Best practices for HPUX Administration

[Shivkumar]

Hi,

What are the best practices for HPUX System Administration ?

Appreciate everyone's contribution.

Thanks,
Shiv

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi Shiv:

This topic comes up with some regularity. In no particular order, you should find the following threads useful:

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1000095&admit=-682735245+1154801471920+28353475

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=370849

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1012959

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=621045&admit=-682735245+1154801939833+28353475

Too, understanding the techniques and options described in this guide should also benefit you:

http://www.docs.hp.com/en/B2355-90950/index.html

I'd add, the following pieces of advice:

1. Never assume. Verify, by testing on a "sand-box" or development server, something that you are going to carry out in a production environment.

2. Don't operate as 'root' when you don't have to do so. Never define more than one root account (uid=0). Use 'sudo' or C-wrapper setuid scripts for special purposes.

3. In scripts, don't assume that a 'cd path' is correct and capricously proceed. Consider, instead:

# cd mypath || exit 1
# cd mypath && rm -i "*.log"

4. Write scripts for any routine task you need to do. This can be self-documenting if done well.

5. Think before you do something. This applies especially in a crisis when it is incumbent on you to "save-the-day". Resist any urge to act without thinking through all possibilities and outcomes just to hurry a resolution.

6. Read, read, read. Read everything you can about your discipline. Read the manpages, *including* those that relate to Unix system calls. The more you understand about Unix, the operating system, the better a system administrator you will be.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom Shiv,

I heartily endorse JRF's effort in this regard.

I particulary like the fact He used itrc links to answer the question.

The purpose of this forum is to provide best practices for HP-UX administration. This is such a broad topic I will add this:

Make a practice of reading questions here. Perhaps even make a practive of answering questions here. Why? Because doing the basic research for answering a question expands your knowledge.

I and others can write for hours on what we believe the best practices of systems administration are. I think the best thing you can do is read the questions.

Learn form the mistakes of myself and others. Take the time to thoroughly understand the implications.

I have a few general principles besides ITRC use:

1) Keep your system patched. I think its very important to keep up with what HP has released. They do a good job and rarely release dangerous patches. Even the dangerous ones are not if you read the release notes.

2) Make user of the free software and utilities that HP provides. There are ftp sits and http://software.hp.com and many little toys developed by people here. These resources will help you implement best practices.

3) Take time every month to check and think about the security of your systems. Threats change daily and are often published here or in other parts of HP web system.

4) Never be afrad to ask questions. I think you have that part right, though I may suggest you begin to poke around here first before asking a question.

SEP

[Shivkumar]

Warm regards to James and Steven. I appreciate your help in explaining the HPUX in better way.

It is my good luck that i am learning under capable leadership of Unix Gurus.

Thanks,
Shiv

[inventsekar_1]

Hi Shiv,

1. Note the simple and small things as much as possible. that will make big differences.

for example: at times we will become tired of typing the big paths.
"cd" will go to home directory.
"cd -" will go to the previous working directory.

2. As JRF told, read, read, read as much as possible. when reading the man pages, at times u may feel difficult. but that contains powerful informations. that is why the man pages are so crisp.

3. security is important than anything. patching, security tools, enable logging wherever possible. monitor who did ftp, and sulog's, bad logins...everything...

4. keep "yourself" updated. learn new tools, new options for the known commands(its fun to read the same commands man pages again and again...you will learn lot of new things), new technologies.

All The Best
Sekar

[Jaime Bolanos Rojas.]

Shivkumar,

Somebody posted this once, I found it very usefull, long document but if you read it it will teach you so many things to have a very stable system

http://www.totse.com/en/hack/hack_attack/unixadmn.html

Regards,

Jaime.