System Administration Basics

System Administrator Responsibilities:

• Managing users and their access rights
• Preserving system security, including access control, backups, and physical security
• Administering computer resources like hardware, software, and network infrastructure
• Providing user support for technical issues

Admin Privileges:

• System administrators possess special privileges to fulfill their duties effectively

System Administration Core Tasks:

• Examining system logs to identify and address potential problems
• Integrating new technologies into existing systems
• Performing regular data backups to prevent data loss
• Applying updates, patches, and configuration changes to the OS
• Installing and setting up new hardware and software
• Monitoring and maintaining email and virus protection software
• Managing user accounts by adding, removing, or updating them
• Providing answers to technical inquiries from users
• Enforcing security protocols to ensure system protection
• System configuration and documentation
• System performance tuning
• Troubleshooting system issues to restore functionality
• Ensuring continuous uptime of the network infrastructure

System Admin Skills:

• Proficiency in operating systems
• Application software management
• Software troubleshooting
• Network management
• Hardware knowledge

System Admin Training:

• Varied career paths
• Options include a degree in IT or Computer Science
• Specializations can be pursued through certifications

Cybersecurity Certifications:

• Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
• Red Hat Certification Program (RHCP)
• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
• Sun Certified Network Administrator (SCNA)

Related Job Titles:

• Database Administrator: Oversees the data and system performance
• Network Administrator: Takes care of the network infrastructure
• Security Administrator: Keeps computer equipment and networks secure, apply security procedures, and does security awareness training

System Administration Definition:

• Function set to support services
• Promotes efficient system use to ensure reliable operations
• Meeting prescribed service quality goals

Key Functions:

• Installing, configuring, maintaining systems
• Managing network equipment
• Managing computer systems

System Administrators Defined:

• Protect critical systems and are the initial line of defense for tech systems
• Responsible for day-to-day tech system operations

System Security Officers:

• Responsible for writing, enforcing, and reviewing security operating procedures in an organization

IT Personnel Importance:

• Considered to be essential personnel as they ensure IT infrastructure remains operational

Relation to Information Security:

• Acts as the first line of defense in maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and availability

Info security: Availability

• Proactively preventing hardware failures from impacting end-users

Info security: Confidentiality

• Using appropriate file permissions to protect sensitive information

Info security: Integrity

• Preventing those not authorized from unauthorized access of information

System Admin Tasks: Installation

• Writing necessary data in the appropriate locations on the hard drive
• Installing OS
• Installing application programs

System Admin Challenges:

• Streamlining processes across numerous computers within an organization
• Controlling resulting information security hazards

Configuration:

• Selecting specific features of the system from among the many possible combinations.
• System admins must understand the implications of these interactions

Access Control:

• Limiting access to information system resources only to programs and users who are certified

Access Control Task:

• Defining the actions that an authorized user can perform on a system

User Management:

• Defining the organizational member rights to information in the organization
• Key component of access controls
• Creating and removing user accounts and updating permissions
• Managing groups and users with similar privileges

System Monitoring:

• Listening and recording system activities to maintain performance and security
• Reactive monitoring involves problem notifications and log analysis

Proactive Testing:

• Testing a system before issues occur via vulnerability and penetration testing

Updates:

• Replacing defective software components to remove vulnerabilities detected during ongoing use and monitoring
• Involves both Operation System (OS) updates, to fix low-level component issues

System Administrator Valued Gateway Client:

• Maintaining the efficiency of Linux-based computer systems
• They solve organizational issues directly by way of IS or IT departments
• They train users, help them solve problems, inform management of technical developments, maintain system hardware, create user accounts, manage procedures, policies and systems planning

Ethics:

• Trusted with large quantities of personal and business data
• Workload is determined by legal and ethical standards

Linux System Key Attributes:

• Utilities automate system admin tasks
• Designed for multiple users
• Commands are designed to perform one task only

Linux Configuration:

• Service and program manage and create configuration information
• System admins manage configuration files of programs in the /etc directory
• A user's personal directory stores configuration files for user-specific programs

Understanding Files, Devices, and Processes:

• A device is a hardware peripheral
• Devices are accessed or created through /dev directory
• Processes are the programs currently running on Linux
• The daemon is a device in the background

Linux Processes:

• Users can execute multiple programs at the same time
• Root is used to manage processes on Linux
• User that starts the process is the one that is associated with it

Windows PowerShell:

• Command-line shell and scripting language for system administration
• Designed especially for system administration

PowerShell Features:

• It runs commands called as "cmdlets"
• It has a rich expression parser and scripting language

Accessing PowerShell:

• Access PowerShell by clicking the icon in the task bar and in the start menu
• PowerShell ISE runs commands and debug script on the Windows-based graphic-user interface

PowerShell Cmdlets:

• Get-Help provides an explanation of how to get a command and its parameter
• Get-HotFix can get the list of updates, and install them

PowerShell Definiton:

• A command-line interface combined with a scripting language

PowerShell Characteristics:

• Processes objects instead of plain text commands
• Automates common tasks, share data, and manage infrastructure as code

PowerShell: Cmdlets, Scripts:

• Cmdlets are commands that are designed to return objects in PowerShell and perform specific actions
• PS1 scripts combine cmdlets
• The PowerShell environment works with each cmdlet

PowerShell Execution Policy:

• The execution is restricted by default by the PowerShell for security measures

PowerShell Settings: Restricted

• This no PowerShell scripts may be run

PowerShell Settings: All Signed

• PowerShell scripts can be run by a trusted developer

PowerShell Settings: RemoteSigned

• PowerShell scripts canb e run by scripts signed by a trusted developer

PowerShell Settings: Unrestricted

• Any script can be ran

PowerShell Syntax:

• Verb-Noun-Parameter1 Value1 -Parameter2 Value2

PowerShell Essential Commands:

• Get-Help: Provides information about all cmdlets
• Get-Command: Lists available commands
• Get-Member: Shows the features of objects

PowerShell Variables:

• Use $ symbol
• Case-insensitive

PowerShell Operators:

• Arithmetic (+, -, *, /, %) for calculations
• Comparative (-eq, -ne, -gt, -It, -ge, -le) for comparing values
• Logical (-and, -or, -not) for combining conditions

PowerShell ISE: Features: Multi-pane interface,

PowerShell ISE: Features

• Has a features of Multi-pane interface and auto complete

PowerShell Types:

• Have For, While, and ForEach loops, that allow for specific parameters to repeat
• Has If-ELSE statements that execute code blocks

PowerShell Debugging: Syntax errors,

PowerShell Issues: Debugging:

• Requires the identification of issues with typing parentheses
• Requires the management of variables, requires proper import of modules to prevent failure to execute commands

Defining the Item Path: File

• Create New File: New command and definition of parameter

Defining the Item Path: Firewall, Get-Service, Get-WmiObject, Get-ComputerInfo:

• Create New Command and definition of parameter

Motivation

• Adding Remote Desktop Management To Easily update the system
• To watch what the users are doing, stop them from getting to bad sites, fast update to computers
• To provide security in Linux

Sessions in Windows:

• This consists of enabling centralized application management, helps to keep data in the data center and provides connection brokering for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

Windows Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

• Consists of virtual machine-based and centralized desktops with roll backs to keep the state clean

Windows Remote Desktop Host Session (RDSH)

• Consists of being the major component for running User apps

Windows Remote Desktop Connection Broker:

• Manages RDS farms
• Distributes work load
• Reconnects users to their sessions
• Stores collection settings
• Publishes apps

Windows Remote Desktop licensing (RD Licensing)

• Managing RDS licenses

Requirements to Creating Windows RDS:

• You must use same RDS hosts and configured them
• All hosts must moved to the same OU with Active Directory
• One should use one group, if roaming, share new folder to AD group

Active Directory:

• Manages permissions and security settings
• Has centralized policy

DHCP Server:

• This server dynamically assigns IP addresses

DNS Server:

• This server translates domain names into IP addresses

Hyper-V:

• Averts hardware and manages virtual machines

NPAS

• Controls the Windows tool suite that help make the network access/policies secure

RDS

• Provides accesses to remote applications and desktops

IIS

• Manages website protocols and hosting