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MODULE #1: INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION System administrators (sysadmins) are professionals
who support multiuser computing environments and ensure the
smooth operation of IT services.
Roles and Responsibilities of a System Administrator
They may also be involved in identifying network issues,
What is System Administration? fixing them, identifying cyber security threats, and devising ways
to prevent intrusions. As a whole, a system administrator tests
System Administration is the field of work in which
computer systems and internet servers to determine different
someone manages one or more system, be they software,
ways in which these systems can be improved.
hardware, servers, or workstations. Its goal is ensuring the
systems are running efficiently and effectively.
What is System Administrator? Duties of a System Administrator

System Administrators support, troubleshoot, and A system administrator’s responsibilities typically

maintain computer servers and networks. System include:
administrators, also known as sysadmins, are information
1. Morning checks of system/software.
technology (IT) professionals who make sure an organization’s
2. Performing backups of data.
computer systems are functioning and meet the needs of the
3. Applying operating system updates, and configuration
organization.
changes.
A system administrator is a professional who maintains 4. Installing and configuring new hardware/software.
computer systems, servers, and networks of their clients. They 5. Adding/deleting/creating/modifying user account
are required to understand the specific requirement of their information, resetting passwords, etc.
clients and accordingly recommend or suggest computer 6. Answering technical queries.
systems designs for them. Soe of their job duties and 7. Responsibility for security.
responsibilities are to install and maintain systems for 8. Responsibility for documenting the configuration of the
organizations and maintain as well as upgrade data cloud system.
infrastructure. 9. Troubleshooting any reported problem/s.
10. System performance tuning.
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11. Keeping the network up and running. While there isn’t a simple guide to every situation, there
are a few steps which can help:

• Isolate the problem as much as possible.

In larger organizations, some tasks listed above maybe
• Look for recent changes.
divided among different system administrators or members of
different organizational groups. • Check of all the obvious things
• Ensure each piece of equipment is working before
In smaller organizations, a system administrator can also moving on to the next.
perform any number of duties elsewhere associated with other • Develop detailed specific information to communicate to
fields like: specialized troubleshooters brought to assist with
Technical Support specific repairs or system augmentations.

1. Database Administrator (DBA)

2. Network Administration/Analyst and Specialist Skills You Need as a System Administrator
3. Application Analyst
4. Security Administration 1. In-depth knowledge of operating system: hiring
5. Programming managers generally look for competency in administering
the operating system used in their company. Windows
and Linux operating systems have been widely embraced
Resolving Problems and Troubleshooting and are good systems to start with.

A large part of a sysadmins job involves troubleshooting 2. Familiarity with hardware: working physical devices,
and problem solving. Many problems are user driven, and such as servers or printers, will be an important part of a
different users have different levels of competency and system administrator’s job.
understanding of technology. Users are often frustrated over the
problem, and sometimes need to vent. But the user is often the 3. Cloud computing skills: familiarity with cloud
best source of information on the cause of an issue. applications like Office365, Google Cloud Platform, and
AWS (Amazon Web Services) can give you a boost in the
hiring process.
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required to integrate data from an old database into a new

4. Knowledge of networks: being able to setup and one or even create a database from the scratch. In larger
maintain Local Area Networks (LAN) and Wide Area organizations, there are specialized DBAs who are only
Networks (WAN), in addition to setting up network responsible for managing databases. In smaller
security features like firewalls, are often expected of organizations, the roles of DBAs and server
system administrators. This might often be the case at administrators can overlap.
smaller companies, where IT professionals are expected
to wear many hats. 3. Server/Web Administrators – they specialized in
maintaining servers, web services, and operating
5. Communication and interpersonal skills: in addition to systems of the servers. They monitor the speed of the
working in a team, sysadmins will often be expected to internet to make sure that everything runs smoothly. They
help other employees that don’t have the same technical also analyze the website’s traffic patterns and implement
knowledge through help desk support or other means. changes based on user feedback.
Being able to communicate well will be a key part of a
system administrator’s successful day-to-day tasks. 4. Security Systems Administrators – they monitor and
maintain the security systems of an organization. They
develop organizational security procedures and also run
Types of System Administrator regular data checkups: setting up, deleting, and
maintaining user accounts.
1. Network Administrators – it manages the entire network
infrastructure of an organization. They design and install
computer systems, router, switches, local area networks
In larger organizations, all these roles may all be separate
(LAN), wide area networks (WAN), and intranet system.
positions within one department. In smaller organizations,
They also monitor the systems, provide maintenance,
they may be shared by a few system administrators, or even
and troubleshoot any problems when they arise.
one single person.
2. Database Administrators – they set up and maintain
databases used in an organization. They may also be
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History of a System Administration history. Unix introduced the concept of system configuration
files, shell scripting, and a set of utilities that made system
1. Early Computer Systems (1950s – 1960s)
administration more efficient. The role of sysadmins
In the early days of computing, computers were large and expanded to include tasks such as software installation,
expensive machines primarily used by academic and system tuning, and network management.
government institutions. System administration was initially
performed by the same individuals who programmed and
operated these early computers. The role of the sysadmin 4. Networking and the Internet (1980s – 1990s)
involved tasks like loading and unloading software, managing
The proliferation of computer networks, including the
hardware components, and ensuring that the computer ran
ARPANET (Advance Research Projects Agency Network) (the
smoothly.
precursor to the Internet), necessitated the management of
distributed systems. Sysadmins played a vital role in setting
up and maintaining networked environments. The role of the
2. Emergence of Time-Sharing Systems (1960s – 1970s)
sysadmin evolved to include responsibilities like configuring
Time-sharing systems allowed multiple users to access routers, firewalls, and managing email and web servers.
a computer simultaneously, which increased the complexity
of system management. Sysadmins in this era were
responsible for user account management, resource 5. Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) and the User-
allocation, and maintaining system security. The term Friendly Systems (1990s – Present)
“sysadmin” started to gain recognition as a distinct role
The advent of GUI-based operating systems like
within computing.
Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS made computing
more accessible to non-technical users. System
administration tasks became more user-friendly but
3. Unix and the Birth of Modern System Administrator
sysadmins continued to manage complex server systems
(1970s – 1980s)
behind the scenes.
The development of Unix operating system in the 1970s
marked a significant milestone in system administration
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6. Virtualization and Cloud Computing (2000s – Present) Key Concepts and Terminologies in System Administrations
The rise of virtualization technologies and cloud Operating System (OS) – the software that manages
computing has revolutionized system administration. computer hardware and provide services for computer
Sysadmins now manage virtual machines, containers, and programs.
cloud instances, often with tools that provide greater
User Accounts – individual accounts that allow users to
automation and scalability. DevOps practices, emphasizing
log into a system. System administrators manage user
collaboration between development and operations teams,
permissions, passwords, and access levels.
have become integral to modern system administration.
Root/Administrator – the highest level of access in Unix-
like operating system. It allows complete control over the
7. Automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) system.
Automation tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Chef have File System - the structure and organization of files on a
become essential for sysadmins to manage infrastructure storage device. It includes directories, files, and their attributes.
efficiently. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles allow
Permissions – access rights granted to users or groups
sysadmins to define and manage infrastructure using code,
for performing certain operations on files or directories.
leading to greater consistency and reproducibility.
Shell - a command-line interface for interacting with the
operating system. Common shells include Bash (Unix-like
8. Cybersecurity and Compliance (Ongoing) systems) and Command Prompt (Windows).
In the modern era, sysadmins must prioritize Networking – the practice of connecting computers and
cybersecurity, compliance, and data protection as critical devices to share resources. This includes IP addresses, subnets,
aspects of their role. Security patches, intrusion detection, routers, firewalls, and protocols like TCP/IP (Transfer Control
and incident response are key responsibilities. Protocol/Internet Protocol).
Protocols – standardized sets of rules and formats for
communication between devices or systems. Examples include
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HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Load Balancing – distributing network or application
and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). traffic across multiple servers to ensure no single server
becomes overwhelmed.
Firewall – a security device or software that monitors
and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an High Availability (HA) – designing systems or networks
applied rule set. with redundance and failover mechanisms to minimize
downtime.
Backup and Recovery – the process of creating copies
of data to prevent data loss in case of hardware failures, Disaster Recover (DR) – planning and processes to
disasters, or accidental deletion. recover critical systems and data in the event of a catastrophic
event.
Virtualization – the process of creating a virtual (rather
than actual) version of a computing resource, such as a server or Security Policies and Practices – implementing
storage device. measures to protect systems, including firewalls, antivirus
software, encryption, and access controls.
Hypervisor – a software that enables multiple operating
systems to share a single hardware host. Examples include Compliance and Governance – ensuring systems and
VMware (coined: virtual machine software), Hyper-V practices meet regulatory requirements and industry standards.
(codename: Viridian), and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).
Scripting and Automation – writing scripts (e.g., in Bash,
Monitoring and Logging – keeping track of system PowerShell) to automate repetitive tasks and system
performance, resource usage, and events through tools and logs administration processes.
for troubleshooting and optimization.
Incident Response – a structured approach to
Patch Management – the process of managing software addressing and managing the aftermath of a security breach or
updates, or patches, to ensure systems are up to date and cyberattack.
secure.
Configuration Management – the practice of
automating the provisioning and management of infrastructure.
Tools like Puppet, Chef, and Ansible are used for this purpose.