UNIX, in its many flavors, is making inroads into the corporate datacenter for N-tier machines. In general, the more proficient you can be at UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems like Linux, the better off you’ll be, not only as a system administrator, but as a database administrator, network administrator or developer. The industry is experiencing strong demand for mid-range UNIX servers from enterprise customers.
General system administrators. The IT Industry is now seeing UNIX emerge in both back-end and front-end enterprise systems. General system administrators deal with almost all aspects of a computer network. General system administrators fall into two groups, defined by the operating system they know — those who know UNIX-based operating systems (such as Sun’s Solaris and Hewlett Packard’s HP-UX), and those who know Microsoft Windows NT. The UNIX-based operating system is more complex and generally used for computers running more advanced operations. However, with the emergence of combined UNIX and Windows tools and interfaces, the end-user can now become a power UNIX user. This creates even more demand for future UNIX administrators.
Web or shell programming. Another strong area of career opportunity is in web or shell programming. With key IT market players such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard inviting UNIX into their tech-dom, the integration of code between the two platforms is creating a niche market for programmers versed in UNIX systems and shell management. For UNIX, shell programming entails creating a small set of processing programs that work in tandem with a program made to “glue the parts together.” On a UNIX system such a program is called the shell. The shell is used to issue commands, start processes, control jobs, redirect input and output, and perform other routine tasks. The shell acts as a complete programming language.
Personal improvement. With all this in mind, get started in learning more about UNIX. Go to the UNIX guru Web site, www.ugu.com, which provides information on the various flavors of UNIX, including AIX. You also might want to read some books on general systems administration and programming or join a UNIX users group.
Online courses. Having trouble fitting in your education between work and family obligations? Many of our courses are available online (with more to come in the months ahead) so you can study when it’s convenient for you.
This associate degree program will provide training and education for individuals interested in developing their knowledge and skills as a UNIX power user or system administrator. The objectives of the program are to provide instruction in both fundamental and advanced UNIX skills and to help the student acquire general knowledge about UNIX design and operation. Various versions of UNIX such as Solaris and/or Linux may be covered during the course of the program to better prepare students for real-world situations. The Associate in Applied Sciences in UNIX degree includes all topics covered in the UNIX system administrator certificate along with additional coursework designed to provide a broad base of computer experience.
| UNIX Web Resources and Links | |
| UNIX Guru Universe | www.ugu.com |
| Sun Microsystems Documentation | docs.sun.com |
| Computer Hope/UNIX | www.computerhope.com/unix.htm |
| Linux Journal | www.linuxjournal.com |
| More UNIX resources and Web sites | www.ccsn.nevada.edu/cit/harwood/UNIXres.htm |
| IEEE Computer Society | computer.org |