1. System Administration
Chapter 14
System Administration

2. Chapter 14 System Administration
Chapter Outline
System Administration
Focus - A Standard Hardware Platform?
The Acquisition Process
Determining Requirements and Evaluating Performance
Focus - Windows XP and Server Performance Monitoring
Security
Physical Environment

3. Chapter Goals
Describe system administration responsibilities and tasks
Explain the process of acquiring computer hardware and system software
Describe tools and processes for evaluating application resource requirements and computer system performance
Define a system security model and describe how it can be implemented
Understand issues related to installing and protecting computer hardware

4. Chapter Topics

5. System Administration
Primary responsibility
Ensure efficient and reliable delivery of IS services
Broad categories of tasks
Acquiring new IS resources
Maintaining existing IS resources
Designing and implementing an IS security policy
Varies among organizations

6. Strategic Planning Goal-Plan Paradigm Set long-range goals
Develop a plan to attain those goals
Tends to follow rather than lead strategic plans of other organizational units
IS serves business needs

7. Strategic Goals and Plans
Identify services to be provided and the resources needed to provide those services
Plan
Strategies for developing services and markets for them
Strategies for acquiring sufficient resources for operations and growth
Organizational structure and control

8. Hardware and Software as Infrastructure
Strategic issues relevant to IS
Services to be provided
Charging for services
Infrastructure composition
Infrastructure improvement and maintenance

9. Standards
Required when providing infrastructure-based services to a wide variety of users
Potential issues
Tends to stifle innovation
May fail to meet needs of some users
Incompatibility
Problems for users who need services at or near the leading edge of technology

10. Competitive Advantage
Technology can be applied to:
Provide services that competitors are unable to provide
Provide services of unusually high quality
Provide services at unusually low price
Generate services at unusually low cost
Restricted useful life due to:
Rapid technology changes
High cost for developers and early adopters

11. The Acquisition Process
Determine applications that will be supported
Specify hardware and software capability and capacity requirements
Draft and circulate a request for proposals (RFP)
Evaluate RFP responses
Negotiate purchase, installation, and/or maintenance contract

12. Request for Proposals (RFP)
Formal document sent to vendors
States requirements
Solicits proposals to meet requirements

13. Evaluating Proposals Determine acceptability of each proposal
Rank acceptable proposals
Validate high-ranking proposals
Benchmarking

14. Determining Requirements and Evaluating Performance
Hardware requirements depend on hardware and system software resources required
Is application software going to be developed?
Yes: hardware and system software resource consumption can be measured
No: determining resource requirements is complex
use benchmark testing

15. Determining Requirements and Evaluating Performance
Mathematical models for estimating computer requirements
Application demand model
Resource availability model

16. Benchmarks
Measure of computer system performance while executing specific processing tasks
Organizations that develop widely used benchmarks and perform computer system testing
SPEC (Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation)
TPC (Transaction Processing Performance Council)

17. Measuring Resource Demand and Utilization
Hardware and software monitors
Detect and report processing or I/O activity
Operate continuously or intermittently
Help identify performance bottlenecks
Program profilers
Describe resource or service utilization of an application program during execution

18. Windows XP and Server Performance Monitoring
System Monitor (SM)
Monitors hardware and software resource use in real time
Captures performance and utilization data for defined objects
Each object has a set of counters
Has many display options

19. Security
Well-integrated approach protects hardware, software, and data resources against accidental loss or damage, malicious tampering, unauthorized access, and accidental disclosure
First line of defense:
Authentication and authorization
Other defensive measures:
Password control
Auditing
Virus protection
Regular software updates
Firewalls

20. Physical Security
Restrict access to prevent theft, tampering, and unauthorized access
Lock doors
Limit distribution of keys, key cards, etc.
Reinforce doors and walls
Lock equipment to desks

21. Access Controls Based on two key processes
Authentication (verifies identity)
Password-based most common
Biometric
Authorization (verifies rights)
Based on security tickets
Access control list

22. Password Controls and Security
Ways to enhance password-based authentication
Restrictions on length and composition of valid passwords
Requirements that passwords periodically be changed
Analysis of password content to identify passwords that are easily guessed
Encryption of passwords in files and during transmission over a network

23. Auditing
Process of creating and managing records of user activity or resource access
Useful tool for examining security policy and analyzing security breaches

24. Limitations of Auditing
Size of logs
Auditing log files can grow very large
Reduction in system performance
Auditing uses lots of system resources
Poor tool for prevention
Auditing is backward-looking
Difficult to use
Automated search tools required to extract useful information

25. Viruses Programs or program fragments that:
Infect computer by permanently installing themselves in a hard-to-find location
Perform malicious acts on infected computer
Replicate and spread using services of infected computer
Types: boot virus, macro virus, worm

26. Virus Protection Common features of antivirus software
Scans messages and attachments for known viruses; disables or deletes them
Monitors access to important system files and data structures and logs or denies access as appropriate
Scans removable media for known viruses when they are inserted
Periodically scans file system and important data structures for viruses

27. Software Updates
Fix bugs, errors, and security holes as they are discovered
Used to be a manual process; now typically automated

28. Firewalls
Hardware devices, software, or a combination that prevents unauthorized users in one network from accessing resources on another network
A firewall is typically a stand-alone device with embedded software that physically separates a private network from a public network.

29. Firewalls
A firewall is typically a stand-alone device with embedded software that physically separates a private network from a public network.

30. Types of Firewalls Packet-filtering firewall Simplest type
Examines each packet; matches header content to a list of allowed or denied packet types
Stateful firewalls
Tracks progress of complex client-server interactions
Application firewall
Handles service requests of external users of applications
Shields internal servers and resources from direct access by outside users

31. Application Firewall

32. Physical Environment
Considerations when choosing or preparing a location for computer hardware
Electrical power
Heat dissipation
Moisture
Cable routing
Fire protection

33. Electrical Power
Fluctuations can cause momentary loss of operation or damage to electrical circuits
Types of fluctuations
Momentary power surges
surge protector
Momentary power sags
Long-term voltage sags
Total loss of power
auxiliary power source, such as USP

34. Heat Dissipation
Excessive heat can cause intermittent or total failure of electrical circuits
Means of heat dissipation
Vents or fans on the computer itself
Cooling the room
Auxiliary cooling of cabinet

35. Moisture Excessive moisture Danger of short circuits Low humidity
Buildup of static electricity
Protective measures
Well-designed cabinets protect against spills and leaks
Mount hardware above floor level
Control humidity with optional components of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems

36. Cable Routing Provide protection and ease of access with:
Raised floors
Dedicated cable conduits

37. Fire Protection Protection Carbon dioxide
Fire retardant foams and powders
Gaseous compounds
Supplemental detection equipment within computer room

38. Disaster Planning and Recovery
Periodic data backup and storage of backups at alternate sites
Backup and storage of critical software at alternate sites
Installing duplicate or supplementary equipment at alternate sites
Arrangements for leasing existing equipment at alternate sites

39. Summary System administration The acquisition process
Determining requirements
Evaluating performance
Security
Physical environment

40. Chapter Goals
Describe system administration responsibilities and tasks
Explain the process of acquiring computer hardware and system software
Describe tools and processes for evaluating application resource requirements and computer system performance
Define a system security model and describe how it can be implemented
Understand issues related to installing and protecting computer hardware