Partially Automated Tasks

Copyright(c) Management Analytics, 1995 - All Rights Reserved

Copyright(c), 1990, 1995 Dr. Frederick B. Cohen - All Rights Reserved

Administrators in a UNIX environment clearly have a significant number of duties to perform. Some of the duties that are partially automated in most UNIX systems include:

• Diagnostics are performed to find hardware faults that have caused abnormal system behavior, and at system startup to assure that the hardware is operating properly before loading the operating system. This includes tests for memory, disks, and other system critical and peripheral devices.
• Disk administration is performed to control the partitioning of disks into file areas, the swap space used to store process memory not currently executing, system overhead areas, and areas of disks that are not usable. This normally includes adding or removing disks and changing disk allocation, and in most cases destroys all information on the affected disk in the process.
• File administration is performed to control files within disk areas. This normally includes moving files around, deleting files, moving files to off-line backups, restoring files from off-line backups, and controlling the allocated area for files of different users.
• Machine administration is performed to change machine dependent parameters. It normally includes adding and removing peripheral devices, setting machine names and login messages, and similar activities.
• Package administration is performed to control software that is not a built-in part of the operating system. For example, windowing systems, network control programs, databases, languages, and other ``application'' programs are sometimes handled this way.
• Software administration is performed to control software that comes with the operating system, but is not part of the kernel. For example, printer control programs, system editors, and the other utilities that come with UNIX are normally loaded this way.
• System Setup is usually performed once to tell the system about local parameters. It consists primarily of telling the computer what time zone it is in, setting the initial system clock, setting the system name and login message, and changing system passwords from their defaults (anyone can use them without a password as the default).
• Tape administration is performed to deal with the tapes usually used to move files from system to system and backup files on a periodic basis in case of loss of data. Tape administration involves formatting tapes, testing them for proper formatting, performing maintenance on tape heads and drives, and resetting the usage counts used to assure that tapes don't become ineffective due to overuse.
• Terminal administration is performed to control which terminal lines are used for which purpose. For example, terminal lines may be used for printers, remote modem access, to connect two computers, or for user terminals. You can set speed and other line parameters for each terminal line, and control whether the line will prompt for login or be accessible from user processes.
• User administration is performed to control which people are allowed access to which parts of the system. It consists of adding or removing users and groups, and determining where their storage areas are kept.