Prelims

Question 1

a critical discipline in the field of information technology that focuses on managing and maintaining the hardware, software, and network systems in an organization.

Answer 1

system administration and maintenance

Question 2

this ensures that the IT infrastructure runs smoothly, efficiently, and securely

Question 3

responsible for day-to-day management of IT systems, including servers, operating systems, networks, and hardware.

Answer 3

system administrator

Question 4

it involves the management and maintenance of computer systems, servers, and network infrastructure within an organization

Answer 4

system administration

Question 5

give key responsibilities of system administrator

Answer 5

• install and configure operating systems
• manage users and permissions
• set up and maintain network services
• monitor and optimize system performance
• back up data and ensure system recovery
• manage security updates and patches
• troubleshoot and resolve hardware/software issues

Question 6

refers to the ongoing activities to keep systems running efficiently and securely

Answer 6

system maintenance

Question 7

what are the four types of maintenance

Answer 7

preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, adaptive maintenance, perfective maintenance

Question 8

maintenance type: regular tasks like system updates, disk checks, and log monitoring that help prevent future problems

Answer 8

preventive maintenance

Question 9

maintenance type: activities performed to resolve issues when the system fails or experiences a malfunction

Answer 9

corrective maintenance

Question 10

maintenance type: modifying systems to accommodate new hardware, software, or requirements

Answer 10

adaptive maintenance

Question 11

maintenance type: continuous improvements to system performance or user features

Answer 11

perfective maintenance

Question 12

refers to managing network devices (routers, switches), connections, and ensuring that the network infrastructure is running without issues

Answer 12

network administration

Question 13

key activities of network admin

Answer 13

• ip address management
• configuring firewalls, routers, and switches
• monitoring bandwidth and network traffic
• ensuring network security (using VPNs, encryption

Question 14

regular copying of critical data to ensure it can be restored in case of failure

Answer 14

backup

Question 15

the process of restoring data or systems from backup after a failure

Answer 15

recovery

Question 16

what are best backup and recovery practices

Answer 16

• implement automatic backup schedules
• store backups in multiple locations
• test backups periodically to ensure data integrity

Question 17

principles of system admin and maintenance

Answer 17

1. reliability
2. security
3. scalability
4. efficiency
5. monitoring and logging
6. automation

Question 18

the core principle of system administration is to maintain high availability and reliability of systems. system administrators must implement strategies to avoid downtime by ensuring that services, hardware, and network components are robust

Answer 18

reliability

Question 19

to achieve reliability, administrators use redundancy by setting up backup systems, load balancing, and failover mechanisms to prevent downtime

Answer 19

redundancy

Question 20

security is a fundamental aspect of system administration. sysadmins need to protect systems and data from unauthorized access, malware, and attacks

Answer 20

security

Question 21

what are the three principles of security (CIA triad)

Answer 21

confidentiality, integrity, and availability

Question 22

ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive data

Answer 22

confidentiality

Question 23

ensuring data is accurate and remains unaltered unless authorized

Answer 23

integrity

Question 24

ensuring that systems and data are available when needed

Answer 24

availability

Question 25

as systems scale, administrators need to be able to manage increasing workloads, data, and users. scalable systems can accommodate future demands without requiring major rework

Answer 25

scalability

Question 26

admins strive to ensure that systems perform optimally with the least amount of resources (CPU, memory, disk space) while minimizing overhead also involves automating repetitive tasks to reduce the administrative burden

Answer 26

efficiency

Question 27

continuous monitoring is crucial to detect issues before they escalate. administrators use monitoring tools to track system performance and health

Answer 27

monitoring and logging

Question 28

logging helps in tracking events, errors, and activities, making it easier to troubleshoot issues when they arise

Answer 28

monitoring and logging

Question 29

repetitive tasks such as software updates, user provisioning, and backup processes are automated to improve consistency, reduce human error, and save time.

Answer 29

automation

Question 30

give examples of automation tools

Answer 30

ansible, puppet, and chef

Question 31

these are the running instances of programs. SysAdmins need to manage these to ensure that resources are allocated properly

Answer 31

processes

Question 32

what are the key concepts of process management

Answer 32

process scheduling, resource allocation, process monitoring

Question 33

process management: managing which processes run on the system and when

Answer 33

process scheduling

Question 34

process management: assigning cpu, memory, and I/O to processes

Answer 34

resource allocation

Question 35

process management: tools like ps, top, or task manager to monitor system processes

Answer 35

process monitoring

Question 36

user and group management: SysAdmins must create, delete, and manage user accounts. each user may have different levels of access to files and applications

Answer 36

user accounts

Question 37

user and group management: users are often grouped together for ease of permission management. common tasks include adding/removing users and assigning them to groups with specific permissions

Answer 37

group

Question 38

user and group management: managing file permissions and access control lists (ACLs) is essential to ensure security

Answer 38

access control

Question 39

disk management: admins must configure and manage file systems like ext4, NTFS, or FAT32, ensuring efficient storage management

Answer 39

file systems

Question 40

disk management: creating partitions for operating systems, data, and backup files

Answer 40

disk partitioning

Question 41

disk management: admins need to mount (make available) and unmount (detach) disks and directories as required

Answer 41

mounting/unmounting drives

Question 42

memory management: admins need to ensure that systems do not run out of memory by configuring swap space and optimizing memory usage

Answer 42

virtual memory

Question 43

memory management: tools like free, vmstat, and htop help administrators monitor memory usage

Answer 43

memory management

Question 44

networking: SysAdmins need to configure and manage IP addresses, routing, DNS, and networking services such as DHCP

Answer 44

TCP/IP

Question 45

networking: using tools like iptables on Linux or Windows Firewall to control traffic and enhance security

Answer 45

firewall configuration

Question 46

networking: using tools like netstat, ping, traceroute, and wireshark to diagnose and monitor network issues

Answer 46

monitoring network traffic

Question 47

sysadmins ensure that the OS and software applications are up-to-date with patches and security updates. they also install, configure, and maintain new software as needed

Answer 47

software installation and updates

Question 48

tools like apt for Debian-based systems or yum for red hat-based systems allow admins to install and manage software

Answer 48

package management

Question 49

what are OS fundamentals for system administration and maintenance

Answer 49

shell scripting, system logs, backup and restore, security management, system recovery

Question 50

sysadmins use __ to automate tasks. scripts can run commands in sequence and process output, making tasks like backups, log rotation, and system monitoring efficient

Answer 50

shell scripting

Question 51

what are common shells

Answer 51

bash, zsh, powershell

Question 52

contain vital information for troubleshooting. sysadmins monitor logs to detect issues like system errors or security breaches

Answer 52

system logs

Question 53

sysadmins manage backup strategies to ensure data can be recovered in case of failure. regular backups (full, incremental, differential) are critical.

Answer 53

backup adn restore

Question 54

give examples of recovery tools

Answer 54

rsync, tar, and OS-specific utilities

Question 55

security management: ensuring that the OS and all installed software and up-to-date

Answer 55

patches and updates

Question 56

security management: implementing firewalls, encryption, and user authentication mechanisms

Answer 56

access control

Question 57

system recovery: understanding the boot process and being able to use recovery tools for system repair and recovery

Answer 57

recovery boot process

Question 58

system recovery: if a system becomes unusable, recovery techniques such as using live CDs or bootable USB drives are essential for fixing issues

Answer 58

emergency recovery