Moore's law states that computer power doubles every eighteen months. UNIX system administration power, however, does not double every eighteen months. When I was asked twelve years ago to sit down at my first HP-UX system on site with a customer and see why the thing was running slowly, the first command I issued was ioscan -f to see how the system was configured. This morning when I was visiting a customer they asked me to take a look at a system to see why it was running slowly, so the first thing I did was issue the ioscan -f command to see how the system was configured. No Moore's law here - at least not for system administration.
Welcome to HP-UX 11.x System Administration. Until some kind of Moore's law applies to HP-UX system administration, I will keep writing HP-UX system administration books to make your life as a system administrator easier. That is not to say that there have not been great advancements in system and network management tools. Down-and-dirty UNIX system administration, however, hasn't changed all that much.
I could never tell you everything you need to know to be administrator of your HP-UX systems. I can, however, walk you through the commonly performed administration tasks of setting up a system and loading HP-UX, using System Administration Manager (SAM) to perform common system administration tasks, run through the basics of performance analysis, cover Common Desktop Environment (CDE) administration, introduce shell programming, and so on. I also provide copies of the on-line manual pages for many of the commands used throughout the book so that you can refer to them when reviewing a section of the book.
As with my other books, this book includes a blueprint from which you can work, and many tips and recommendations from my experience working with HP-UX, as well as what I have learned working with many HP-UX system administrators over the years.
No matter how detailed a training course or manual, it always leaves out some of the specific tasks you'll need to perform. Instead of getting mired down in excruciating detail, I'll provide the common denominator of information every HP-UX system administrator needs to know. I'll provide you with all the essential information you need so that you'll be able to take on new and unforeseen system administration challenges with a good knowledge base.
The blueprint I provide consists of many things; among them is a setup flowchart. As I describe the specific steps in the flowchart, I'll also provide pertinent background information. This means that as you learn how to perform a specific system administration function, I'll also provide background that will help you understand why you are performing it and what is taking place on your system.
This sometimes means that I'll be describing a procedure and use a command or procedure covered earlier. As a result of this, you may see the same command and corresponding output more than once in this book. I do this because it saves you the time and confusion of trying to flip back to where you originally saw the command.
You may very well find that you'll need additional resources as your system administration challenges increase. No matter what anyone tells you, no one resource can answer everything you need to know about HP-UX system administration. Just when you think you know everything there is to know about HP-UX system administration, you'll be asked to do something you've never dreamed of before. That's why I'm not trying to be all things to all people with this book. I cover what everyone needs to know and leave topics in specific areas to other people. You may need training courses, manuals, other books, or consulting services to complete some projects. In any case, I'll bet that every topic in this book would be worthwhile to know for every HP-UX system administrator. HP-UX 11.x System Administration covers tasks all system administrators need to perform: how to perform each task, why you are doing it, and how it is affecting your system. Much of the knowledge I have gained has come from the fine HP-UX manual set and the concise on-line manual pages. Some of the procedures in this book are based on those in the HP-UX manual set and some of the command summaries in the book are based on the on-line manual pages. I am grateful for all of the hard work my HP associates have put into both the manual set and the on-line manual pages.
Speaking of examples, I sometimes use a workstation (Series 700) and sometimes a server (Series 800) in the examples. When required, I use both a workstation and server to show the differences. Sometimes I use the term workstation instead of Series 700 and sometimes server system instead of Series 800. In general, though, I use Series 700 and Series 800.
HP-UX 11.x System Administration is comprised of the following chapters:
Chapter 1: Setting Up Your HP-UX System Chapter 2: Networking Chapter 3: System Administration Manager (SAM) Chapter 4: Introduction to Performance Analysis Chapter 5: Common Desktop Environment (CDE) Chapter 6: Shell Programming for System Administrators Chapter 7: System Recovery with Ignite-UX Covered in these chapters is everything you need to get started in HP-UX system administration.
Software Supplied with This Book
A CD-ROM accompanies this book. Information on the suppliers of this software, order forms, and other such material is supplied on the CD-ROMs. Here is a brief description of the contents of the CD-ROM:
CD-ROM: The CD-ROM contains extensive trial performance software for HP-UX, Sun, AIX, and NCR. This is a full suite of software including: HP GlancePlus; HP MeasureWare Agent; and HP PerfView. Most of the software on this CD-ROM will run for a 60-day trial period, after which you can use the information on the CD-ROM to buy a permanent license for the software. Every HP-UX installation should run some of the performance software on this CD-ROM in order to monitor system performance as well as tune the system. There is no better way to determine the software that best suits the needs of your environment than to test the software for 60 days and make your own determinations.
The software and information included on the CD-ROM is very useful in HP-UX installations. No installation should be without some performance tools. The performance tools on the CD-ROM are useful for both getting a quick snapshot of the performance of your system and charting long-term performance trends. Information on the HP products covered in this book can be found on the HP Web site at hp.
An Overview of My HP-UX and Windows NT Books
This is my seventh book centered around Hewlett Packard products. The primary difference in the books is the audience for whom the book is written. For instance, The HP-UX System Administration Handbook & Toolkit covers only the HP-UX operating system and goes into great detail. Windows NT and HP-UX System Administrator's "How To" Book covers both the Windows NT and HP-UX operating systems for system administrators at an introductory level. The following brief descriptions provide an overview of each book and the intended audience. All of my books have been published by Prentice Hall PTR.
NetServer Guide for Windows NT
(ISBN 0-13-989682-1)
This book covers the HP NetServer family running the Microsoft Windows NT operating system. In this book, I cover many topics, including: installing an HP NetServer using the HP Navigator Kit; Windows NT topics such as file systems and system administration tools; Windows NT and HP-UX interoperability; and the command line. Two CD-ROMs are included with this book. The CD-ROMs contain performance tools, Windows NT interoperability tools such the X Window System and Network File System, background material on HP NetServers, and more. With this book and the CD-ROMs, I have put together a package to get you up and running with Windows NT on your NetServer and some tools to help you have a successful installation.
HP-UX System Administration Handbook & Toolkit
(ISBN 0-13-905571-1)
This is the most detailed of my system administration books. In this book I cover many HP-UX topics in detail that you will not find covered in any other source. I cover HP-UX system auditing, for instance, by discussing aspects of your system that should be regularly audited and providing several audit scripts you can use. Two CD-ROMs are included with this book and a four-panel quick reference card. This book, along with the next book described, Windows NT and HP-UX System Administrator's "How To" Book, are meant to be companion books in the sense that the greatest coverage of both HP-UX and Windows NT topics is achieved by having both books. The topics covered in both books, combined with the software supplied with this book, will put you well on your way to achieving HP-UX, Windows NT, and interoperability expertise.
Windows NT and HP-UX System Administrator's "How To" Book
(ISBN 0-13-861709-0)
This book covers both the Windows NT and HP-UX operating sy
The total package for HP-UX system administration!
Marty Poniatowski is the most trusted expert in the world of HP system administration. In this book he shares his secrets for trouble-free installations of HP-UX 11.x, interoperability across all platforms, and fast, reliable system performance. Plus, the accompanying CD-ROM gives you a complete library of tools for outstanding system performance.
You'll walk through the new installation interface for HP-UX 11.x with examples that show you how to set things up right-from the start! Master file types, file system layout, and the commands for the Logical Volume Manager. Explore every facet of the System Administrator Manager and learn the basics of shell programming.
Get the low-down on performance analysis tools from vmstat and iostat to GlancePlus/UX and PerfView. Create your own personalized audit program to monitor system health and use Ignite/UX to build a system recovery tape in case of disaster.
This isn't just a generic UNIX book-it's tailored to HP-UX system administrators to cover your needs. But that isn't all! You'll learn about HP-UX and Windows NT interoperability with X Windows, NFS, Advanced Server/9000, and Microsoft's Services for UNIX (SFU).
Highlights include:
* HP-UX 11.x installation and set-up
* The HP-UX file system-file types, file system layout, and Logical Volume Manager
* Networking Overview-TCP/IP, Ethernet, NFS
* Performance analysis and system audits, including sample scripts
* Common Desktop Environment (CDE)
* HP-UX shell programming for system administrators
* HP-UX, and Windows NT interoperability with X Windows, NFS, Advanced Server/9000, SFU
A CD-ROM packed with tools for top performance, productivity, and interoperability!
Full-featured trial versions of HP's cross-platform management suite-all the tools you need to optimize your system and environment. You get:
* HP GlancePlus for resource and performance monitoring, data collection, and tuning
* HP MeasureWare Agent for gathering important system performance information
* HP PerfView for graphical performance analysis State-of-the-art trial software from Hummingbird for integrating HP-UX and Windows desktops:
* Exceed, fast, reliable X11R6.4 application support for Windows NT workstations
* NFS Maestro 5.1.1, best-of-breed NFS support for Windows desktops
