This book contains information for understanding the tasks that you perform as a system administrator, as well as the tools provided for system management. Use this book along with AIX 5L Version 5.2 System Management Concepts: Operating System and Devices.
Beginning with the AIX 5.2 documentation library, any information that this book contained regarding AIX system security, or any security-related topic, has moved. For all security-related information, see the AIX 5L Version 5.2 Security Guide.
This book provides system administrators with information for performing system management tasks. The book focuses on procedures, covering such topics as starting and stopping the system and managing processes, users and groups, system security, accounting, and devices.
It is assumed that you are familiar with the information and concepts presented in the following publications:
This book is organized to help you quickly find the information you need. The tasks of each chapter are arranged in the following order:
For conceptual information about system management tasks, see the AIX 5L Version 5.2 System Management Concepts: Operating System and Devices.
The following highlighting conventions are used in this book:
| Bold | Identifies commands, subroutines, keywords, files, structures, directories, and other items whose names are predefined by the system. Also identifies graphical objects such as buttons, labels, and icons that the user selects. |
| Italics | Identifies parameters whose actual names or values are to be supplied by the user. |
| Monospace | Identifies examples of specific data values, examples of text similar to what you might see displayed, examples of portions of program code similar to what you might write as a programmer, messages from the system, or information you should actually type. |
Everything in the AIX operating system is case-sensitive, which means that it distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters. For example, you can use the ls command to list files. If you type LS, the system responds that the command is "not found." Likewise, FILEA, FiLea, and filea are three distinct file names, even if they reside in the same directory. To avoid causing undesirable actions to be performed, always ensure that you use the correct case.
ISO 9000 registered quality systems were used in the development and manufacturing of this product.
In today's computing environment, it is impossible to create a single book that addresses all the needs and concerns of a system administrator. While this guide cannot address everything, we have tried to structure the rest of our library so that a few key books can provide you with direction on each major aspect of your job.