, routers, modem pools/terminal servers, etc. Security Experience building firewalls, deploying authentication systems, or applying cryptography; Experience with passwords, uids/gids, permissions, file system integrity, security packages

SAGE - Other skills (cont.)

Site Specialities Experience at sites with over 1000 computers, users, or disk space; Experience coordinating multiple independent computer facilities (for example, working for the central group at a large company or university); Experience with high uptime requirements, disaster recovery, etc. Documentation Background in technical publications, documentation, or desktop publishing Databases Experience using relational databases, a database query language, or as a DBA

SAGE - Other skills (cont.)

Hardware Experience installing and maintaining network cabling, boards and memory, SCSI devices, peripherals, etc; Experience with board or component level diagnosis and repair Management Budget responsibility; Experience in writing personnel reviews, and ranking processes; Experience in interviewing/hiring Local Environment Experience Experience with the specific OS, applications, languages or with the work done by the users

Microsoft Certifications

MCSE 7 Exams (4 networking, 1 client, 1

design, 1 elective) MCSA 4 Exams (2 networking, 1 client, 1 elective)

Microsoft Certifications - MCSE

The MCSE certification is appropriate for: Systems engineers,

Technical support engineers, Systems analysts, Network analysts, Technical consultants The Typical Computing Environment of an MCSE is a complex computing environment of medium to large organizations Candidates should have one year of experience implementing and administering a network operating system that has: 200 to 26,000 supported users Five to 150 physical locations Network services and applications (file and print, database, messaging, firewall, desktop management, webs, etc.) Individual offices/users connecting remotely to the corporate network and connecting corporate networks to the Internet Additionally , candidates should have one year of experience: Implementing and administering a desktop operating system Designing a network infrastructure

Microsoft Certifications - MCSA

The MCSA certification is appropriate for: Network administrators,

Network engineers, Systems administrators, Information technology professionals, Information systems administrators, Network technicians, Technical support specialists The typically complex computing environment of an MCSA is a medium to large company Candidates should have 6 to 12 months of experience administering systems in environments that have the following characteristics: 250 to 5,000 or more users Three or more physical locations Three or more domain controllers Network services and resources such as messaging, database, file and print, proxy server, firewall, public key infrastructure (PKI), Internet, intranet, remote access, and client computer management Branch offices/users connecting remotely to the corporate network and connecting corporate networks to the Internet

Microsoft Certifications - MCSE Exams

Networking Exam 70290: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment Exam 70291: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure Exam 70-293: Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure Exam 70-294: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure

Microsoft Certifications - MCSE Exams (cont.)

Client Exam 70270: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OR

Exam 70-210: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

Design Exam 70-297: Designing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure
OR

Exam 70-298: Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network

Electives Any of a dozen or so exams on topics such

as SMS, SQL, Exchange, etc.

Microsoft Certifications - MCSA Exams

Networking Exam 70290: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment Exam 70291: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure Client Exam 70270: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OR

Exam 70-210: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

Electives Any of a half dozen or so exams on topics

such as SMS, SQL, Exchange, etc.

Red Hat Certifications - RHCE

Red Hat Certified Technician

The entry-level Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT) certification focuses on single-system administration. Red Hat Certified Engineer The Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) program expands the RHCT with a focus on services and security. Red Hat Certified Architect The Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) requires an additional five endorsements to the RHCE that adds an enterprise-level focus. From clustering to deploying systems, these five exams ensure the student can deploy systems at the Enterprise level. Red Hat Certified Security Specialist The Red Hat Certified Security Specialist (RHCSS). This certification includes two endorsement exams from the RHCA plus an SELinux exam.

Red Hat Certifications - RHCT

RHCT One exam, with two parts:

Section I: Troubleshooting and System Maintenance (1 hour) Section II: Installation and Configuration (2 hours) Passing the RHCT exam requires the following: Successful completion of all troubleshooting problems in Section I A score of 70 percent or higher on Section II

Red Hat Certifications - RHCE

RHCE One exam, with two parts:

Section I: Troubleshooting and System Maintenance (2.5 hours) Section II: Installation and Configuration (3 hours) Passing the RHCE exam requires the following: a score of 80 or higher on Section I, consisting of five compulsory and five optionals problems successful completion of Section I compulsory problems within 1 hour 70 percent or more on the RHCT-level skills in Section II 70 percent or more on the RHCE-level skills in Section II

Red Hat Certifications - RHCA

RHCE, plus the following exams:

EX333 Security: Network Services EX401 Deployment, Virtualization, and Systems Management EX423 Directory Services and Authentication EX436 Clustering and Storage Management EX442 System Monitoring and Performance Tuning

Red Hat Certifications - RHCA

RHCE, plus the following exams:

EX333 Security: Network Services EX423 Directory Services and Authentication EX429 SELinux Policy Administration

Other Certification/Training
Linux Professional Institute (LPI) CompTIA Novell O'Reilly School of Technology

Mark Burgess' Principles of System Administration

1- Policy is the foundation 2- Predictability (is the goal) 3- Scalability (is often important) 4- Minimum privilege (restriction of unnecessary privilege protects a system from accidental and malicious damage) 4- Corollary: don't work as Administrator/root 5- Communities (each member needs to consider ramifications of actions) 6- Uniformity (increases predictability may decrease costs)

Mark Burgess' Principles of System Administration (cont.)

7- Variety (is a method of risk management and higher flexibility, may increase costs) 8- Delegation, aka 'Specialization' (specialization allows experts to develop, who can then do tasks more efficiently and more cost effectively) 9- Resource map: A resource map of a site aids the predictability of the system by allowing an administrator to learn about the parts of the system, understand interrelationships and prepare a contingency plan for expected problems with the specific elements 9b- Resource map: removes ambiguity and increases knowledge of the environment for administrators, users, and managers

Mark Burgess' Principles of System Administration (cont.)

Good ideas for students: * learn to learn independently * systematic and organized work habits * balance between reality (problems happen) vs. Utopia Bad ideas for students: * expect a single right answer to every problem * get stuck due to frustration * expect the textbook/manual/instructor/guru to be able to accurately and completely answer every question

Financial and presentation aspects

Software licensing models Capital vs. recurring Pie charts One pagers Some choice is good (Small/Medium/Large, Bronze/Silver/Gold) Paper copies beat powerless (lack of) PowerPoint every time Technical vs. non-technical audiences

SUM CRUD model

Software Users Machines Create Read Update Delete

Evard's 5 states of machines

New - A new machine Clean - A computer with the OS installed, but not

configured to work in the environment

Configured - A computer that is configured correctly

according to the requirements of the computing environment

Unknown - A computer that has been misconfigured,

or has gotten out of date, or perhaps been borrowed by an intern and returned with stains on it

Off - Retired/surplussed

Evard's 5 states of machines (cont.)

Moving between states: Build - During the build process, the operating system is installed on the machine Initialize Often directly after, or part of, build the process; This will typically include things like network configuration, naming, and may include OS patches and other changes Update - At some point after the initialization, the computer will probably have to be modified in order to bring the machine into conformance with the current requirements; In most cases, this will happen continually for the lifetime of the computer

Evard's 5 states of machines (cont.)

Entropy - This refers to the gradual process of change that results in a computer that has an unknown state; The causes for this are numerous; they include, for example, undisciplined changes made to the machine, major changes in the environment, or unexplained problems Debug - This refers to the process of debugging an ``unknown'' machine, and getting it back into spec Rebuild - In some cases, a machine will need to be rebuilt, either because of some kind of problem or for large scale change Retire - This is the process of turning a machine off; In some sites, there is an official process for this, in others, it merely involves turning the computer off or forgetting it exists

Evard's 5 states of machines (cont.)

New Build Clean
In i tia liz e

Rebuild

Configured Update
py tr o En

Off

Retire

Unknown Debug

Time for Video?

TBirdTLFast1280.wmv

(on cscidc\i)

Up Next
Before next class

HW1 assigned (Lab) Present hw1 and class vote -- each group gets 10 minutes; Discussion questions: who is cheapest? who would you hire to do the next job? Are those different? User Management

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