Re: what should a unix sys admin know

On Tue, 13 May 2008, John Boland wrote:

> folks,
> i've been tasked with making a sys admin out of one of our support people.
> where can i find a list of what a junior sys admin should know.
> tasks, commands, theory, concepts. maybe a bit more comprehensive than
> simply listing job requirements.
> i'm sure this has been done once or twice already. ;>))
>
> tia...

I might take the approach of evaluating what I/you are responsible for -

- proper security procedures
  - including good passwords
  - visiting trusted web sites
  - obtaining software from legit sources
  - license management (keeping track of who has what licensed products
installed and ensuring more licenses are obtained, if needed)
  - Virus/spyware protection
  - secure protocols vs insecure (ssh vs telnet, scp vs ftp, http vs https
    [lock symbol vs no lock] etc)

Differences among MacOS, Windows, and/or Unix (depending on your
environment) and respective vulnerabilities of each OS - and what a
vulnerability really means

Discussion of ports (http, https, ssh, etc) for basic common knowledge.

Difference between ssl and non-ssl - what to look out for

Good email practice (never email confidential info to unknown parties,
including passwords)

Never log into a system as admin/root - create auditable accounts and
logging out when not in use, or locking for a short period of time if
returning

Regular patch management, and keeping up on respective security email
lists and web sites for announced updates and vulnerabilities

Why would you never put a brand new windows box on the Internet?

Why would you want or need to disable unwanted services on a system?
What _are_ services?  How do you manage/control them on each OS?

Whatever else you might be responsible for.  I'd say all the common sense
stuff, plus stuff that's good to know.

Scott

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