CTS 4348 Linux Administration Spring 2014 Course Abstract: This course provides the breadth and depth of material necessary to effectively implement and manage Linux servers in real world environments. Outcomes of this course: How to work with users and groups How to network file systems How to log monitoring How to load balancing How to manage packages on the system Basic and advanced methods of securing Linux, including on the network How to install and configure network services How to install and work with open source databases on Linux How to use Web Services with the Apache Web Server How to use the available file services on the system How to provide other network services such as DNS and Samba Class Format: Undergraduate course meeting online via Canvas. This class will be taught asynchronously completely online. There will be a number of hands-on exercises using the tools of the trade and other freeware/shareware tools that may be acquired online. Professor: Contact Info/Office Hours: Shane Hartman Email me anytime at: shartman@sar.usf.edu.
Required reading: Essential Linux Administration By: Chuck Easton and Serge Palladino ISBN: 1435459563 I will also refer to other books that are not required but useful for bolstering your overall knowledge of Linux servers: I will make mention of them during class. Class Participation: Here is my official stance on the subject, as I have indicated to Student Advising: This course is to be taken asynchronously. Part of the student s grade is based on class participation, evaluations, and ability to do the work. Linux administration is a hands-on discipline. While there is a fair amount of information to be covered e.g., services, file systems, and network components most people learn this subject matter by being involved and engaged in activities. For this reason, this class will employ a number of hands-on exercises. Ways to get class participation credit: 1) Be online and participate 2) Provide articles and feedback on the class discussion board. Grading format: Class Participation 20% Hands-on exercises 20% Test 1 10% Midterm Exam 20% Test 2 10% Final Exam 20% Total 100% Please note these very important class rules: 1. Academic honesty is mandatory. Cheating on tests (which means giving help or receiving help from another student, or providing unattributed/plagiarized answers) is grounds for expulsion from the class and receiving a double F, which will brand your academic career in infamy forever. If you turn in work that references someone else s work and do not properly attribute it, this is plagiarism. It is also grounds for receiving a double F in the course. This includes downloading source code from the Internet. For example, if you borrow some script code to use in your project, and it is copyrighted, you may not remove the header information and insert your own as if it were original code. This is unethical and grounds for dismissal from the class. 2. Assignments are due by the beginning of class on the due date assigned. I will not accept any late assignments unless you have specifically made arrangements with me beforehand. For example, emailing me at the end of the semester to request turning in all of your missed homework because you had some illness will not work.
3. Religious Observances: The University recognizes the right of students and faculty to observe major religious holidays. Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class for a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second week of classes. 4. Disabilities Accommodation: Students are responsible for registering with the Office of Students with Disabilities Services (SDS) in order to receive academic accommodations. Reasonable notice must be given to the SDS office (typically 5 working days) for accommodations to be arranged. It is the responsibility of the student to provide the instructor with a copy of the official Memo of Accommodation. Contact Information: Pat Lakey, Coordinator, 941-359-4714, plakey@sar.usf.edu, http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/students/disability 5. Academic Disruption: The University does not tolerate behavior that disrupts the learning process. The policy for addressing academic disruption is included with Academic Dishonesty in the catalog: www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0607/adadap.htm. Occurrences of academic disruption will be addressed be the professor (depending on the situation, the student may be asked to leave or security may be called). Following the incident, the professor will establish with the student terms for continued course participation, and the professor will also submit a report to the dean. The consequences to the student can range from an administrative reprimand to suspension from USF. Most students are highly motivated to learn and do not need to be informed of these things, but the 5% or so that want to get a free grade without doing any work need to be made aware of these rules. If you do not think you can abide by these (in my opinion, completely reasonable) rules, please do not take this course! Canvas (MyUSF): All of our tests and assignments will be submitted via Canvas. Students needing instruction in using Canvas can use the following resources: Online tutorial: http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/campuscomputing/documents/cc_student_resources.php Technical toll-free Helpline: 866-974-1222 Live online help: http://usfsupport.custhelp.com/cgibin/usfsupport.cfg/php/enduser/chat.php Emergency Preparedness: It is strongly recommended that you become familiar with the USF Sarasota-Manatee Emergency Action Plan http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/alpha/ready/eap.pdf and of the Safety Preparedness site http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/alpha/ready/index.html (800) Hotline: The USF hotline at 1 (800) 992-4231 is updated with pre-recorded information during an emergency. The hotline can also be operated by staff during an emergency if the situation necessitates that additional information, direction or resources need to be communicated and the personnel can be put in place in advance, such as in the event of a hurricane or ongoing emergency Fire Alarm Instructions: At the beginning of each semester please note the emergency exit maps posted in each classroom. These signs are marked with the primary evacuation route (red) and secondary evacuation route (orange) in case the building needs to be evacuated. Emergency Evacuation Procedures: http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/alpha/ready/eap_faq.pdf Contingency Plans: In the event of continued natural disruption (e.g., significant hurricane damage to the area or a pandemic affecting the area), all instruction will be completely
carried out online on Canvas (as it is anyway for this course). There will be extended deadlines as appropriate for assignments. http://sarasota.usf.edu/academics/acadaffairs/handbook/usfsm_fh_emergencyguidelines AcademicContinuity.pdf Important dates: 3/10 3/14 Spring Break
Course Schedule (tentative, subject to change): Week 1 Hardware Issues Chap 7 Week 2 Networking Chap 10 Week 3 Users and Groups Chap 5 Week 4 Remote Access Chap 8 Week 5 Security Chap 11 Week 6 Services Chap 6 Week 7 Net File System Chap 12 Week 8 Samba Chap 14 Week 9 DNS Chap 15 Week 10 Web Servers Chap 17 Week 11 Databases Chap 18 Week 12 Performance, Logging, and Monitoring Chap 19 and 21 Week 13 Shell Scripts Chap 13 Week 14 Load Balancing Chap 22 Week 15 Virtualization Chap 23 Week 16 Final Exams