Analytical network and system administration : managing human-computer networks / Mark Burgess.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Burgess, Mark, 1966-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Computer networks--Management.

Computer networks.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (384 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chichester, West Sussex, England ; Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, c2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Network and system administration usually refers to the skill of keeping computers and networks running properly. But in truth, the skill needed is that of managing complexity. This book describes the science behind these complex systems, independent of the actual operating systems they work on. It provides a theoretical approach to systems administration that:saves time in performing common system administration tasks.allows safe utilization of untrained and trained help in maintaining mission-critical systems.allows efficient and safe centralized net

Contents:

Analytical Network and System Administration; Contents; Foreword; Preface; 1 Introduction; 1.1 What is system administration?; 1.2 What is a system?; 1.3 What is administration?; 1.4 Studying systems; 1.5 What's in a theory?; 1.6 How to use the text; 1.7 Some notation used; 2 Science and its methods; 2.1 The aim of science; 2.2 Causality, superposition and dependency; 2.3 Controversies and philosophies of science; 2.4 Technology; 2.5 Hypotheses; 2.6 The science of technology; 2.7 Evaluating a system-dependencies; 2.8 Abuses of science; 3 Experiment and observation

3.1 Data plots and time series3.2 Constancy of environment during measurement; 3.3 Experimental design; 3.4 Stochastic (random) variables; 3.5 Actual values or characteristic values; 3.6 Observational errors; 3.7 The mean and standard deviation; 3.8 Probability distributions and measurement; 3.8.1 Scatter and jitter; 3.8.2 The 'normal' distribution; 3.8.3 Standard error of the mean; 3.8.4 Other distributions; 3.9 Uncertainty in general formulae; 3.10 Fourier analysis and periodic behaviour; 3.11 Local averaging procedures; 3.12 Reminder; 4 Simple systems; 4.1 The concept of a system

4.2 Data structures and processes4.3 Representation of variables; 4.4 The simplest dynamical systems; 4.5 More complex systems; 4.6 Freedoms and constraints; 4.7 Symmetries; 4.8 Algorithms, protocols and standard 'methods'; 4.9 Currencies and value systems; 4.9.1 Energy and power; 4.9.2 Money; 4.9.3 Social currency and the notion of responsibility; 4.10 Open and closed systems: the environment; 4.11 Reliable and unreliable systems; 5 Sets, states and logic; 5.1 Sets; 5.2 A system as a set of sets; 5.3 Addresses and mappings; 5.4 Chains and states; 5.5 Configurations and macrostates

5.6 Continuum approximation5.7 Theory of computation and machine language; 5.7.1 Automata or State Machines; 5.7.2 Operators and operands; 5.7.3 Pattern matching and operational grammars; 5.7.4 Pathway analysis and distributed algorithms; 5.8 A policy-defined state; 6 Diagrammatical representations; 6.1 Diagrams as systems; 6.2 The concept of a graph; 6.3 Connectivity; 6.4 Centrality: maxima and minima in graphs; 6.5 Ranking in directed graphs; 6.6 Applied diagrammatical methods; 7 System variables; 7.1 Information systems; 7.2 Addresses, labels, keys and other resource locators

7.3 Continuous relationships7.4 Digital comparison; 8 Change in systems; 8.1 Renditions of change; 8.2 Determinism and predictability; 8.3 Oscillations and fluctuations; 8.4 Rate of change; 8.5 Applications of the continuum approximation; 8.6 Uncertainty in the continuum approximation; 9 Information; 9.1 What is information?; 9.2 Transmission; 9.3 Information and control; 9.4 Classification and resolution; 9.5 Statistical uncertainty and entropy; 9.6 Properties of the entropy; 9.7 Uncertainty in communication; 9.8 A geometrical interpretation of information

9.9 Compressibility and size of information

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [353]-358) and index.

ISBN:

1-280-54163-6

9786610541638

0-470-86106-1

0-470-86107-X

OCLC:

123276992