Microsoft Word Hardware Reconfiguration Methodology V final2

Particulars

1. Reader

It is both assumed and required that the reader be familiar with Linux, UNIX, or BSD-based operating systems and system administration-related maintenance tasks to better comprehend the

various material presented herein. For reasons of brevity, it is not possible to provide all the required background, contextual and technical information (including commands) that a full in- depth examination would normally provide. It is for these reasons that the reader must have at least some knowledge of UNIX and system administration otherwise the reader will find the text to be confusing and cumbersome.

This text is vendor neutral, is silent on many issues (including low-level commands), and assumes that the reader is well versed and understands many of these technical issues. This Technical Note is not a substitute for the reader’s experience that is inevitably required in order to complete some of the various tasks examined herein. Finally, it is also assumed that the reader will be using a commercially supported Linux-based operating system.

2. Navy

The Navy prefers that changes to the operating system be as minimal as possible in order to accelerate the process of reaccredidation and recertification. However, where operating system maintenance is concerned, this is not always that easy. Much will depend on what requires maintenance and how it will be performed. There are many variables to consider prior to performing any system maintenance-related action. Guided by the two methodologies the reader can perform the appropriate set of actions necessary to maintain the system and support the newer hardware.

However, the Navy must understand that operating system maintenance is not always that simple. The main method of system maintenance employs operating system updates, upgrades, and manual system maintenance. Updates and upgrades are generally provided by the distribution’s vendor while manual system maintenance is performed by the customer or support provider. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, the maintenance option that will be used at any point in time will depend on what requires maintenance as well as who is providing maintenance support.

3. Report

The Technical Note is broken down into various main topics or sections. The first is the introduction that presents an overview to the reader. The second section examines technical information about operating systems and hardware support. This section, without any previous UNIX experience will be more difficult to understand and contextualize. The third section is a broad overview for performing backup and restoration-related tasks. While this section goes in- depth, it is not meant as a replacement for various books already written on the subject; instead, it presents material that should be considered prior to undertaking any specific task or action. In addition, section does present some new information not present in existing books on the topic. Finally, the fourth section is a broad overview of operating system maintenance that examines the higher-level issues surrounding updates and upgrades. Manual system maintenance has been deliberately excluded from this section, as it is technically complex and cumbersome to examine in a short report. Furthermore, it varies considerably from software package to software package and its success is highly dependent on the experience and knowledge of the reader.

This Technical Note is not meant to be an all-encompassing authority on the various subjects of interest; instead, as a guide it should be used for gaining a higher-level overview on how to approach the subject matter from a global perspective. Certain topics that could have been explored more in-depth were left out to remain vendor neutral.

Furthermore, in order to ascertain this study’s relevancy it is important to understand the correlation between the operating system and its life expectancy. As a function of time hardware is expected to change, it is therefore only reasonable to expect that a C2 system will undergo hardware changes. In order for the operating system to support newer hardware, it must be kept up to date. This is particularly important for hardware employing technology that is not currently supported by older kernels and can be accomplished through updates, upgrades, and manual system maintenance.

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