Free ebook on Linux Administration: Principles of System Administration.pdf

For many years system administration has been passed on to new generations through manual pages, technical handbooks and by word of mouth. In all but the most disciplined institutions this has been a haphazard affair with a disregard for theory and no common standard of practice. Put simply, no one has seriously considered system administration to be a worthy academic pursuit. In recent years, the arrival of the internet has made this belief untenable however. The level of complexity of networked operating systems together with the increasing problem of intrusion (`cracking') has properly elevated the status of system administration to that of a discipline in its own right.

This text is an introduction to the aims and guiding principles of system administration. In this respect it is not like other books which focus mainly on procedures. It needs to be used together with any and all information which you find elsewhere. It's main aim is to illuminate a sound and logical way through the murky swamps of networked operating systems. It does not replace other books nor is it like any other. It is aimed at students in a College environment, or apprentice administrators not at system administrators working in the field.

The course assumes a basic familiarity with Windows and Unix as well as a core knowledge of basic operating system concepts from the two preceding courses Operating systems and Unix programming . It is intended to run intensively over one semester. You will be required to study an existing network, then set up a GNU/Linux machine and integrate it into the network. You will learn system administration by trial and error. No one should underestimate the value of making errors during the learning process. This is often the only way to really understand............more

The practical work for the course is based on the Debian distribution of the GNU/Linux operating system. This choice has been made in order to maximize the understanding of the important issues rather than the ease or simplicity of installation or of use. i.e. the aim is to gain experience, not to make things as easy as possible.

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