Managing Corel LINUX systems

Corel LINUX and the role of the system administrator

The system administrator, called the root user in Linux, is responsible for maintaining the system and managing the users. The root account is created automatically during the installation of Corel LINUX. By logging in to your computer as the root user, or system administrator, you have unlimited privileges; you can add and delete user accounts, change user privileges, access all files, and configure Corel LINUX. As the root user, there are no restrictions on the functions you can perform to the operating system. You can also inadvertently damage the system when you are logged in as the root user. For more information about using the root account, see "Using the root account."

Corel LINUX provides system administration utilities that let the root user create, configure, and delete user and group accounts, change permissions and ownerships for files and directories, and view system log files and device information.

The User Manager lets you add and remove user accounts or groups, add and remove users from groups, change user passwords, and edit account profile information. The Event Viewer lets you view log files that describe the activities of system facilities, such as daemon,, printer, kernel, or printer facilities. You can customize viewing filters to display facilities and message priorities. You can also save and clear log files. The Control Center lets you view system device information. This function is read-only, but provides status information on devices such as DMA channels, interrupts, IO ports, memory, partitions, and Samba status.

Corel LINUX is a versatile operating system that can be used with network, multiuser, and stand-alone systems. Although these systems have different purposes and capabilities, they all need a user who acts as the system administrator. This system administrator is a user who oversees and manages the system to ensure that it operates properly and efficiently.

Stand-alone systems

You can use Corel LINUX as the operating system for a stand-alone computer. A stand-alone computer is not connected to a network and is accessed by only one user, who must also act as the system administrator. There are some system management tasks that you can perform only when logged in as the root user, such as installing, updating, and removing applications from the system. Because you can inadvertently damage the system when logged in as the root user, it is important that you set up a regular user account that you can access when you are finished doing system administration functions.

Multi-user systems

A multiuser system is one in which more than one user has access to the same stand-alone computer. Each user has a separate user account, so that certain files or directories are off-limits to certain users. For example, a family computer can be set up as a multiuser system. The adults can have unlimited access to the computer, including access to work- or business-related files and applications. The children, on the other hand, might have limitations placed on their access to the family computer. The children might be given access to only certain applications, or access to a limited number of files or directories.

Network systems

You can use Corel LINUX as a network operating system. A network is a group of two or more computers that are linked together. The system administrator has the task of maintaining and watching over all aspects of the system, including its hardware, connections, applications, and users. The network system administrator is also responsible for adding and deleting users, removing files and directories, controlling the permissions for files and directories, and ensuring that the system operates as efficiently as possible. Because networks can have many users, system security is very important. The system administrator is responsible for system security of files, directories, applications, and user accounts.