Course: CS 470 – UNIX System Administration

Timeline: Summer 2024

Tools/Technologies: OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, Solaris (OpenIndiana), Rocky Linux, Ansible, GitLab, ESXi, SSH, DNS, NFS, syslog

Overview

This capstone project simulated the role of a system administrator managing a heterogeneous UNIX-based environment. I configured and administered five distinct virtual machines running different operating systems. The project emphasized secure service setup, shell configuration, centralized logging, automation with Ansible, inter-system networking, and real-world problem-solving under a virtualized infrastructure using ESXi.

Operating Systems & Configuration

OpenBSD

• Disabled unnecessary services such as ypldap via /etc/rc.conf.local to harden the system
• Configured automatic SSH agent forwarding for secure credential management across machines
• Manually updated outdated ports including devel/cmake, net/isc-bind, and databases/updatedb
• Integrated OpenBSD into Ansible workflow with system-specific syslog-ng configurations

FreeBSD

• Installed and configured syslog-ng as the system log manager
• Used Ansible to deploy and manage logging policies across systems
• Customized FreeBSD Ansible roles to ensure compatibility with BSD-based package paths and services

Ubuntu

• Installed Postfix for root mail delivery and tested internal message routing
• Hosted a local GitLab instance for version control of all project files and configuration
• Wrote Ansible playbooks to apply Ubuntu-specific syslog, mail, and security settings

Solaris (OpenIndiana)