This chapter introduces commands, utilities, and scripts used to administer UNIX systems by contrasting them with their OpenVMS counterparts. In this chapter, we assume a multiuser UNIX system that supports many users in a networked environment. The typical UNIX system is attached to other computers in corporate intranets, as well as to the Internet.

Administering systems and networks is a complex task. Quite often, vendors provide their own customized, proprietary tools and procedures for system and network installation. It is beyond the scope of this book to provide a detailed description of all the tasks that a system manager needs to perform. Instead, this chapter examines the following specific tasks, which are important to anyone managing operating systems like OpenVMS or UNIX:

• Installing software

• Starting up and shutting down the system

• Using system initialization files

• Managing groups and user accounts

• Backing up and restoring files

• Administering security

• Configuring networks

The traditional method for accomplishing these tasks on UNIX is to run a variety of scripts, commands, and utilities. Many vendors have developed unified administration applications to simplify matters. For example, Tru64 UNIX offers a graphical SysMan suite of tools that can be selected from the CDE front panel. HP-UX offers a similar tool, called the HP-UX System Administrator Manager, under its HP-VUE GUI. While these are a great help to the system administrator, such proprietary tools present quite different interfaces. Commands generally allow...