Book description
An Application Administrator installs, updates, optimizes, debugs and otherwise maintains computer applications for an organization. In most cases these applications have been licensed from a third party, but they may have been developed internally. Examples of application types include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Resource anagement (CRM), and Point of Sale (POS), legal contract management, time tracking, accounts payable/receivable, payroll, SOX compliance tracking, budgeting, forecasting and training. In many cases the organizations are absolutely dependent that these applications be kept running. The importance of Application Administrators and the level to which organizations depend upon them is easily overlooked.Application Administrator’s Handbook provides both an overview of every phase of administering an application; from working the vendor prior to installation, the installation process itself, importing data into the application, handling upgrades, working with application users to report problems, scheduling backups, automating tasks that need to be done on a repetitive schedule, and finally retiring an application. It provides detailed, hands-on instructions on how to perform many specific tasks that an Application Administrator must be able to handle.- Learn how to install, administer and maintain key software applications throughout the product life cycle
- Get detailed, hands-on instructions on steps that should be taken before installing or upgrading an application to ensure continuous operation
- Identify repetitive tasks and find out how they can be automated, thereby saving valuable time
- Understand the latest on government mandates and regulations, such as privacy, SOX, HIPAA, PCI, and FISMA and how to fully comply
Table of contents
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
-
Chapter 1. What Does an Application Administrator Do?
- Abstract
- 1.1 Overview of the Position
- 1.2 Qualities of an Application Administrator
- 1.3 Where Do Application Administrators Come from?
- 1.4 What Jobs Can an Application Administrator Move up to?
- 1.5 Examples of Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) Software
- 1.6 Dealing with People, Lots of People
- 1.7 Questions to Ask If Responsibility for an Application Is Dropped on You
- 1.8 Administering Multiple Applications
- 1.9 Training Your Replacement or Backup
- 1.10 Summary
- Chapter 2. Design
-
Chapter 3. Architecture
- Abstract
- 3.1 Application Architecture
- 3.2 Through Thick and Thin
- 3.3 Tiers
- 3.4 Computers, CPUs, and Cores
- 3.5 Virtual Servers
- 3.6 Fault Tolerant
- 3.7 Running Multiple Applications on a Server
- 3.8 Virtualized Desktops
- 3.9 High Availability/High Performance
- 3.10 Operating Systems
- 3.11 Windows vs. UNIX vs. Linux
- 3.12 Storage
- 3.13 What Does Your Server Look Like?
- 3.14 Scaling Up
- 3.15 Databases
- 3.16 Code Base
- 3.17 Middleware
-
Chapter 4. Features Common to Many Applications
- Abstract
- 4.1 Multiple Modules in an Application
- 4.2 Customizations and Configuration Changes
- 4.3 Reporting for Users
- 4.4 Reporting for Application Administrators
- 4.5 E-mail
- 4.6 User Preferences
- 4.7 Data
- 4.8 Feed Me! Getting Large Quantities of Data into or out of Your Application
- 4.9 Application Administration Tools
- 4.10 Console Administrator Tools for Support Software
- 4.11 Log Files
- 4.12 Navigation
- 4.13 Error Messages
- 4.14 Dashboards
- 4.15 Limitations
- 4.16 Workflow
- 4.17 Time Zone Trouble
- 4.18 Cookies
-
Chapter 5. Specifics About Your Application
- Abstract
- 5.1 Browsers Supported by Your Application
- 5.2 Is Your Application Brittle?
- 5.3 Does the Application “Play Well” with Others?
- 5.4 Integrates well with Other Applications
- 5.5 License Keys
- 5.6 Troubleshooting Assistance
- 5.7 Using the Application in Unexpected Ways
- 5.8 Source Code
- 5.9 Phoning Home
- 5.10 Tracking Down Changes
- 5.11 Using Disk Space
-
Chapter 6. Taking Responsibility for an Application
- Abstract
- 6.1 Overview of the Application
- 6.2 Availability
- 6.3 Performance
- 6.4 User Base
- 6.5 Backups
- 6.6 Production Support
- 6.7 Hardware
- 6.8 Software
- 6.9 Database
- 6.10 Security
- 6.11 Training
- 6.12 Disaster Recovery
- 6.13 The Vendor
- 6.14 Interactions with Other Applications
- 6.15 Outputs: Reports
- 6.16 Outputs: Logs
- 6.17 Changing the Application
- 6.18 Monitoring
-
Chapter 7. Change Control Management
- Abstract
- 7.1 What Is Change Control Management?
- 7.2 Software Configuration Management (SCM) or Change Control Management?
- 7.3 Change Control Board
- 7.4 Environments
- 7.5 When to Move Changes into Production
- 7.6 Moving a Change into Production
- 7.7 Sarbanes-Oxley or SOX
- 7.8 Subverting the Change Control Process
- 7.9 Exceptions
- 7.10 Testing
- 7.11 Application Version Numbers
- Chapter 8. Installing Software
- Chapter 9. Support Software
- Chapter 10. Updates and Patches
-
Chapter 11. Supporting Your Application
- Abstract
- 11.1 What Is a Support Role?
- 11.2 SLA (Service-Level Agreement)
- 11.3 Support Staff
- 11.4 Odd Hours
- 11.5 Maintenance Windows
- 11.6 Supporting a 24 × 7 Operation
- 11.7 Support Tiers
- 11.8 Remotely Accessing Your Servers
- 11.9 Who Is Supporting You?
- 11.10 Succession Planning
- 11.11 Callings Lists for Support Personnel
-
Chapter 12. Disaster Recovery
- Abstract
- 12.1 Disaster Recovery Is Not Business Continuity
- 12.2 What Constitutes a Disaster?
- 12.3 Types of Disasters that Must Be Prepared for
- 12.4 Organization-Wide Disaster Recovery Plan
- 12.5 DR Plan for Your Application
- 12.6 The DR Site
- 12.7 Keeping DR up with the Production Site
- 12.8 Testing the DR Environment
- 12.9 Comparing Production and DR Environments
- 12.10 Communications
- 12.11 Making the Decision to Activate the DR Site
- 12.12 Returning to Your Production Site
- Chapter 13. Handling Problems with an Application
- Chapter 14. Operational Activities
- Chapter 15. Security
- Chapter 16. The Server
- Chapter 17. Performance Tuning
- Chapter 18. The Network
-
Chapter 19. Your Organization
- Abstract
- 19.1 Whom Does the IT Department Report to?
- 19.2 Innovation
- 19.3 Technology Groups that Support You
- 19.4 Does Your Organization have a Data Center?
- 19.5 Are There Similar Applications in the Organization?
- 19.6 Learn from Other Application Administrators
- 19.7 Application Prioritization
- 19.8 Change Control
- 19.9 Documentation
- 19.10 Documentation Location
- 19.11 Data Dictionary
- 19.12 Chargebacks
- 19.13 Impact of Other Applications
- 19.14 The Culture of the Organization
- Chapter 20. Users
- Chapter 21. Leveraging the Vendor Relationship
- Chapter 22. The Government Gets Involved
- Chapter 23. Windows Tools
- Chapter 24. UNIX Tools
- Chapter 25. Linux Tools
- Chapter 26. Tools for Your Toolbox
- Chapter 27. Third-Party Tools
- Chapter 28. Troubleshooting Tips
-
Chapter 29. Things to Do or Know How to Do in Advance
- Abstract
- 29.1 Who’s Logged into the Application
- 29.2 Terminating User Sessions
- 29.3 Preventing User Sessions
- 29.4 Bringing Down the System
- 29.5 Automate Maintenance Tasks
- 29.6 User FAQs
- 29.7 Log Files
- 29.8 Things to Know About a Server and How to Learn Them
- 29.9 Emergency Situations
- 29.10 “Read_Me.txt” Files
- 29.11 Version Please
- 29.12 Performance
- 29.13 Application Administrator’s Manual Template
-
Chapter 30. Things Will Happen That You Don’t Want to Think About
- Abstract
- 30.1 The Application Hangs Up
- 30.2 Server Crashes
- 30.3 Database Dilemmas
- 30.4 Moving
- 30.5 Vendor Changes
- 30.6 Consolidation, Mergers, and Acquisitions
- 30.7 Adding a New Office, Department, or Division
- 30.8 Input and Output Files
- 30.9 Running Low on Disk Space
- 30.10 Disaster Recovery (DR) Plans
- 30.11 Ramping Up and Ramping Down
- 30.12 Getting a New Computer
-
Chapter 31. The End of Days—Decommissioning an Application
- Abstract
- 31.1 Reasons to Retire an Application
- 31.2 Who Has the Final Decision-Making Authority?
- 31.3 What about the Data?
- 31.4 Steps to Shut Down an Application
- 31.5 No Application Is an Island
- 31.6 Documentation
- 31.7 Security
- 31.8 Releasing the Server
- 31.9 The Replacement Application
- 31.10 User Acceptance Testing of the New Application
- 31.11 Parallel Testing Is Even Harder than Parallel Parking!
- 31.12 Recommissioning the Application
-
Chapter 32. Things Every Application Administrator Should Know
- Abstract
- 32.1 Understand the Application!
- 32.2 Files
- 32.3 UNIX vs. Windows
- 32.4 Command Line Components
- 32.5 Pipes and Redirects
- 32.6 DOS Commands That Can Save Time and Trouble
- 32.7 Testing Basics
- 32.8 Basic SQL
- 32.9 Advanced Uses of Excel
- 32.10 URLs
- 32.11 HTML
- 32.12 XML
- 32.13 WANs, LANs, and VLANs
- Chapter 33. Education
-
Chapter 34. Parting Advice
- Abstract
- 34.1 Do No Harm
- 34.2 Always Try to Be in the Driver’s Seat
- 34.3 Don’t Use the Admin Logon Unless It’s Absolutely Necessary
- 34.4 Understand What You’re Doing
- 34.5 Do Things the Easy Way
- 34.6 The Eyes Have It
- 34.7 Document, Document, Document
- 34.8 Be Consistent
- 34.9 Clean up After Yourself Right Away
- 34.10 Always Check Your Junk E-mail Folder
- 34.11 Trust but Verify
- 34.12 Don’t Run Scheduled Jobs Under Your Account
- 34.13 Don’t Try to Hide Your Mistakes
- 34.14 Get the Most out of Vendor Technicians
- 34.15 Things Always Take Longer than Expected
- 34.16 Final Words
- Index
Product information
- Title: Application Administrators Handbook
- Author(s):
- Release date: September 2013
- Publisher(s): Morgan Kaufmann
- ISBN: 9780124017122
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