Mattu University(Mau)

College of Business and Economics

Department of Management Information Systems
(MIS)

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 Course Name: System and Network Administration

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 Chapter1
Introduction to computer network and
system/network administration

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 Computer Systems- computer system is composed of hardware and
software that work together.

 Computer system in networking is about hardware, software and users of

the system (it may include system administration, network administration,
server administration and so on)

 System administration is a career where an expert manages computer

systems. These systems can be in the form of software, hardware,
workstations, or servers. The primary objective is to guarantee that these
systems work smoothly.
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Cont…
 A network administrator is responsible for installing, configuring,
and supporting everything related to an organization's local network,
LAN, wide-area network (WAN), internet systems, or segmented parts
of a network system.
 A server administrator is a technical professional who oversees a
company's computer servers daily. They upgrade software and
hardware to help develop a company's computer systems and security.
Server administrators work to help with technical problems, monitor
any activity and audit security systems and policies.

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An overview of Network
A network consists of 2 or more computers connected
together by media, and they can communicate and share
resources (e.g. information).

Fig 1.1 Computer networks

Why computer networking is important?

Because of it has enormous advantages; many people and organizations need it. Computer
network
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advantages are listed below.
 Advantage of computer networks:

 File sharing
 Sharing of resources-Hardware and Software sharing
 Increase storage capacity
 Centralized administration
 Increased cost efficiency

 As it has many advantages (computer networks), it has its own

disadvantages. These are as follows.

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 Disadvantage of computer network

 Security issues- Computer hackers can get access to our system using different
tools.
– Hackers are someone who break our system and have unauthorized access
 Virus attack vulnerability increase
 Expensive setup cost- Cost of hardware and personnel
 Dependency on the main server

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 Con…

Based on the relationship/functionality of the computers on the network,

computer networks can be categorized into two:

1– Peer to peer network /workgroup

2– Server based network/ domain

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 Peer to peer network /workgroup
• Peer-to-peer network is also called workgroup
• No hierarchy among computers  all are equal
• No administrator responsible for the network

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 Server-Based/ Clients and Servers/Domains

 Network Clients (Workstation) -Computers that request network resources or services.

 Network Servers-Computers that manage and provide network resources and services to
clients and run Network Operating System that can manage not only data, but also users,
groups, security, and applications on the network.

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 Con….
In the computer network system to make further manageable and easily
accessible the network, it is managed by specialized servers.

Some of them are listed below.

Specialized servers

 File and Print server- Manage user access and use of files and servers
 Application server– Holds application programs for the network– E.g.
Database server
 Mail server– Used to hold and manage email
 Communication server– Manages communication between own network
and other networks

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Cont.

Directory service server

– Manage user login to the network
– Manage resources
– Enable users to access resources in the network

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 An Overview of Network Administration

Maintains network infrastructure such as switches and routers and diagnoses problems
with these or with the behavior of network-attached computers.

A network administrator is the person responsible for ensuring the health and well-being of
a network.

Responsibilities of the Network Administrator

As a network administrator, your tasks generally will fall into four areas:

 Designing and planning the network

 Setting up the network
 Maintaining the network
 Expanding the network
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 Designing The Network

The first phase in the life cycle of a network involves creating its design, a
task not usually performed by new network administrators.

Designing a network involves making decisions about the type of network

that best suits the needs of your organization.

In larger sites this task is performed by a senior network architect: an

experienced network administrator familiar with both network software and
hardware.

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 Setting up the Network

After the new network is designed, the second phase of network

administration begins, which involves setting up and configuring the network.

 This consists of installing the hardware that makes up the physical part of
the network, and configuring the files and/or databases, hosts, routers, and
network configuration servers.

The tasks involved in this phase are a major responsibility for network
administrators. You should expect to perform these tasks unless your
organization is very large, with an adequate network structure already in place.

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  Maintaining the Network
 The third phase of network administration consists of ongoing tasks that will
typically comprise the bulk of your responsibilities.

 They might include:

 Adding new host machines to the network

 Network security
 Administering network services, such as NFS, name services, and electronic
mail
 Troubleshooting network problems

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 Expanding the Network

The longer a network is in place and functioning properly, the more your
organization will want to expand its features and services.

Initially, you can increase network population by adding new hosts and expand
network services by providing additional shared software.

But eventually, a single network will expand to the point where it can no longer
operate efficiently.

That is when it must enter the fourth phase of the network administration cycle:
expansion

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 Con….

Several options are available for expanding your network:

 Setting up a new network and connecting it to the existing network via a

machine functioning as a router, thus creating an internetwork
 Configuring machines in users’ homes or in remote office sites and enabling
these machines to connect over telephone lines to your network.
 Connecting your network to the global Internet, thus enabling users on your
network to retrieve information from other systems throughout the world.
 Configuring unix to unix copy (UUCP) communications, enabling users to
exchange files and electronic mail with remotely located machines.

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 Factors Involved in Network Planning

After you have completed your hardware plan, you are ready to begin network planning,
from the software perspective.

As part of the planning process you must:

1. Obtain a network number and, if applicable, register your network domain with the
Inter NIC.
2. Devise an IP addressing scheme for your hosts, after you receive your IP
network number.
3. Create a handwritten or typed list containing the IP addresses and hostnames of all
machines to comprise your network, which you can use as you build network
databases.

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 Con….
 Determine which form of name service to use on your network: NIS,
network information service (NIS)+,DNS, or the network databases in the
local /etc directory.
 Establish administrative subdivisions, if appropriate for your network.
 Determine if your network is large enough to require routers, and, if
appropriate, create a network topology that supports them.
 Set up subnets, if appropriate for your network.

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 System Administration

The person who is responsible for setting up and maintaining the system is called
as the system administrator.

Someone who takes care of the systems others are using.

It describes the management of computers whether they are coupled by a network
or not.

System administrators are usually charged with installing, supporting, and

maintaining servers or other computer systems, and planning for and responding to
service outages and other problems.

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 Con….
 Other duties may include scripting or light programming, project
management for systems-related projects.

More specifically, a system administrator's responsibilities include:

 Applying operating system updates and configuration changes.

 Installing and configuring new hardware and software.
 Adding, removing, or updating user account information, resetting
passwords, etc.
 System performance tuning.

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 Con….

 Responsibility for documenting the configuration of the system.

 Responsibility for security.
 Performing routine audits of systems and software.
 Performing backups.
 Analyzing system logs and identifying potential issues with computer
systems.
 Troubleshooting any reported problems.
 Introducing and integrating new technologies into existing data center
environments.
 Answering technical queries etc.

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 Philosophy of System Administration

Although the specifics of being a system administrator may change from platform to
platform, there are underlying themes that do not. These themes make up the
philosophy of system administration. The themes are:

 Automate everything
 Document everything
 Communicate as much as possible
 Know your resources
 Know your users
 Know your business
 Security cannot be an afterthought
 Plan
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ahead
 End!!

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