1st Edition

UNIX Administration A Comprehensive Sourcebook for Effective Systems & Network Management

By Bozidar Levi Copyright 2002
    768 Pages 80 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    To configure and maintain an operating system is serious business. With UNIX and its wide variety of "flavors," it can be especially difficult and frustrating, and networking with UNIX adds still more challenges.

    UNIX Administration: A Comprehensive Sourcebook for Effective Systems & Network Management is a one-stop handbook for the administration and maintenance of UNIX systems and networks. With an outstanding balance of concepts and practical matters, it covers the entire range of administrative tasks, from the most basic to the advanced, from system startup and shutdown to network security and kernel reconfiguration. While focusing on the primary UNIX platforms, the author discusses all of the most common UNIX “flavors,” including Solaris, Linux, HP-UX, AIX and SGI IRIX. Three chapters of case studies offer a practical look at UNIX implementation issues: UNIX installation, disk space upgrade, and several emergency situations that every administrator must expect to face at some point.

    Diverse yet detailed, filled with examples and specific procedures, this is the one book that both the novice and the seasoned professional need to learn UNIX administration and effectively perform their daily system and network-related duties.

    Contents Section I: UNIX ADMINISTRATION

    UNIX – INTRODUCTORY NOTES


    UNIX Operating System
    User's View of UNIX
    History of UNIX
    UNIX System and Network Administration

    THE UNIX MODEL - SELECTED TOPICS


    Introduction
    Files
    Devices and Special Device Files
    Processes

    UNIX ADMINISTRATION STARTERS


    Superuser and Users
    UNIX On-line Documentation

    System Information

    Personal Documentation


    Shell Script Programming

    SYSTEM STARTUP AND SHUTDOWN


    Introduction
    System Startup
    BSD Initialization
    System V Initialization
    Shutdown Procedures

    UNIX FILESYSTEM MANAGEMENT


    Introduction to the UNIX Filesystems
    UNIX Filesystem Directory Organization
    Mounting and Dismounting Filesystems
    Filesystem Configuration
    Few Other Filesystem Issues
    Managing a Filesystem Usage

    UNIX FILESYSTEM LAYOUT


    Introduction
    Physical Filesystem Layouts
    Logical Filesystem Layout
    Disk Space Upgrade

    USER ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT


    Users and Groups
    Maintenance of User Accounts
    Disk Quota
    Accounting

    UNIX SYSTEM SECURITY


    UNIX Lines of Defense
    Password Issues
    Secure Console and Terminals
    Monitoring and Detecting Security Problems
    UNIX LOGGING SUBSYSTEM
    The Concept of System Logging
    System Logging Configuration
    Accounting Log Files

    UNIX PRINTING


    UNIX Printing Subsystem
    Printing Subsystem Configuration
    Adding New Printer
    UNIX Cross-Platform Printer Spooling

    TERMINALS


    Terminal Characteristics
    The tset, tput and stty Commands
    Pseudo Terminals
    Terminal Servers

    UNIX BACKUP AND RESTORE


    Introduction
    Tape-Related Commands
    Backing-up a UNIX Filesystem

    Backup and Dump Commands
    Restoring Files from a Backup
    Tape Control

    TIME RELATED UNIX FACILITIES


    Network Time Distribution
    Periodic Program Execution
    Programs Scheduled for a Specific Time
    Batch Processing
    Section II:  NETWORK ADMINISTRATION

    NETWORK FUNDAMENTALS


    UNIX and Networking
    Computer Networks
    A TCP/IP Overview
    TCP/IP Layers and Protocols

    TCP/IP NETWORK


    Data Delivery
    Address Resolution - ARP
    Remote Procedure Call
    Configuring the Network Interface
    Super Internet Server
    DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM
    Naming Concepts
    UNIX Name Service - BIND
    Configuring named
    Using nslookup

    NETWORK INFORMATION SERVICE – NIS


    Purpose and Concepts
    NIS Paradigm
    NIS Management
    NIS vs. DNS

    NETWORK FILE SYSTEM – NFS


    NFS Overview
    Exporting and Mounting Remote Filesystems
    Automounter
    NFS - Security Issues

    UNIX REMOTE COMMANDS


    UNIX r-commands
    Securing the UNIX r-commands
    Secure Shell - SSH

    ELECTRONIC MAIL


    Email Fundamentals
    sendmail Configuration
    Parsing an Email Address
    Testing sendmail Configuration
    Mail User Agents

    UNIX NETWORK SUPPORT


    Common UNIX Network Applications
    Host Connectivity
    Section III: SUPPLEMENTAL UNIX TOPICS

    X WINDOW SYSTEM   


    An Introduction to the X Window System
    The X Display Managers
    Access Control and Security of X11
    The User X Environment
    Miscellaneous

    KERNEL RECONFIGURATION


    Introduction to Kernel Reconfiguration
    Kernel Configuration Database
    BSD-like Kernel Configuration Approach
    Other Flavored Kernel Configurations

    MODEMS AND UUCP


    Introduction to Modems
    UNIX Modem Control
    Third-party Communication Software

    Introduction to UUCP
    UUCP Commands, Daemons and Related Issues
    Configuring a UUCP Link
    UUCP Access and Security Consideration

    INTRANET


    Introduction into Intranet
    Intranet Front-End Services
    Inside the Intranet
    Section IV: CASE STUDIES

    UNIX INSTALLATION


    Introductory Notes
    UNIX Installation Procedures
    Supplemental Installations

    UPGRADE A DISK SPACE


    Adding a Disk
    Logical Volume Manager Case Study

    EMERGENCY SITUATIONS


    Introductory Notes
    Lost Root Password
    Some Special Administrative Situations

    Biography

    Bozidar Levi

    "It is written for serious Unix administrators that need a comprehensive Unix resource. The book is well organized into four sections: UNIX Administration, Network Administration, Supplemental Unix Topics, and Case Studies…  for admins who want a single, first-rate reference guide to Unix, UNIX Administration: A Comprehensive Sourcebook for Effective Systems & Network Management will fit the bill quite well.
    —Ben Rothke, CISSP, Senior Security Consultant, in Unix Review
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