Solaris 8 System Administrator 310-011 - Online Course

This series provides comprehensive coverage of Solaris 8 system administration; it is designed to help users prepare for the Sun Certified System Administrator for Solaris 8 Operating Environment, Part I exam. It covers basic topics such as installation methods, the boot process, and system shut down. The OpenBoot environment and architecture are discussed, along with the use of user and group logon accounts, and software package administration. System security and protection of data is covered, including remote connection. An introduction to Solaris processes and their management is provided, and file systems, files, and directories are covered in detail. Additional topics covered in this series include disk configuration, backup and recovery, the viEditor, shell programming, and print administration. The series concludes with a practice exam that helps the user self-assess readiness for the certification exam.

This series is for anyone preparing for the Sun Certified System Administrator for Solaris 8 Operating Environment, Part I exam; or anyone who is interested in learning more about Solaris 8 system administration. This online course contains 10 lessons and 1 practice exams and should take approximately 31 hours to complete.

Lesson 1: Installation, Initialization, and Shutdown (3.0) hours

Installation, Initialization, and Shutdown teaches you how to selected system administrator terms, requirements and preparation for installation, software and configuration clusters, system configuration to be installed, disk storage systems, device drivers, installing the Solaris 8 software, power on and booting the system, system run states, init phase, stopping and starting services with control scripts, and system shutdown. This course provides an introduction to Solaris system administration terms and commands. It describes the various system configurations and the installation of the Solaris operating system on a workstation. It also provides an overview of the hardware and the operating system functions required to bring the system to a running state, and the steps required to properly shut down the system. Topics include Selected system administrator terms, Requirements and preparation for installation, Software and configuration clusters, System configuration to be installed, Disk storage systems, Device drivers, Installing the Solaris 8 software, Power on and booting the system, System run states, Init phase, Stopping and starting services with control scripts, and System shutdown.

Lesson 2: The Boot Process and Boot PROM (3.0) hours

The Boot Process and Boot PROM teaches you how to access the OpenBoot environment and run commands to gather system information, identify the OpenBoot architecture, and use commands to create and manipulate custom device aliases. This course provides a general overview of the startup process, presents an introduction to OpenBoot, and gives specifics on /sbin/init, run levels, and run control scripts. Specific details on the OpenBoot firmware and kernel loading are also included. Topics include OpenBoot environment, OpenBoot architecture, OpenBoot interface, PROM full device names, OpenBoot device aliases, OpenBoot non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), OpenBoot security, OpenBoot diagnostics, Input and output control, boot, and Kernel.

Lesson 3: User and Software Package Administration (3.0) hours

User and Software Package Administration teaches you how to manage user accounts from the command line, manage user accounts with Admintool, manage software packages from the command line, and manage software packages with Admintool and Solaris Product Registry. This course explains the use of user and group login accounts, and shows how to add and remove additional applications after the operating system has already been installed. Topics include Adding user accounts with Admintool, Managing user accounts with Admintool, Managing users from the command line, User initialization files, Home directories and name services, Managing software, Listing and spooling software packages, Adding and removing software, and Software patches.

Lesson 4: System Security and Remote Connection (4.0) hours

System Security and Remote Connection teaches you how to locate the files that control default system access, locate where password encryption and password aging information is stored, control default file or directory permissions, list the places where unneeded network services and processes can be disabled, and describe the process of restricting root and remote access to the system. This course shows how to protect data against loss due to a disaster, system failure, or intrusion. Topics include permissions, access control lists, auditing, network security, and controlling remote access to the system. Topics include Physical security, Controlling system access, Storing user account information, Controlling file access, Permission schemes for user and group IDs, Access Control Lists (ACLs), Managing ACL entries, Setting path and identification permission, Monitoring users and system usage, Obtaining login information, Using firewalls and securing network services, Other network security methods, Remote system operations and the trusted host, Restricting FTP, Restricting root access, Monitoring superuser access, and Automated Security Enhancement Tool (ASET).

Lesson 5: Process Control (3.0) hours

Process Control teaches you how to list the commands which display information for all active processes on the system, state the effect of sending a specified signal to a process, and list the commands used to terminate an active process. This course provides an introduction to Solaris processes, and shows how to view processes, understand the effects signals have on processes, and manage processes. Topics include Viewing a process, The pgrep and prstat commands, Process Manager, Using signals, Scheduling processes, The crontab command, The at command, and syslog and other logs.

Lesson 6: File Systems, Files, and Directories (5.0) hours

File Systems, Files, and Directories teaches you how to describe the file system types available in Solaris 8, create disk slices, construct, install, display, customize, mount, unmount, and tune file systems with special emphasis on the UFS file system, and mount files systems on a CD-ROM or diskette using the Volume Manager. This course introduces the Solaris file systems, and explains the fundamentals of disk drives and their geometry and how Solaris uses a disk for file storage through its file systems. The management of Solaris file systems and disk space usage is also discussed. Topics include A file system defined, Solaris file system types, Disk slices, Creating slices with the format utility, Parts of a UFS file system, Creating a UFS file system, Custom file system parameters, File system operations, Mounting file systems, Displaying mounted file systems, Constructing a file system, Tuning file systems, Options for mounting a file system, Unmounting a file system, Volume Manager, Modifying devices with the Volume Manager, Troubleshooting media devices, and Information on file systems.

Lesson 7: Disk Configuration (2.0) hours

Disk Configuration teaches you how to differentiate physical device names, instance names, and logical device names, configure peripheral devices in a Solaris 8 system, and recognize how Solstice DiskSuite and StorEdge Volume Manager allow better utilization of system disk space. This course shows how to add, remove, and manage peripheral devices such as tape drives, disk drives, printers, and modems, as well as how to add a third-party device driver. Disk device naming conventions and administration are also covered. Topics include Device drivers, Physical device names, Device auto-configuration, Instance names, Transparent configurations, Major and minor device numbers, Logical device names, Virtual volume management, Metadevices and drivers, and StorEdge Volume Manager.

Lesson 8: Backup and Recovery (3.0) hours

Backup and Recovery teaches you how to identify the backup, archive, and restore utilities and their functions, back up a file system to tape, and restore a file system from tape. This course explains the types of backups, the methods available for performing a backup, the importance of developing a solid backup strategy, and how to restore data if a loss is encountered. Topics include Backup media and utilities, The tar command, The dd command, The cpio command, The pax command, The ufsdump command, The ufsrestore command, and Recovering file systems.

Lesson 9: vi Editor and Command Syntax (2.0) hours

vi Editor and Command Syntax teaches you how to manipulate text in a shell script file using the vi Editor, select a shell that is comfortable to use and capable of performing the basic tasks required, and automate tasks and run Solaris and third-party programs using Bourne shell variables, built-ins, conditionals, repeated-action commands, and functions. This course describes the use of the vi Editor in Solaris 8 system administration, and provides an introduction to shell programming. Topics include vi Editor, Shell script basics, Selecting a shell to use, Bourne shell variables, Bourne shell built-ins and conditionals, The if and case conditionals, and Repeated-action commands and functions.

Lesson 10: LP Print Service (2.0) hours

LP Print Service teaches you how to manage Solaris 8 print services locally and across a network, add and change user access to various LP print services, and troubleshoot print queues. This course describes how to set up local printers, set up access to remote printers, and perform printer administration tasks using the Admintool GUI or the command line. It also examines the hardware and configuration issues involved in connecting a printer to a Solaris system. Topics include The Solaris LP print service, The print spooler and LP daemons, Printer hardware, Printer software, Print servers, Creating printer classes, Managing printers with GUI tools, Routine printer tasks, Checking printer status, Managing user access to printers, and Managing printer queues.

1 Practice Exam

This course provides practice questions to help the user self-assess readiness for the Sun Certified System Administrator for Solaris 8 Operating Environment, Part I exam, as well as gain familiarity with the exam format.