PERIODIC PROCESS, SYSTEM BACKUPS & LOG FILES

Set of flashcards to review key concepts from ITEC 325 lecture on Systems Administration and Maintenance.

What is a process in computing?

A process refers to any program that runs on your computer, from background tasks to full applications.

What are periodic processes?

Periodic processes are automated processes that run on a schedule to execute system or admin-centered tasks.

What tool in Windows is used for scheduling tasks?

The Windows Task Scheduler.

What is CRON in Linux?

CRON is the scheduling command line tool in UNIX and Linux used to automate system and admin tasks.

What is the purpose of the crontab file?

The crontab file specifies the schedule of cron jobs in UNIX/Linux.

Common uses of scheduled tasks by System Administrators include:

File System clean-up, Log rotation, Software Installation, Script Execution, and Backups.

What is a backup?

A backup is the process of copying data to an alternative location for recovery if the original data is lost or corrupted.

How do backups differ from redundancy?

Backups ensure data can still be accessed even if temporarily lost, while redundancy ensures access to data is never lost at all.

What are the pros of on-premise backups?

Quicker backup restores.

What type of backup only copies changed data since the last backup?

Incremental backup.

What is unique about a full backup?

It is the most comprehensive backup type, making a complete copy of all data.

Name a built-in backup tool for Windows.

Backup and Restore or Windows Server Backup.

What does a log file contain?

Information about usage patterns, activities, and operations within a system or application.

What is Event Viewer used for in Windows?

To view important log files generated by the operating system and installed applications.

Where are Linux log files typically stored?

/var/log directory.

What does SIEM stand for?

Security Information and Event Management.

What functionality does log viewer software provide?

Log viewer tools allow viewing, merging, sorting, searching, and filtering log data.

Give an example of a popular SIEM tool.

Splunk.