Linux System Administration

What’s Next

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Linux administrators can configure distributions by choosing from a vast number of

components that do similar jobs. For example, with almost every Unix distribution,

Sendmail is the only choice of mail transfer agent (MTA). But with Linux, you can

choose from a number of comparable MTAs, depending on whether you want a cor-

porate workgroup application, a large-scale directory-driven corporate mail back-

bone, or a simple web application for handling “contact us” forms.

A further testament to Linux’s flexibility is that it’s the first operating system IBM

has ever employed that runs on all of its hardware platforms, from the xSeries Intel

class server, through the pSeries and iSeries, to the S/390 and zSeries mainframes.

If you want a Linux administrator and you use large IBM systems, your canidate will

have to know mainframe architecture and be familiar with terms like “DASD” for

hard drive storage, “IPL” for booting up the system, “catalog” for a directory, and

“command list” for a shell script. But don’t sell Linux administrators short. We once

attended a two-day seminar with a group of Linux administrators who went out the

day after the class and started deploying Linux on bare-metal IBM zSeries computers.

If Linux people have anything to offer, it’s that they learn quickly, adapt quickly, and

have a broad knowledge base you will not find with other technologists. They can

learn ...