Special Topics – UNIX System Administration

CSCI 5895

Spring Semester 2008

 

Course Syllabus and Objectives

 

Instructor:

Dr. Robert Kramer

Office:

326 Meshel Hall

Phone:

(330) 941-1495

E-mail:

kramer@cis.ysu.edu

WWW:

http://www.cis.ysu.edu/~kramer

Office Hours:

Tuesday & Thursday: 3pm – 5pm

Wednesday: 9:30am – 10:30am

Also by appointment

 

Prerequisites

CIS 3735 – UNIX Environment, or equivalent

 

Textbook

There is no textbook to be purchased for the course. Readings will be assigned from the Safari online repository, available through OhioLink.

Primary books:

  • Linux System Administration, by Adelstein and Lubanovic
  • Essential System Administration, 3rd edition, by Frisch
  • Essential System Administration Pocket Reference, by Frisch
  • Perl for System Administration, by Blank-Edelman
  • LDAP System Administration, by Carter

 

Objectives

  • To learn about the elements of UNIX systems that require oversight
  • To explore tools and techniques to manage elements of a UNIX system
  • To gain practical experience by performing administration tasks

 

Grading

Your grade is determined from the following sources:

Work

Percentage of grade

Written homework

25%

Projects

37.5%

Three midterm exams

12.5% each, 37.5% total

 

Grades are normally assigned using traditional 90% - 80% - 70% - 60% cutoffs. I reserve the right to lower these thresholds, but not to raise them.

 

Policies

Attendance

Attendance is required; with few exceptions, those who do best in courses are those who attend regularly. You will be allowed three unexcused absences; additional missed classes will result in a 5% deduction from your overall grade. Late arrivals and early departures (10 minutes or more) count as an absence.

 

Late Homework

Assignments are due by the end of the day (11:59pm) on the due date. For each calendar day late, 10% of the assignment’s possible score will be deducted.

 

Academic Honesty

You are expected to do your own work in this course! You are free to give general help to others in the course, but you may not collaborate on assignments, unless specifically permitted in the assignment. Turning in (substantially) identical work will result in a zero grade for that assignment. Subsequent collaboration will result in failure of the course.

 

Students With Disabilities

In accordance with University procedures, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course, please contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. You must be registered with CSP Disability Services, which is located at Wick House, and provide a letter of accommodation to verify your eligibility. You can reach CSP Disability Services at 330-941-1732.

 

General Stuff

  • If you have a question in class, please ask!
  • Check my web pages for class-related information. I will be posting assignments on the web, as well as other pertinent information.
  • Don’t wait until the last minute to do assignments!

 

Topic List and Tentative Calendar

 

Topic

Approximate Time

Introduction

1 lecture

System Installation

1 lecture

Software Installation and Maintenance

1-2 lectures

Scripting

4 lectures

User management

4-5 lectures

Filesystem management

4-5 lectures

Networking

3 lectures

Security and monitoring

3 lectures

Printing

1-2 lectures

Email

1-2 lectures

 

Important Dates

  • Last day of Add/Drop period:              Tuesday, January 22
  • Last day to withdraw with a W:          Thursday, March 27
  • Final exam:                                          Thursday, May 8

5:30pm – 7:30pm