Overview

As discussed in Chapter 1, Linux is quite capable of supporting large numbers of users. To bring some degree of control to the system, one user is nominated as a superuser and given the task of system administration. This task can vary in complexity, depending on the number of users, their level of knowledge, the type of system and other factors. Obviously, the administration of a single-user Linux workstation will be different from a system supporting several hundred users although the techniques are similar.

There are three basic jobs that the administrator carries out. The first is to organize the users into groups and provide working directories for them. Individual user, group and others access permissions control access to files. If several users need to share data, they can become members of the same group and the appropriate group permission for the files is set to allow access to them. The second function is to control access to removable media, such as floppy disks and tapes, so that a user's data is not accidently removed from the file system by another who wants to mount a different floppy disk and access different files. Included in this function is the need to maintain adequate file system backups.

The final administrative role is one of accounting and system setup. This may range from a simple, one-off session to configure the system or a full-time job, calculating individual access costs for each user. The system administrator needs superuser status and frequently logs...