Linux Administrator Requirements for SLC Distributed Hub Environment
Core Linux Administration Skills
System Administration Fundamentals
- User and Group Management
- Creating/managing service accounts for SLC processes
- Understanding sudo privileges and security contexts
- Managing user authentication and authorization
- Configuring LDAP/Active Directory integration
- File System Management
- Understanding Linux file permissions (owner, group, world)
- Managing file ownership with chown/chgrp
- Setting appropriate permissions (755, 644, 600) for different file types
- Working with symbolic links and directory structures
- Managing disk quotas and file system limits
Shell Scripting and Environment Management
- Bash Scripting Proficiency
- Writing shell scripts for automation tasks
- Understanding script execution contexts (interactive vs non-interactive)
- Managing script permissions and execution paths
- Error handling and logging in scripts
- Environment Variable Management
- Configuring system-wide environment variables (/etc/profile.d/)
- Understanding shell startup sequence (.bashrc, .profile, /etc/environment)
- Managing application-specific environment files (altairslcenv.sh)
- Setting library paths (LD_LIBRARY_PATH) for application dependencies
- Configuring ODBC environment variables
Process and Service Management
- Service Management
- Using systemctl for service control (start, stop, restart, enable)
- Creating custom systemd service files
- Managing service dependencies and startup order
- Monitoring service logs with journalctl
- Process Monitoring
- Using ps, top, htop for process monitoring
- Understanding process hierarchies and resource usage
- Killing and managing runaway processes
- Monitoring system resources (CPU, memory, I/O)
Storage and File System Management Storage Configuration
- Disk Management
- Partitioning and formatting disks
- Managing LVM (Logical Volume Manager)
- Setting up RAID configurations for redundancy
- Monitoring disk usage and performance
- File System Operations
- Managing different file system types (ext4, xfs, etc.)
- Implementing backup strategies and recovery procedures
- Setting up shared storage (NFS, CIFS) for distributed environments
- Managing temporary storage and cleanup procedures
Data Management
- Backup and Recovery
- Designing backup strategies for configuration files
- Implementing automated backup scripts
- Testing recovery procedures
- Managing retention policies
Network and Security Administration
Network Configuration
- Network Services
- Configuring firewalls (iptables, firewalld)
- Managing network interfaces and routing
- Setting up load balancers for distributed environments
- Configuring DNS and hostname resolution
- SSL/TLS Management
- Managing SSL certificates and certificate authorities
- Configuring secure communications between nodes
- Understanding certificate rotation and renewal
Security Practices
- System Hardening
- Implementing security best practices (CIS benchmarks)
- Managing SELinux/AppArmor policies
- Configuring audit logging and monitoring
- Regular security patching and vulnerability management
- Access Control
- Implementing least privilege principles
- Managing SSH keys and secure remote access
- Configuring VPNs for secure administration
- Monitoring unauthorized access attempts
Database and External System Integration
Database Connectivity
- ODBC Configuration
- Setting up ODBC drivers for various databases
- Managing odbc.ini and odbcinst.ini files
- Troubleshooting database connection issues
- Performance tuning for database connections
- Database Administration Basics
- Understanding database security and authentication
- Managing database connection pools
- Monitoring database performance from system perspective
- Backup and recovery coordination with DBA teams
Cloud and External Service Integration
- Cloud Platforms
- Managing service account credentials for cloud services
- Configuring API access and authentication tokens
- Understanding cloud networking and security groups
- Managing cloud storage integration
Performance and Monitoring
System Performance
- Performance Monitoring
- Using performance tools (sar, iostat, vmstat, iotop)
- Setting up monitoring dashboards and alerts
- Capacity planning and resource forecasting
- Identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks
- Log Management
- Centralized logging configuration (rsyslog, syslog-ng)
- Log rotation and retention policies
- Log analysis and troubleshooting
- Setting up log aggregation systems
Application Monitoring
- SLC-Specific Monitoring
- Monitoring SLC processes and resource usage
- Tracking user sessions and workload distribution
- Monitoring autocall macro library performance
- Tracking database connection health
Patching and Change Management
System Updates
- Patch Management
- Planning and implementing security patches
- Managing system updates with minimal downtime
- Testing patches in development environments
- Rolling back failed updates
- Change Control
- Implementing change management procedures
- Documenting configuration changes
- Maintaining configuration baselines
- Version control for configuration files
Troubleshooting and Problem Resolution
Diagnostic Skills
- System Troubleshooting
- Reading and interpreting system logs
- Using diagnostic tools (strace, lsof, netstat)
- Identifying root causes of system issues
- Performance troubleshooting methodologies
- Application-Specific Troubleshooting
- Understanding SLC execution phases and failure points
- Debugging environment variable and path issues
- Resolving library dependency problems
- Troubleshooting AUTOEXEC and SASAUTOS issues
Communication and Documentation
- Documentation Skills
- Maintaining system documentation and runbooks
- Creating troubleshooting guides
- Documenting configuration changes and procedures
- Writing clear incident reports
Collaboration Skills
- Working with development teams on deployment issues
- Coordinating with database administrators
- Communicating technical issues to non-technical stakeholders
- Managing vendor relationships and support cases
Automation and DevOps Practices
Configuration Management
- Infrastructure as Code
- Using configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef)
- Version controlling infrastructure configurations
- Implementing automated deployment pipelines
- Managing environment-specific configurations
- Automation
- Scripting and Automation
- Automating routine maintenance tasks
- Creating deployment automation scripts
- Implementing monitoring and alerting automation
- Building self-healing system capabilities
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Recovery Planning
- Disaster Recovery
- Developing comprehensive DR plans
- Testing recovery procedures regularly
- Managing backup and restore operations
- Coordinating with business stakeholders on RTO/RPO requirements
- High Availability
- Clustering and Redundancy
- Implementing high availability configurations
- Managing failover procedures
- Load balancing and traffic distribution
- Monitoring cluster health and performance
Vendor and Third-Party Management
Software Management
- Package Management
- Managing software installations and updates
- Understanding package dependencies
- Managing custom software installations
- Coordinating with software vendors for support
Licensing and Compliance
- License Management
- Managing software licenses and compliance
- Understanding licensing models and restrictions
- Coordinating license renewals and acquisitions
- Auditing software usage and compliance
