Silicon Graphics IRIS Workstation, User Manual

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32 IRIS WORKSTATION GUIDE
Version 1.0
System Administration
File Systems and fsck(1M)
The disk drive on an IRIS Workstation has several partitions that are
represented by device files in the /dev directory. Three of them are of interest
to the user: the root file system ( /dev/md0a ), the swap space ( /dev/swap ) and the
/usr file system ( /dev/md0c ). The root file system is always mounted when
UNIX is running. The /usr file system is unmounted in single-user mode.
These file systems should be checked with fsck before multi-user mode is
started and the other file systems are mounted. fsck is an interactive file system
check and repair program. Generally, fsck prompts for a yes or a no reply
before altering a corrupted file system. The most common problem that fsck
discovers is a bad i-node count resulting from an improper shutdown. For
more information on fsck , see Appendix B.
The files /.login and /.profile contain a command line for running fsck during
system startup. The file /etc/rc contains a command line for mounting the /usr
file system.
6.4 Configuring UNIX on an IRIS Workstation
One of the strengths of the UNIX operating system is its flexibility. A given
UNIX system can be configured in a variety of ways. Choices include
hardware configurations, like the amount of memory a system has, and
software configurations, like where a program is located and who has
permission to use it.
On the user level, there are even more choices. For example, each user can
choose how the system finds commands, whether other people can use his or
her files and whether or not to override certain system defaults. Each user can
establish an environment that he or she feels comfortable with.
The IRIS Workstation is shipped with a minimum set of non-standard system
defaults. Each system administrator can then configure the IRIS Workstation to
suit the needs of the local user community and each user can then fine tune his
or her personal environment.
NOTE: The discussion that follows assumes that the
reader understands UNIX system administration. For
more information, see the UNIX Programmer’s Manual .
The sections that follow contain instructions for common system administration
tasks for the IRIS Workstation.
6.5 Configuration Files
There are several files in the directories /etc and /usr that may or should be
edited by the IRIS Workstation system administrator.