Network Administrator
  Network Administrators manage all of the day-to-day aspects of a computer network. In addition to configuring networks they are responsible for making the network operational 24 hours a day. Tasks performed include adding/deleting users, backing up the server, loading new software applications, and maintaining security. Network Administrators are responsible for fixing an application or service, such as e-mail or printer access, when it is not working properly. Candidates for this option must have strong PC skills prior to enrolling in the program.
 
Role of Operating Systems and Network Administration
 
Abstract
 
The reliance by companies of all sizes on information technology creates strong demand for system and network administration jobs. Information System majors will increasingly find themselves with opportunities and responsibilities in these areas. However, teaching operating systems and networking to information systems major presents many challenges. We have developed a model for teaching these topics to information systems majors in the context of operating system and network administration.
 
Introduction
 
Networks of computers are themodel for business information infrastructures today. Gone are the days of a single mainframe machine with terminals attached to it. Today, a business' information infrastructure consists of one or more servers that communicate with tens, hundreds, and even thousands of clients, and the explosive growth of networks drives an increasing demand for network administrators. Exceptional growth in IT jobs, including network and system administration, is widely expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
Reports from the Commerce Department cite a shortage of high tech workers. The White House has recently created training programs to address the shortage. While some organizations and researchers dispute the extent of a shortage, it is widely agreed even by critics of such studies that new IT jobs are being created very rapidly.
As information technology becomes ubiquitous, and even very small companies rely on it for their daily operation, the skills of system and network administration become more in demand, and more vital.
A network administrator is a manager: not of people but of computing resources. A network administrator is responsible for installing new hardware and software, creating and managing user accounts, installing and maintaining print services, ensuring that the network is running smoothly and that the computers are communicating efficiently, verifying the integrity (security) of the network, handling user complaints, and so forth.
 
Course Goals
 
The basic goal of the course is to teach our students problem solving/administration skills in operating systems and networks. After having taken the course, students should be able to set up and maintain a network of machines and computer services. Specifically, the course has two complementary goals. First, students should get a solid foundation in the fundamental theories and models of operating systems and networks.
The second goal of the course is to provide students practical hands-on experience administering an actual system. This is unlike the industrial training model that teaches specific applications and products (e.g., Microsoft Certified Engineer program, or Novell certification) without a solid grounding in fundamentals.
 
Methodology
 
The course is divided into two integrated components, lecture and lab. Lecture is used to teach ideas, fundamentals, and theory, while lab is used to provide practical experience. The purpose of the lecture portion of the course is to teach the fundamental knowledge of operating systems and networking in the context of administering a network of computers. The role of the lecturer is to describe some aspect of networking theory and then demonstrate how that theory is applied to a modern operating system or network. The teaching of theory is further enhanced by using real-world examples related to administration. For example, in order to teach the concepts of process management, the lecturer would describe what a process is, what resources a process, how processes are created, how processed are killed, etc. These concepts are strengthened by showing the students how resources are allocated when a process is created; how resources are freed when a process dies; how to determine if a process uses an excessive amount of resources; how to kill a process if it gets out of hand; etc. Thus, not only are students learning the critical areas of operating systems and networks, but the knowledge is reinforced by practical hands-on exercises.
 
Course Objectives:
 
  •        Learn the fundamentals of an operating system as they are relevant to the system administrator.
  •       Complete the study of the network protocol stack, specifically the network, transport and application layers.
  •        Develop an understanding of the relationship between a computer, a program, the network, and the operating system.