Sheridan Course Outlines

Land Acknowledgement

Sheridan College resides on land that has been, and still is, the traditional territory of several Indigenous nations, including the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We recognize this territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon treaty and the Two Row Wampum treaty, which emphasize the importance of joint stewardship, peace, and respectful relationships.

As an institution of higher learning Sheridan embraces the critical role that education must play in facilitating real transformational change. We continue our collective efforts to recognize Canada's colonial history and to take steps to meaningful Truth and Reconciliation.

Section I: Administrative Information

Total hours: 42.0
Credit Value: 3.0
Credit Value Notes: N/A
Effective: Winter 2018
Prerequisites: SYST70005
Corequisites: N/A
Equivalents: N/A
Pre/Co/Equiv Notes: N/A

Program(s): UNIX Operating Systems
Program Coordinator(s): N/A
Course Leader or Contact: N/A
Version: 20180122_00
Status: Approved (APPR)

Section I Notes: N/A

Section II: Course Details

Detailed Description
Students learn the principles and practices of systems administration. Focuses on the various functions of a System Administrator in a LINUX/UNIX environment: installation and configuration procedures, file systems and disk management practices, backup and recovery procedures, networking fundamentals, intranet/internet services, security issues and the role and responsibilities of Systems Administrators. Students learn in an applied, hands-on, and practical environment where they are equipped with system administration skills that are relevant for industry.

Program Context

UNIX Operating Systems	Program Coordinator(s): N/A
This course builds on computer fundamentals and Unix. It provides students with experiences in setting up and managing a multi-user, multi-tasking, networked environment.

Course Critical Performance and Learning Outcomes

	Critical Performance:
	Effectively administer a Linux/Unix system.

Learning Outcomes:

To achieve the critical performance, students will have demonstrated the ability to:

Describe the roles, responsibilities, principles and ethics in system Administration
Use operating system services and tools such as kernel, shells, process control,file systems and services, user account management
Describe Network service principles and practices
Identify security principles and practices
Identify systems administration best practices and sources of further learning
Configure a Linux operating system
Perform essential operating system functions: boot, shut down, control processes, mount, secure and backup files and file system
Install software packages
Implement administrative shell scripts
Manage user accounts and quotas
Set up network services
Implement security, backup, recovery and emergency diagnosis services

Evaluation Plan
Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:

Evaluation Plan: IN-CLASS

	Tests	25.0%
	Labs and Quizzes	20.0%
	Assignments	20.0%
	Final Exam	35.0%
	Total	100.0%

Evaluation Notes and Academic Missed Work Procedure:

To encourage behaviours that will help students to be successful in the workplace and to ensure that students receive credit for their individual work, the following rules apply to every course offered within the Faculty of Continuing and Professional Studies.  
Students are responsible for staying abreast of test dates and times, as well as due dates and any special instructions for submitting assignments and projects as supplied to the class by the professor.
Students must write all tests at the specified date and time. Missed tests, in-class/online activities, assignments and presentations are awarded a mark of zero.  If an extension or make-up opportunity is approved by the professor as outlined below, the mark of zero may be revised by subsequent performance.  The penalty for late submission of written assignments is a loss of 10% per day for up to five business days (excluding weekends and statutory holidays), after which, a grade of zero is assigned. Business days include any day that the college is open for business, whether the student has scheduled classes that day or not.  
Students who miss a test or in-class/online activity or assignment or fail to submit an assignment on time due to exceptional circumstances are required to notify their professor in advance of the class whenever possible.  A make-up test may be supplied for students who provide an acceptable explanation of their absence and/or acceptable documentation explaining their absence (e.g., a medical certificate). All make-up tests are to be written at a time and place specified by the professor upon the student¿s return. Alternately, students may be given an opportunity to earn the associated marks by having a subsequent test count for the additional marks. Exceptional circumstances may result in a modification of due dates for assignments.
Unless otherwise specified, assignments and projects must be submitted at the date and time specified by the instructor. 
Students must complete every assignment as an individual effort, unless the professor specifies otherwise.
Since there may be instances of grade appeal or questions regarding the timely completion of assignments and/or extent of individual effort, etc., students are strongly advised to keep, and make available to their professor, if requested, a copy of all assignments and working notes until the course grade has been finalized.  
There will be no resubmission of work unless this has been previously agreed to or suggested by the professor. 
Students must submit all assignments in courses with practical lab and field components in order to pass the course.

Provincial Context
The course meets the following Ministry of Colleges and Universities requirements:

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
PLAR Contact (if course is PLAR-eligible) - Office of the Registrar
Students may apply to receive credit by demonstrating achievement of the course learning outcomes through previous relevant work/life experience, service, self-study and training on the job. This course is eligible for challenge through the following method(s):

Challenge Exam
Notes:
Interview
Notes:

Section III: Topical Outline

Some details of this outline may change as a result of circumstances such as weather cancellations, College and student activities, and class timetabling.
Instruction Mode: In-Class
Professor: Multiple Professors
Resource(s):

	Type	Description
Required	Other	Readings and Resources will be provided by the instructor.

Applicable student group(s): Continuing Education Students
Course Details:

Module 1. (learning outcomes 1,3,4,5); [quiz #1] (10%)
Role and Responsibilities of a System Administrator
a. Roles, job opportunities and ethics

Module 2. (learning outcome 2); [quiz #2] (5%)
Operating Systems Overview
a. Components e.g., kernel, processes, interface and interprocess
communications
b. File Systems e.g., Windows (FAT, NTFS), Linux (EXT2)
c. Unix command line review

Module 3. (learning outcomes 6,7); [lab #1] (10%)
Linux Configuration
a. Disks and partition management
b. Boot loader configuration and options
c. Kernel boot processes and runtime levels e.g., initab, fstab
d. Network services initialization e.g., inetd, Samba
e. Command line administration tools e.g., du, df, sync, ps, vmstat,
netstat
f. X Window configuration

Module 4. (learning outcome 10); [assignment #1]; (10%)
User Management and Interaction
a. Create and manage users and groups
b. Password management
c. Permisssions e.g., setuid, setgid

Module 5. (learning outcome 11); [assignment #2] ; [Test] (10%)
Network Services & Intranet
a. TCP/IP e.g., DNS/Bind or /etc/hosts, DHCP, FTP, telnet
b. NFS (exporting and mounting network file systems)
c. Linux/Unix Print and file services
d. SAMBA (Windows print and file shares on Linux/Unix)

Module 6. (learning outcome 11); [assignment #3] (10%)
Network Services - Internet
a. E-Mail (MTA's and MDA's)
b. FTP (anonymous sftp)
c. SSH (secure shell telnet and file copy,openssh)
d. Web Services (Apache, PhP, Webalizer, SSL)
e. Remote administration

Module 7. (learning outcomes 8,9); [assignment #4] (15%)
General Systems Maintenance
a. File system monitoring (automated scripts)
b. Log file monitoring (manual inspection and automated scripts)
c. Log file rotation and maintenance (automated scripts)
d. User quota management
e. Graphical administration utilities e.g., linuxconf
f. Adding and removing software packages
g. File system tuning

Module 8. (learning outcome 9,12); (15%)
Hardware Maintenance, Backup and Recovery
a. Configuring backup devices - tape, removable drives, CD-R
b. Backup scripting
c. System failure diagnosis and repair e.g., rescue disk, fsck
d. RAID, UPS, hardware redundancy

Module 9. (learning outcome 12); [lab #2]; [Final Exam] (15%)
Security
a. Bug tracking
b. Fixing known system vulnerabilities
c. Intrusion detection e.g., tripwire, SATAN
d. Firewall rules
e. Monitoring log files for security breaches
f. Packet sniffing e.g., tcpdump
g. Common threat sources
h. Spam relay prevention
i. Security auditing
j. Encryption technologies

Sheridan Policies

It is recommended that students read the following policies in relation to course outlines:

Academic Integrity
Copyright
Intellectual Property
Respectful Behaviour
Accessible Learning

All Sheridan policies can be viewed on the Sheridan policy website.

Appropriate use of generative Artificial Intelligence tools: In alignment with Sheridan's Academic Integrity Policy, students should consult with their professors and/or refer to evaluation instructions regarding the appropriate use, or prohibition, of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for coursework. Turnitin AI detection software may be used by faculty members to screen assignment submissions or exams for unauthorized use of artificial intelligence.

Course Outline Changes: The information contained in this Course Outline including but not limited to faculty and program information and course description is subject to change without notice. Nothing in this Course Outline should be viewed as a representation, offer and/or warranty. Students are responsible for reading the Important Notice and Disclaimer which applies to Programs and Courses.

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