What is Network Administration ?? Network administration can be defined as: “branch of engineering that concerns the operational management of human-computer systems” [Burgess Ch 1] A network administrator has different roles [Stallings page 3] Controlling corporate strategic assets Controlling complexity Improving service Balancing various needs Reducing downtime Controlling costs

Why do we need Network administration at first ??

The core management areas “F C A P S” Fault Management Configuration & Name Management Account Management Performance Management Security Management

Fault management The facilities that enable the detection, isolation, and correction of abnormal operation of the OSI environment.

Configuration and Name Management The services and facilities that control identify collect and provide data to clients and managed objects, so assisting in continuous operation of interconnection services.

OSI - Account Management The facilities that enable charges to be established for the use of managed objects and costs to be identified for the use of those managed objects.

OSI - Performance Management The Facilities needed to evaluate Behaviour of managed objects Effectiveness of communication activities

OSI - Security Management Address those aspects of OSI security essential to: operate OSI network management correctly and to protect managed objects

Definitions?? How does Network Administration work in Practice? Let’s look at how Network Management is Organised…

Structure of Systems and Network Management Organisation Hardware Division of Labour Applications

Corporate Networked Environments Have team(s) of specialists in various areas Well defined tasks job descriptions In small networks usually one person multi-skilled and multi-tasked In reality – often somewhere in between….

Network Administrators Tasks

Tasks of a Network Administrator Security Management Performance Management Planning for Growth Fault Management and Recovery Account/User Management Networked Application Support

Security Management Firewalls Usernames Password control Resource Access Control

Performance Management Availability Response Time Accuracy

Planning for Growth A Network (or any organisation) is not static Growth means increased load on a network. This must be planned for…. Systems eventually need replacement. This must be planned for – in advance…

Fault Management and Recovery Monitoring Reporting status Testing Fixes and Patches Updates Repairs Change Management

Account / User Management Communication Facilities Connection - Rental - Charges Hardware Usage Lease - Rent - Hire Consumables Usage Power, Paper, Media (Diskettes, CDs…) Software Usage Licensing, Tolls, Application usage

Account / User Management Accounts are Managed for: Intrusion detection / prevention Charging for Services Legal protection of the Organisation

Networked Application Support Client / Server systems support Internet support Server support Applications and Hardware Helpdesk Trouble report / Bug fixes Printing eMail

How to be a Sys/Net Admin (yet another Job Description…) Learn Operating System basics eg Unix Learn shell utilities and script programming Learn how to Install and Configure OS Learn DNS and Bind Learn TCP/IP networking Learn NFS and NIS (or equivalent…) Learn about system tuning and accounting Learn Compile and Link (eg C and make)

SAGE SysAdmin Job Descriptions http://www.sage-au.org.au/ http://sageweb.sage.org/jobs/thefield/jobs-descriptions.html

Goals of System/Network Administration Put together a network of computers Get them running Keep them running (despite Users….) Provide a Service to Users Requires skills of Mechanic Sociologist Researcher

Challenges of System/Network Administration Systems or Network Administration is more than just installing computers or networks. It is about planning and designing an efficient community of computers that allow users to get their jobs done.

Challenges of Administration Design Logical, Efficient networks Easily deploy & update many machines Decide what services are needed know the business tasks & customers Plan and implement adequate security Provide comfortable User environment Be able to fix errors and problems Keep track of & be able to use knowledge

Style of Network Administration

PRACTICE Convention or The Best Solution PRACTICE = “How things are done here” Have you ever wondered… Why are things done in certain ways? Which way is best? Usually it’s because: Someone did it once, and everyone copied without really thinking about it People have thought much about it and this really is the best way… An arbitrary choice was made, and it is now a matter of convention

Comparison of System/Network Management Styles Fire-Fighting Managing by responding to situations when they happen (Reactive) Preventative management Monitor network and make repairs and changes before problems appear (Proactive) These are two opposite extremes. Most real managers combine both.

Fire-Fighting Investigate the Fault or Problem Isolate the problem and identify/define it Use tests and tools to diagnose the problem Solve the problem and document the solution Prioritize multiple problems

Preventative Management The Good Circle management cycle

Preventative Management Techniques Capacity Planning Simulation and Testing load generators Benchmarks Performance Monitors and System Tuning Network analysis and modelling Load balancing Hardware upgrades

Management method and Cost

Information about Network Administration The Knowledge…. What is it? Where is it? How do we get it?

Sources of Information for System/Network Administrators Manuals and Online Documentation World Wide Web RFCs, FYIs, IENs News groups, Discussion lists, WebLogs Meetings and Seminars SAGE/Usenix, Novell Brainshare, Microsoft TechNet/TechEd How-To books

(END) No Tutorials in Week 1.