Unix System Administration, Midterm Exam

Systems Programming Midterm Exam

You have one hour and 15 minutes to complete this exam. Make sure that you write complete legible answers to all of the questions. Make sure that you put your name on every page you turn in. Make sure that every answer is labeled with the question number.

If I can not read, or find an answer, it is incorrect. It is you responsibility to produce a legible answer set. I encourage you to use one page of paper per question.

1. [10 pts] The following files were found on a HPUX 10.20 system.

   -r-sr-xr-x   1 root       bin    86016 Jan  9  1998 /usr/bin/passwd*
   -r--r--r--   1 root       sys     2310 Mar  9 08:25 /etc/passwd
   drwxrwx---   2 root       sys     1024 Mar  9 15:39 /tcb/files/auth/b
   -rw-rw-r--   1 root       root     208 Mar  9 15:39 /tcb/files/auth/b/benennett
   

   Explain the permissios of these files, and, where possible, justify these permissions. Where appropriate, discuss the file owner as well as the group that ownes the file. Give at least three detailed examples on how changing the permissions or ownership of any of these files could significantly alter the operation of the system.

2. [10 pts] What tasks are performed by init? Give a detailed description, including examples, of each.

3. [10 pts] Provide intermediate level pseudo-code for a possible implementation of su.

4. [5 pts] On a UNIX system the term "file system" is used in three different ways. Write a paragraph describing each.

5. [5 pts] Describe the differences between symbolic links and hard links.

6. [5 pts] Comment on the statement ``To UNIX everything is a file''. Your comment should be in the form of an essay.