Ambo University

Woliso Campus, School of Technology and Informatics

Department of Computer Science
Course title: Network and System Administration Course code: COSC4035
Credit hours: 3 ECTS: 5 Contact hrs: 2 Lab hrs: 3 Tutorial hrs: 1
Prerequisite: CoSc2032-Data Communication and Computer Networks, CoSc3023-Operating system
Course category: Compulsory
Year: IV Semester: I

Course Description
This course deals with the concepts and techniques of systems and network administration. This
course instructs students how to administer and manage a modern network by properly planning and
implementing various functions of a Network OS. Key components include how to plan server
deployment, server monitoring and maintenance, application and data provisioning, and providing
business continuity and availability by proper use of security configuration and backup policies.
The course material is designed to provide extensive hands-on experience. Topics include:
installation and configuration; the boot process; user and group administration; file system
administration, including quotas, FACLs, RAID and LVM; task automation; client networking;
software management; log files; troubleshooting; Emphasis is also given on storage, file
management system, connectivity, security, troubleshooting, archiving, backing up, directory
services, remote administration, access control lists.
Course objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
➔ Understand the concepts, principles, and roles of system and network administration.
➔ Understand how to install/configure Linux operating system
➔ Understand how to build network services to users
➔ Understand how to design/implement small to medium level network administration
➔ Understand how to identify security policies and troubleshooting
➔ Understand how to apply scripting for system administration

Course outline
Chapter 1: Introduction to System & Network Administration (3 hr)
1.1 Objectives/Goals, Challenges and Common Practices
1.2 Overview of the OSs
 1.3 Unix-like Systems Vs Windows Systems
1.4 Linux Distributions and UIs
1.5 Linux Operations Review
1.5.1 File system Hierarchy and Standard
1.5.1.1 Single-rooted hierarchy, Seamless and Extensible File systems
1.5.1.2 Mounting Additional File systems
1.5.1.3 File system Object Oriented Design and File system Standard
1.5.1.4 Unix File and Directory Permissions
1.5.2 Essential Shell Commands
1.5.2.1 Basic File Manipulation Commands and Directory Navigation Commands
1.5.2.2 Advanced File Manipulation Commands (Init, Processes, and Threads)
1.5.3 Advanced Shell Features
Chapter 2: Account and Security Administration, and Access Control (DAC, RBAC) (3 hr)
2.1 Account and security Administration
2.1.1 User and Group Concepts, and User Private Group Scheme
2.1.2 User Administration, Modifying Accounts and Group Administration
2.1.3 Password Aging and Default User Files
2.2 Managing files and folder permission
2.2.1 Managing File Ownership
2.2.2 Controlling Access to files
2.2.3 Managing Disk Quotas
Chapter 3: File Systems and Management of Data Storage's (4 hr)
3.1 File system Administration
3.1.1 Partitioning Disks with fdisk and parted
3.1.2 Creating, Mounting and Maintaining File systems
3.1.3 Swap
3.1.4 Determining Disk Usage With df and du
3.1.5 Configuring Disk Quotas
3.2 Logical Volume Management (LVM) and RAID
3.2.1 Implementing LVM, Creating Logical Volumes (LVs), Manipulating VGs & LVs
3.2.2 Advanced LVM Concepts (i.e. system-config-lvm)
3.2.3 RAID Concepts (Creating and Managing a RAID-5 Array)
Chapter 4: Network Management (6 hr)
4.1 TCP/IP Networking
4.2 Configuring a Linux Box for Networking
 4.3 Configuring a Linux Box as a Router
4.4 Configuring a Web Server (Apache)
4.5 Configuring a DNS Server (BIND)
4.6 Configuring Mail Transfer Agents (Postfix)
4.7 Configuring a Proxy Caches (Squid)
4.8 Network Configuration (IP Networking and Linux Network Configuration)
4.9 Network Services
4.9.1 Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP)
4.9.2 Network Time Services and Sharing Desktops with VNC
4.9.3 RPC-Based Services and INET Super Server
4.10 TCP/IP Troubleshooting: ping, traceroute, ifconfig, netstat, ipconfig
4.11 Remote Administration with SSH and SCP
4.11.1 Configuration, Telnet Replacement, Secure Copy and Rsync
4.11.2 RSA and DSA Authentication (Password-less Logins)
4.11.3 Remote Command Execution and Port Forwarding
Chapter 5: Installation of Application Server and Management (6 hr)
5.1 DHCP, DNS, Telnet server; compare with other NOS setup of corresponding network
services
5.2 Open SSH: Secure Network Communication
5.3 FTP and Setting-up Mail Servers and Client
5.4 Network Information Service (NIS) and Sharing File systems (NFS)
5.5 SAMBA: Linux and Windows File and Printer Sharing
5.6 DNS/BIND: Tracking Domain Names and Address
5.7 Setting up a Firewall and a Web server
Chapter 6: Managing Network Services (4 hr)
6.1 Maintenance Troubleshooting: Common System and Network Problems
6.2 Developing General Strategies
6.3 Resolve Boot Problems, Backup and Restore Data and System Volume
6.4 Using Event Viewer and Troubleshoot Connectivity
Chapter 7: Systems Security (4 hr)
7.1 Overview, Application Security and Login Security
7.2 Boot Loader Security (LILO and GRUB)
7.3 TCP Wrappers Configuration
7.4 Iptables Firewalling: Preliminaries
7.5 Iptables Scenarios
 7.5.1 Packet Filtering
7.5.2 Port-Forwarding/Redirection and NAT/IP Masquerading
7.6 Packet-Processing Model
7.7 Intrusion Detection and Mandatory Access Control (MAC) with LIDS
Chapter 8 - Analytical system administration (2 hr)
8.1 System observation
8.2 Evaluation methods and problems
8.3 Evaluating a hieratical system
8.4 Faults
8.5 Deterministic and stochastic Behaviors
Lab Contents:
Window server
Part 1: Server Installation and Configuration
 Introducing Windows Server 2016
 Installing Windows Server 2016
 Configuring Windows Server 2016 Basic Settings
 Configuring Server roles and services
 Managing hard drives and volumes
Part 2: Network Users, Resources, and Special Server Roles
 Understanding and configuring Active Directory Domain services
 Creating Active Directory groups, Organizational Units, and Sites
 Adding client computers and member servers to the domain
 Deploying group policy and network access
 Working with network shares and the distributed file system
Part 3: Account and Security Administration, and Access Control
 Account and security Administration
 Managing files and folder permission
Part 4: Systems Security
 TCP Wrappers Configuration
 Iptables Firewalling: Preliminaries
Part 5: Analytical system administration
 System observation
 Evaluation methods and problems
Part 6: Linux Server configuration
 Ubuntu or Debian latest version installation
  Revising Linux fundamental
 Automating tasks using scripting language
 DNS Master and Slave servers
 Updating Microsoft DNS server
 Configuring and run servicer software like
✗ Monitoring (with Icinga and Collectd)
✗ Backup and restore (with Bacula)
✗ File serving (with Samba)
✗ Virtualization (with ProxMox)
✗ Email (with Postfix and Dovecot or Courier)
Assessment methods
Assignment/quizzes 10 %
Mid semester examination 20%
Project `20%
Final examination 50%
Text books:
 Principles of Network and System Administration, (2nod Edition), John Wiley and Sons Ltd,
Mark Burgess, 2004.
References:
1. The Practice of System and Network Administration: by Thomas A. Limoncelli Christina J.
Hogan, Strata R. Chalup, (3rd Edition)
2. TCP/IP Network Administration” (3rd Edition), O’Reilly and Associates Inc., Craig Hunt,
2002.
3. Running Linux, (5th Edition), O’Reilly and Associates Inc., Matthias Kalle Dalheimer and
Matt Welsh, 2007.
4. Essential System Administration (ESA), Aeleen Frisch, 3rd edition, O'Reilly.
5. Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook'' fourth edition by Nemeth et
6. Linux Fundamentals'', Paul Cobbaut, downloadable from http://linux-training.be.
7. Introducing Windows Server 2016 handbook published by Microsoft Press A division of
Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington 98052-6399