UNIX System Administration Handbook, Third Edition

1.1 SUGGESTED BACKGROUND

We assume in this book that you have a certain amount of UNIX experience. In particular, you should have a general concept of how UNIX looks and feels from the user’s perspective before jumping into administration. There are several good books that can get you up to speed; see the reading list on page 11.

You perform most administrative tasks by editing configuration files and writing scripts, so you must be familiar with a text editor. We strongly recommend that you learn vi. It is standard on all UNIX systems, and though it may appear a bit pale when compared with glitzier offerings such as emacs, it is perfectly usable. If you become addicted to another editor, you may soon tire of dragging it along with you to install ...