What Are the System Administration Tasks?

System administrators need to take several steps to configure the system properly.

Administering the system involves the following tasks:

Configuring a system for deployment after installation

Configuring metadata and content, general preferences, and default system settings.
Starting and stopping the system when required

Bringing the system up and down during system maintenance tasks.
Configuring security

Securing access to system, metadata, and data, configuring Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Single Sign-On (SSO), and integration with identity management systems.
Scaling out and configuring for high availability

Configuring the system for linear scale-out (increasing capacity with more components on a machine) and identifying and removing single points of failure (adding more machines).
Managing performance and availability

Monitoring service levels and tuning performance.
Managing and resolving issues

Diagnosing errors and establishing resolutions.
Moving a system from test to production

Managing the steps for moving from a test to a production environment.
Backing up and recovering data

Preparing for and recovering from unexpected events.