AIX Training Overview

This course will teach the commands and methods needed to setup and manage IBM AIX systems. The course will also use a problem solving approach in the lab exercises to teach system administrators advanced topics, for long-term mangement goals.

Systems: IBM AIX, running on any supported hardware platform, software version 5L V5.1 - V5.4.

AIX Training Prerequisites

It is assumed that the student has successfully completed the Fundamentals of IBM AIX (Unix) course, or has equivalent system time as a user.

AIX Training Course duration

This course normally requires four (4) days, approximately 60% lecture, and 40% lab time.

AIX Training Course Objectives

On completion of this course, a system manager should be able to install, update, and boot the IBM AIX operating system; set up user accounts and directories; prepare queues for use; perform backups for integrity and performance reasons; monitor the system for performance and do basic setup of network software and capabilities.

AIX Training Course outline

Advanced System Concepts for System Administrators

    Process concepts
    Shell command usage and review
    Optimizing system help information
    System administrator functions
    Using the root (superuser) account
    Using the smit graphical and non-graphical interfaces
    Using the wsm graphical interface
    Manipulating system default environment files

System Installation and Updating

    Installation types and methods
    Installing the AIX operating systems
    Upgrading to a newer version of AIX
    Maintaining the system via patches
    Adding additional products to the system (lpp)
    Reconfiguring the AIX kernels via parameters

Startup and Shutdown

    Default bootstrap
    Boot to single-user mode
    Startup methods and procedures
    Adding procedures to the startup mechanism
    Shutdown methods and control

Managing of System Users

    UID and GID concepts
    Creation of a user account
    Security through password aging (security)
    Login sequence

Managing Printer Queues

    Creation of an execution print queue
    Commands to manipulate queues
    Commands to manipulate jobs in queues

Managing Disk and Tape Volumes

    Commands to manipulate disks/filesystems:
        creating volume groups and logical volumes (AIX)
        creating file systems (crfs and mkfs)
        manipulating file system structures
        verifying file system structures with fsck
        making file systems available to software (mount)
    Commands to manipulate tape volumes:
        tar utility
        cpio utility
        backup and restore utilities

Monitoring System Activity

    Informational Utilities
    The vmstat utility
    The iostat utility
    The sar utility
    The netstat utility
    Maintaining swap and paging space(s)
    Building and using the top facility
    Using the monitor, nmon, and topas displays

Maintaining System Integrity

    Using cron tables
    Security considerations (users,volumes,files)

Network Setup and Configuration

    TCP/IP address selection
    Host names and related files
    Configuring network devices
    Configuring the name server files
    Files used by resolver systems
    Setting up the /etc/netsvc.conf file
    Using nslookup to test name services
    Network testing with ping
    Network utilities: telnet, rlogin, rcp, remsh

Advanced Network File System (NFS) Features

    Review of basic NFS setup
    Advanced capabilities of server setup
    Advanced capabilities in client setup
    Using the automount feature