CSCI 4417

A survey of concerns related to management and design of computing systems and services. Topics include the practice of system administration, overview of network operating systems, best practices for system administration, fundamentals of Unix and Windows system administration, network design, and remote network access. The course will provide hands-on experience with setting up and administering Unix and Windows network operating systems.

CSCI 2150 and CSCI 2200 and CSCI 3400, each with a C or better

• Demonstrate ability to respond to organizational needs related to technical aspects, customer service aspects, and managerial aspects.
• Demonstrate ability to accomplish a set of tasks in a lab setting. o Configure a Unix-based and a Windows-based network operating system on a multi- computer platform in two ways, with statically configured IP addresses and with dynamically configured (DHCP-based) IP addresses. o Configure a DNS server for a cloud-based environment to support local recognition of hostnames. o Configure a DHCP server for a Unix and a Windows based operating system. o Configure HTTP & FTP servers for a Unix-based operating system to support web-based document access.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of various types of file systems and storage implementations in enterprise environments (RAID, NAS, SANs, etc.) ( Student Outcome IT1 )
• Demonstrate ability to determine when writing scripts to automate standard system administration tasks would increase the effectiveness and decrease the overhead of system administration.
• Demonstrate ability to write clear prose that documents observations on system behavior, and actions taken to accomplish sysadmin-related tasks.
• Demonstrate knowledge of responsibilities of systems administrators at various employment levels.
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of standard sysadmin-related certification programs (e.g., Cisco, Novell, Microsoft, Network+), together with an appreciation for the advantages and disadvantages of each.
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of networking terms and concepts pertaining to system administration, including, but not necessarily limited to, terms that characterize the following attributes of networks and aspects of network operation: o Multi-computer configuration such as multiprocessor, multicomputer, cluster o NOS configuration such as registry, user profiles, /etc., “dot” files, directories, LDAP, DNS, DHCP o File system operation such as shares, NFS, mount points, Windows DFS o File system authentication such as access control lists, Unix, and Windows file permissions, drop boxes, chown vs. “take permission” models of object privilege. o User authentication such as domain, NIS o Internet services such as IIS, Apache

• System administration: what it is, what it entails; professional certification and support organizations; technical aspects; customer service aspects; managerial aspects.
• To convey an appreciation for the different types of system administration certification programs
• Typical duties of a system administrator
• To convey enough of a working knowledge of system administration to allow students to read contemporary literature on system administration (e.g., trade journals)
• Cloud Computing (primarily Amazon Web Services; discuss others)
• Network operating systems: what they are, how they differ from other operating systems, how they work.
• Operating System Installation (AWS)
• Installation/configuration of Apache & FTP
• Process management
• User account management
• Windows 2019 vs. Linux capabilities
• Microsoft Active Directory
• DNS / DHCP
• File Systems
• Backup and restore.
• Logging
• Automating repetitive tasks using scripting (BASH, PowerShell, Puppet, Chef)
• DevOps (including The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win (Lean, The Three Ways, project management (Kanbans), integration of Development and Operations, types of
• Use of policy in network administration
• Administering Windows operating systems: basic issues
• Administering Unix-based operating systems: basic issues
• Basic issues in remote network access
• To present basic issues in computer and network security, including
• Scaling resources & load balancing