1

IST 2201
System Administration
Course Outline

Bachelor of Information Systems and Technology

Contents

01 Expectations and thoughts about SA

02 Course objectives and outcomes

03 Course Outline

04 Introduction
 Objectives

Familiarize themselves with use,

management and control of systems
Demonstrate an understanding of after installation
operating systems, user accounts
and hardware devices. 0
02
1

0
04
3 Describe the processes and
techniques of setting up a corporate
system security
Demonstrate system security set up and
programming
 Upon completion of the course the learners should be able to:

Install, configure and Create and maintain secure

troubleshoot software and hardware systems/network environment

Identify various tasks and skills of a Create and manager user accounts, descri
system administrator be and navigate various file systems in a
Windows and/or Linux environment
 Course outline

Introduction
• What is system administration?
• Challenges of system administraion
• Meta principles of System administration
Operating systems installation and
configuration
Configuring system security
• Installing, Maintaining and
Configuring Application Software • Configuring user and computer policies
• Customizing the Desktop and • Managing user access and security
• Storage and fiile systems management
user interface
• Working with Remote system management
• Automating system configuration tools
• Managing Firmware, Boot
Configuration and Startup Configuring and troubleshooting
TCP/IP Networking
System protection and recovery
• Managing mobile networking and
• Monitoring and maintaining systems remote access
• Administering authentication and authorization
• Managing file security and resource sharing
• Handling maintenance and supporting tasks
References

Matthew Helmke
Thomas A. Limoncelli Mark Burgess AEleen Frisch
with Andrew Hudson
Christina J. Hogan Second Edition Third edition
and Paul Hudson
Strata R. Chalup
Third edition
7

BIT 2201
System Administration
Lecture 1
Introduction

Bachelor of Information System and Technology

Unit 1: Outline
❑ What is system and network administration?
❑ Challenges of system and network
administraion
❑ Meta principles of System administration
 System
9

 System Comprise of
◼ Computers
◼ Hardware (CPU , Printer , Scanner etc)
◼ Software
◼ Operating System
◼ Application Software (Business SW, Office
Automation, Peach Tree etc)
◼ Management Software (Database / Web /
Email etc)
◼ Networks
◼ Users
◼ Any thing else?
 What is system and network administration?

Branch of engineering that concerns the operational management of

human – computer systems

Addresses both the technology of

computer systems and the users of the
? Putting together a network of computers,
get them running and then keeping them
running in spite of the activities of users
technology on an equal basis
who tend to cause the systems to fail.

System administration is the management Network administration means the

of computers whether they are coupled by management of network infrastructure
a network or not. devices (PCs, routers and switches).
 System Administrator (SA)
11

 Is the person responsible for managing an organization’s computer and

operating systems
 System administrators, or sys admins, normally manage and maintain several
large – scale operating systems,
 such as Linux and Microsoft Windows Servers OS etc and
 Are responsible for making sure that those operating systems work together, support
end – user’s business requirements, and function properly.
➢ In a small company the Sysadmin may be the entire information technology
staff.
➢ The Sysadmin may do everything from telephone, to fax, to computer management
➢ In a large company the Sysadmin may be one member of a large group as we
shall the types of systems administrators
 Types of Administrators/Users
12

 In a larger company, the following may all be separate

positions within a computer support or Information
Services (IS) department.
 In a smaller group they may be shared by a few sysadmins,

or even a single person.

▪ Database Administrator
▪ Network Administrator
▪ Security Administrator
▪ Web Administrator
▪ Technical support
▪ computer operator
 …Types of Administrators/Users
2/3/2025

➢ A database administrator (DBA) maintains a database

system, and is responsible for the integrity of the data
and the efficiency and performance of the system.
➢ A network administrator maintains network
infrastructure such as switches and routers, and
diagnoses problems with these or with the behavior of
network-attached computers.
➢ A security administrator is a specialist in computer and
network security, including the administration of security
devices such as firewalls, as well as consulting on
general security measures.
 …Types of Administrators/Users
2/3/2025

➢ A web administrator maintains web server services (such as IIS or

Apache) that allow for internal or external access to web sites.
 Tasks include managing multiple sites, administering security, and configuring
necessary components and software.
 Responsibilities may also include software change management.
➢ Technical support staff respond to individual users' difficulties with
computer systems, provide instructions and sometimes training, and
diagnose and solve common problems.
➢ A computer operator performs routine maintenance and upkeep,
such as changing backup tapes or replacing failed drives in a RAID
array.
➢ Such tasks usually require physical presence in the room with the computer; and while
less skilled than sysadmin tasks require a similar level of trust, since the operator has
access to possibly sensitive data.
Duties of a system administrator

Answering technical Installing and configuring Adding, removing, or

queries and troubleshooting new hardware and updating user account
any reported problems.. software. information, resetting
passwords, etc.

Analyzing system logs and Applying operating system Responsible for security
identifying potential issues with updates, patches, and and performing routine
computer systems. configuration changes audits of systems and
software.

Introducing and integrating

Responsibility for documenting System performance
new technologies into
the configuration of the system tuning and performing
existing data center
backups.
environments.
Duties of a network administrator

Maintain the
Network design Cable the network Configure the network
network

Logical and physical Put the devices and Appropriate equipment Ensuring that the
Addressing. network infrastructure
network lay out media together
is up and running
 Skills of a systems and network administrator

Operating systems, The purposes for Systems, Network

applications software and which people in the devices,
system security organization use media and protocols.
the computers.
Troubleshoot
Problem solving
Hardware and
skills.
software

Knowlegdeable Know how Understand Posses Configure

 Challenges of system and network administrators

Time is not on their side It’s hard to work around the users
▪ Finding time to do everything. ▪ Doing work without impacting u
sers
01 02

Cost, Growth, Vendor lock-in. Configuration management

▪ IT pros yearn for centralized
06 03 management.

Keeping on top of everything is

Users are unpredictable! 05 04 complicated for many
▪ Invest in solutions that improve auto
mation and centralized management ▪ Keeping everything running
smoothly
Meta principles of system and network administration

Policy is the foundation Predictability

▪ System administration begins with ▪ The aim of system administration
a policy – is to work towards predictable sys
▪ a decision about what we wan tem.
t and what should be in relatio ▪ Predictability has limits. It is
n to what we can afford the basis of reliability, hence
trust and therefore security

Scalability Ethical
▪ Scalable systems are those that gro ▪ Make users’ lives bearable and to
w in accordance with policy empower them in the production
▪ i.e. they continue to function pr of real work
edictably, even as they increase
in size.
 How does one become a Sysadmin ?
2/3/2025

▪ Unlike many professions, there is no single path to becoming a

Sysadmin.
▪ Few Universities have specific programmes for Systems
Administration.
▪ So many Sysadmins have a degree in generic fields:
▪ Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer
Engineering, etc.
▪ In addition, because of the practical nature of Systems
Administration and the easy availability of open – source
server software, many Sysadmins enter the field self – taught.
 …How does one become a Sysadmin ?
2/3/2025

Generally, a prospective administrator will be required to have

some experience with the computer system he or she is
expected to manage.
In some cases, candidates are required to possess Industry
professional certifications before being considered.
For example, some one applying for a job administering
Microsoft windows systems may be expected to have the
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator MCSA certification.
 …How does one become a Sysadmin ?
2/3/2025

For Linux Systems there are three common certification programs:

LPI (Linux Professional Institute)
RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer)
Linux+ - a CompTIA certification of knowledge of Linux operating
systems from their installation
and use to the basics of applicable free software and open
source licences.
25

IT Infrastructure