Systems Administration

Code:

CC3015

Acronym:

CC3015

Level:

300

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Computer Science

Instance: 2014/2015 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Computer Science
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Computer Science

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L:CC	9	Plano de estudos a partir de 2014	3	-	6	56	162
MI:ERS	52	Plano Oficial desde ano letivo 2014	3	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Understanding the roles and procedures performed by network system administrators. Presentation of general principles that further illustrated and consubstantiated with extensive laboratory practice with the implementation and maintenance of some concrete examples of flexible services in critical contexts with simulated faults. 

Learning outcomes and competences

The course makes extensive use virtual machines and simulated networks,  in order for the students to have firsthand experience in relating theoretical concepts with practical installation and maintenance of information systems, considered essential in a network of well-managed information systems.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Operating Systems; Computer Networks

Program

1) Introduction
    . The main system administration Objectives
   . Sources of information for system administrators.
    . Filtering for relevant information.

 

2) Main components of human-machine interaction for system administration.
        The UNIX example.

   3) Installation of operating systems.
        Linux and Windows.

   4) Management of user accounts.
    . Ethical principles.
    . Identification / Authorization Policies.

   5) Virtualization "Storage" as the basis for a more efficient and flexible structural system administration
     . The Linux block storage virtualization system.
     . Storage Virtualization in the network.   Virtual disks services - ATOE and ISCSI.

   6) Maintenance of network services.
    . General Principles.
    . Examples. DHCP, DNS, SMTP, IMAP, POP, HTTP, HTTPS.

   7) Backup operational Management policies.

   8) Mapping computer networks.
     . Semi-automatic inventories of  equipment and services.

   9) Installation and maintenance of monitoring agents.
    . Principles.
    . Software available.
    . Examples.

 10) Safety from the standpoint of the system administrator.
    . Implementation and management of security policies.

  11) Security protocols in TCP / IP.
    . Examples of vulnerabilities.
    . Installation and management of firewalls

Mandatory literature

Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent Hein, Ben Whaley; Linux Administration Handbook 4Ed, Prentice Hall, 2010. ISBN: 0131480057 (http://www.admin.com/ )
Limoncelli Thomas A.; The practice of system and network administration. ISBN: 0-201-70271-1
Aeleen Frisch ; Essential System Administration, O'Reilly, 2002. ISBN: 0596003439

Teaching methods and learning activities

The course is based on theoretical and practical hands on lectures about concepts that are nowadays considered to be essential for a full understanding of the tools currently employed for system administration. The students get firsthand experience with these tools  in lab controlled simulation environments specially designed for the practice of system administration activities.
The course is further sustained by practical lab classes where the students are encouraged to assemble a network infra-structure composed by “storage services” together with other crucial network services that are then employed to encourage the practice with appropriate administration tools for the task at hand and develop well-grounded good practices that are employed to install and manage critical services like DHCP, DNS, SMTP, IMAP, POP, HTTP, HTTPS.  During the course, students organize themselves in study groups of two, for which there is a dedicated machine at the lab where they have to perform a bare metal installation of Linux followed by a guided and progressive guided installation of a  very versatile virtualized “storage service” .  This is then employed to support the hosting of several virtual machines where the study group can then install, configure and test several network services that are going to be tested throughout the course.  Students are also encouraged to practice remote administration of the virtual machines (by the means of SSH and VNC) that  are being installed, configured hosted at their workstations.

 

Didactic material: The main course objectives, subject matters, class summaries, evaluation rules and other didactic material is kept fully updated at that Moodle e-learning platform made available by the Oporto University. At middle course a detailed description of several mandatory practical tasks is made available at the e-learning platform.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	75,00
Trabalho laboratorial	25,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Mandatory development of laboratorial work proposed by the teacher. Working groups are formed at the beginning and are preferably composed of two student. They must be  maintained during the entire semester and are responsible for the preparation and maintenance of the gourp infrastructure simulation laboratory that will serve as the basis for the development and implementation of the course laboratorial exercices.

Calculation formula of final grade

Grading is composed by two different parts. hands on practical Lab work and a final exam. Lab work is conducted by the students groups and is based on an administrative service scenario proposed by the teacher.  In this scenario students are encouraged to assemble an integrated and fully functional networking service that can be fully installed and tested within their workstation virtual network infra-structure. This practical lab work is valued at 5/20 of the final grade and each student group needs to have a minimum grade of 40% for them to be able to attend the final exam. Working groups are preferentially constituted by two students that are made responsible to prepare and maintain the lab simulation infra-structure needed to develop and implement the proposed Work Lab.  A minimum rate of submission and success for these tasks is mandatory.  

The  final theoretical/practical exam is graded at 15/20. In this exam the student needs to achieve a minimum grade of 40% on its more practical questions that are normally related with the proposed administrative service scenario that has been proposed by the teacher as Lab work. These questions are used to validate the Lab grade obtained by the students group.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Study, testing, installation and presentation of a complete services infrastructure integrating several network services.  This infrastructre is proposed by the teacher and the students have to work in a simulated environment to install and configure it.

Observations

Bibliography:

BIBLIOGRAFIA: 


A) Linux Administration Handbook 4Ed, 
Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent Hein, Ben Whaley, 
Prentice Hall; 4th edition (July 24, 2010), 
ISBN: 0131480057 
http://www.admin.com/ 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0131480057 

B) The Practice of System and Network Administration (Second Edition)
Thomas A. Limoncelii; Christina J. Hogan; Strata R. Chalup
ISBN: 9780321492661
Addison Wesley
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Practice-System-Network-Administration-2nd-ebook/dp/B004JLMUJ0

C) Essential System Administration 
Aeleen Frisch 
O'Reilly; 3Rev Ed edition (31 Aug 2002) 
ISBN: 0596003439 
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-System-Administration-AeleenFrisch/dp/0596003439