System administration plays a pivotal role. This is particularly the case when a system is accessed by multiple users. The primary task of a system administrator is to ensure that the following happens:

a. The top management is assured of efficiency in utilization of the system's resources.

b. The general user community gets the services which they are seeking.

In other words, system administrators ensure that there is very little to complain about the system's performance or service availability.

In Unix there is a notion of a superuser privilege. Most major administrative tasks require that the system administrator operates in the superuser mode with root privileges. These tasks include starting up and shutting down a system, opening an account for a new user and giving him a proper working set-up. Administration tasks also involve installation of new software, distributing user disk space, taking regular back-ups, keeping system logs, ensuring secure operations and providing network services and web access.

See Also

• Explain the difference between Linux and UNIX
• Best Unix To Learn For Beginner

Unix Books :-
UNIX Programming, Certification, System Administration, Performance Tuning Reference Books

Return to : - Unix System Administration Hints and Tips