UNIX System Administration Syllabus

Introduction:

UNIX System Administration is an introduction to systems administration for UNIX and Unix-like operating systems. Characteristics of Digital Unix, Solaris and Linux will be examined. There will be limited hands on time on dUnix and Solaris and more extensive hands on using Debian Gnu/Linux in a virtual machine on the lab's Windows workstations.

Text:

Required: Linux System Administration Handbook, Nemeth, Snyder, et al
Prentice Hall, ISBN:

General Information:

Much of the course will include hands on experience during class on a virtual machine under VMWare Player, but students are encouraged to install the Linux server on their own machines at home and to explore on their own.

Attendence will not be counted as part of your grade. The final will include material from the lecture as well as from the reading. Where I cover material in lecture that isn't in the book, I will try to post some of it on the site. Some lab assignments will be done partly in class.

The book is thick and there is a lot of reading. Reading assignments are expected to be finished before the class in which the subject matter is discussed. It's an aggressive schedule — there is a LOT of material to cover. This is all fair game for the final, and much of it is not in the book.

There will be opportunity to work on some labs (the ones using a VMWare installation of Linux) during class time. You may need additional time to finish, and you may need to work on these outside of class time. The classroom may be available at some parts of the day, but it's usually pretty heavily booked, and classes have priority. The small lab (409) is available, and VMware player will be installed on these lab machines. Competition for these machines will be high, and there isn't a ton of available disk space for virtual machines, so it is HIGHLY recommended that you install Linux at home for these labs. VMWare Player is freely available, so you might use your existing PC to run Debian Gnu/Linux as a virtual machine. Be aware that this requires a LOT of memory. A 256M Windows machine with NOTHING else loaded can just barely run a copy of Linux under VMWare. If you have a spare computer handy, you could install Linux on that.

We will be using the Moodle interactive system, accessible from the course home page. All assignments will be posted on this site, and homework results will be returned using this portal. Some exams may be taken online here.

You will need to create an account on this site. The procedure is pretty obvious from the front page. There will be a "password" necessary to "enroll" in the Unix Admin class. I will announce this password in class.

Homework answers should be plain text. Any other format (word doc, powerpoint, etc.) will NOT be accepted unless specifically requested. Note that as a Unix administrator you need to be intimately familiar with text files. There's no excuse for getting this wrong.

Lab/Homework may be discussed in groups, but must be done on your own. Read the CS department's Academic Honesty Policy if you have any questions regarding plagiarism.

Labs will be graded on a 10 point scale. Two lab assignments will be dropped. I do not accept late assignments. Work out errors in lab grades within one week after grades are posted. There will be one comprehensive final. It will cover lecture and reading material.

Grading:

70% labs
30% comprehensive final

Tentative reading schedule: