Introduction The Unix Model — Selected Topics

Chapter 2: The Unix Model — Selected Topics

2.1 Introduction

UNIX administration presents a complex job that requires certain skills to be accomplished successfully. These skills range from a basic knowledge of computer hardware, operating systems, and programming techniques, up to ethics, psychology, and social behavior. It supposes a responsible approach to very challenging problems, and a readiness for a nonstop follow−up of everything done. An administrator usually covers many different systems different hardware, different configurations, different software, different purposes, and each of those systems is the baby that requires a certain amount of attention, and the administrator must pay that attention. Of course the level of the required skills varies; it would be wrong to expect that an UNIX administrator especially a successful one has to graduate in each of the listed fields to be able to respond to all administrative demands. However, it is true that some of the required skills need more than just a basic knowledge; mostly these are strictly UNIX−related skills. Nobody can fight with UNIX administrative challenges without being familiar with the UNIX operating system, the UNIX commands and how to use them. An even deeper expertise in UNIX internals could be very instrumental in an easier UNIX administration. Script programming is another fighting arena. An average UNIX administration time consists of 75 to 80 of shell programming, and only the rest is a manual administration from the keyboard. Some selected UNIX topics are briefly discussed in this chapter to point out the most important issues for a successful UNIX administration. A certain level of knowledge of the discussed topics is still supposed — this chapter is simply trying to highlight the needed background for a comprehensive UNIX administration. The chapter should refresh the readers memory and push ahead to consider all holes in the readers knowledge and understanding of discussed issues. Another purpose is to present in one place most of the relevant UNIX fundamentals needed for better understanding of different administrative tasks. The reader is also advised to look into other literature for more detailed descriptions, if necessary. The terminology used is common in the UNIX community. To help readers better understand the material, a number of examples and figures illustrate the discussed UNIX topics.

2.2 Files