Instructor: Randolph Langley
Telephone: 645-1225
Office: 410C Love Building
Tuesday and Thursday: 4:50 - 6:05 Love 016
- Monday: noon until 1:00pm; please try to arrive by 12:45pm.
- Wednesday: 11:00am - 12:30pm; please try to arrive by 12:15pm.
If the above times are not convenient, please contact me so that we can schedule an appointment that is more convenient.
http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~langley/CNT5605/2025-Fall/index.html
Computer and Network System Administration is an increasingly complex field. Unfortunately, there has been a strong downturn in the employment of system administrators, with only 323,020 listed in the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics Department of the U.S. government, a number matching the May 2008 figure.
Considering the large population growth between 2008 and 2024, this means that the effective percentage number is even worse, meaning that less than 0.1% of the population are now system administrators.
This course is an attempt to provide a practical approach to the field of system administration.
The following courses and skills are desirable prerequisite knowledge for this class. Although not required, you will likely do better in this class if you have
- Taken advanced UNIX/network programming;
- Skill in C programming;
- Skill as an advanced UNIX user, including the ability to program effectively in the Unix environment;
- Familiarity with networking concepts and applications.
To produce students who are capable of managing networked computer systems. This will include providing students with practical experience in
- Designing, installing, maintaining, and extending interconnected servers;
- Development of policy and procedures for users, administrators, and for regulatory requirements;
- Advanced systems management;
- Networking and communication; and
- Emphasis on independent problem solving skills.
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook, Fifth Edition, Nemeth et al.
|
ITEM |
POINTS |
|
Final Exam, given on Wednesday, December 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 in Love 016 |
20 |
|
Lab Assignments |
80 |
|
Total |
100 |
|---|
| Letter Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | 90 - 100 |
| B+ | 87 - 89.999999 |
| B | 80 - 86.999999 |
| C+ | 77 - 79.999999 |
| C | 70 - 76.999999 |
| D+ | 67 - 69.999999 |
| D | 60 - 66.999999 |
| F | 0 - 59.999999 |
- Introduction
- Installing and booting
- Rebooting and the new guard of initialization systems
- Virtualization, at all levels, and all of its facets
- Local and remote file systems
- Storage, 'drive' layout and treatment
- System Administrator's view of the operating system
- System Administration tools
- Resource management and performance analysis
- Computer hardware operating system-specific nomenclature
- Network protocols and network activities
- Directory Services
- Security
- Your physical environment
- BCP, DR, COOP
- System Design: Structural and off-site redundancy
Lab Assignments
For any assignments requiring submission on Canvas, please note that the assignment submission link will disappear at the stated time. Assignments submitted on paper must be submitted on the appropriate day at the beginning of class.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Do not turn in other people's work as your own; this includes, but is not limited to, unattributed copying from web pages, other students' work, books, journals, or broadcast media. Citations and clear delineation of cited material from your own original work is mandatory.
Plagiarism has become widespread problem, one so endemic that the most recent "MLA Handbook" now devotes a whole chapter (Chapter 2, "Plagiarism and Academic Integrity") to the subject. I strongly recommend that you read this.
The Florida State University academic honor policy is at http://fda.fsu.edu/content/download/21140/136629/AHPFinal2014.pdf
Official FSU statement on the Academic Honor Policy:
ACADEMIC HONOR POLICY: The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University's expectations for the integrity of students' academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to "... be honest and truthful and ... [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University." (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm.)Attendance
Attendance at all class meetings is expected, and attendance will be taken each class session. Please extend courtesy in class by arriving on time, staying until dismissed, and refraining from food and drink. You are responsible for all information explained in class, some of which will not be available in written or electronic form. If you are forced to miss a class, it is also your responsibility to get class notes from a friend.
Absence
Excused absences include illness, deaths in the immediate family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. Accommodations for these excused absences will be made in a way that does not penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.
Communication
You should check your electronic mail frequently for information about this course, as well as the class home page. You are also encouraged to use email to ask questions and report problems.
Finally
If you are experiencing difficulty or are concerned about your progress, please speak with me immediately.
Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice. In particular, the above schedule and procedures in this class are subject to change in the event of university schedule changes, calendar errors on my part, exigent circumstances, or if other reasons develop during the semester.