COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Department of COMPUTER SCIENCE Academics Graduate Information Masters Degree Computer and Network System Administration

System Administration Competency Checklist

The Computer Network and Systems Adminstration track requires that each student have practical experience performing tasks that demonstrate the competency expected of a professional in this area. This requirement cannot be satisfied by course-work alone, but must involve actual work as administrator of a networked computer system with real users. It is a condition of admission to the track that each student agree to take responsibility for obtaining the required experience, and demonstrate that the requirement has been satisfied, before graduation. In some cases, a student may enter the program with qualifying prior experience. In other cases, students must seek out opportunities (voluntary or paid) to gain system administration experience between the time of admission and graduation.

For admission to the Computer Network and Systems Adminstration track, each student is required to agree to demonstrate at least one of the skills specified in each category of the list below to an authorized representative of the Oversight Committee some time before graduation.

• Booting
• Install bootblock on a UNIX machine
• Install lilo on a PC machine that hosts multiple operating systems
• Modify boot behavior under various UNIX platforms, Windows95, WindowsNT, Macintosh
• Set up a device to network boot (diskless Xterminal)
• File Systems
• Installation
• Create different types of UNIX file systems & put them into service
• Create FAT, VFAT, & NTFS file systems & putting them into service
• Sharing
• Set up NFS on a UNIX machine
• Set up the automounter or amd on a UNIX machine
• Set up Windows95 & WindowsNT volume sharing
• Set up Folder sharing on a Macintosh
• Install samba on a UNIX machine for UNIX/Windows file & printer sharing
• Install netatalk or CAP on a UNIX machine for UNIX/Macintosh file & printer sharing
• Disk Space Management
• Install disk quotas on UNIX
• Set file/directory permissions on UNIX/Windows NT/Macintosh
• Systems Programming
• Write, modify, & interpret various UNIX scripts in Bourne, C shell, Perl, TK/TCL, awk, sed, &c
• Write, modify, & interpret C code of system utilities.
• Write, modify, & interpret text files used to manage Windows-based systems programs (.INI files, registry , DOS batch files, &c)
• Write, modify, & interpret AppleScript files on Macintosh
• Mail Services
• Mail Transport Agents
• Install & configure sendmail for a master mail server & subsidiary machines
• Install & configure POP mail server
• Mail Client Software
• Install & configure popular UNIX-based mail readers such as pine & elm.
• Install & configure popular Windows/Macintosh based mail readers such as Eudora.
• Networking
• Software
• Manage the contents of /etc/inetd.conf& related files on UNIX.
• Install & configure a Web Server, such as NCSA's Apache httpd on UNIX, Mac httpd, or ORA's WebSite on Windows.
• Install & configure a Network Time Protocol suite, such as xntpd.
• Install & configure multicast services, such as mrouted.
• Hardware
• Configure an Ethernet-based network (thick net, thin net, or 10baseT)
• Install & configure Ethernet bridges
• Install & configure TCP/IP-based networks & routers
• Install & configure IPX & Appletalk-based networks & routers
• Install & configure other network connections (FDDI, FastEthernet, dial-up server with PPP & amp; SLIP, &c)
• Application Software
• Install & configure popular UNIX-based software packages, such as the various GNU utilities (gcc, flex, bison, gnat, &c) & any thing else that typically resides in /usr/local.
• Install & configure UNIX-based third-party purchased software, including license management.
• Install & configure Windows & Macintosh based public domain & third-party purchased software, including license management.
• Peripheral Management
• Disks
• Add an IDE, EIDI, or SCSI drive to a machine (includes configuring master/slave, SCSI addresses, cable issues, &c).
• Format & partition a disk drive for use by the operating system (be it UNIX, a Windows variant, or a Macintosh).
• Printers
• Install BSD-style or SVR4-style client & server print software on UNIX.
• Physically manage a printer (know how to add paper, unjam, change toner, &c).
• Install & configure printer drivers on Windows variants & a Macintosh.
• Other Devices
• Install & configure non-disk SCSI devices (tape drives, for example).
• Install & configure network interfaces, scanners, real-time equipment, audio & video capture cards, &c
• Name services
• Domain Name Service
• Set up DNS on a UNIX box as either a caching-only server, secondary server, or primary server.
• Configure a UNIX/Windows/Macintosh machine to connect to a name server.
• Local & Cluster Name Service
• Set up NIS or NIS+ on UNIX
• Set up a domain controller on Windows NT
• Managing Users
• User Accounts
• Add and remove a user on UNIX/Windows variants/Macintosh
• Create automated account generation scripts
• Change a password for a user
• System Policies
• Establish policies & enforcing policy for a variety of areas (password creation rules, management of public-use facilities, how to handle misuse of system resources, &c)
• Security
• Accounting
• Set up UNIX process accounting
• Set up UNIX printer accounting
• Backups
• Install & configure custom file backup/recovery system for UNIX/Windows/Macintosh
• Security Tools/Monitoring
• Install & configure vendor-supplied, public-domain, & third-party security tools (tripwire, Crack, McAfee anti-virus software, &c)
• Performance Analysis
• Operating System Tuning
• Modify UNIX kernel behavior (SunOS, Solaris, Linux, &c)
• Network Analysis & Monitoring
• Use software to manage the network (SNMP clients, ethernet sniffers, Windows domain status software, &c)
• Use network analyzers to find & correct network outages & bottlenecks
• I/O Analysis
• Use UNIX system tools to monitor local & network disk performance
• Administrative Duties
• Hire & fire technical workers
• Draw up system design & upgrade proposals
• Write up bid specifications & purchasing hardware & software
• Train user population
• Be on call (pager or cell phone)