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My topic notes for cs615 team mission
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team_mission.md

Black Team

The Black Team focuses on correctness and quality. The team assures that programs and protocols follow their specification, that adequate documentation exists, that systems implement solutions correctly and according to the highest quality standards. Shortcuts are not appreciated, and correctness must be proven, not assumed.

Software Installation Concepts

  • OS’s have many different types of software that they use: kernel, drivers, firmware, compilers, server applications, databases, etc.
    • For the black team, it is important that all the software meets certain qualifications
      • Not given or installed with extraneous permissions (don’t use sudo if you don’t have to)
        • They run in the right space
      • Package managers are great for the black team as they are a dedicated software to facilitate installing software
        • Much less prone to user error.
  • Package managers end up being great for Black team as they end up doing stuff right (in different ways obviously. apt, brew, and nix, function differently from npm, rom, pip, etc.)
  • (Topic was Nix Package Manager)
    • Functional package manager supporting atomic upgrades, rollbacks, efficient management by using hashes but sacrifices storage space and build time

Multi-user basics

  • Not all users are created equal. Not all users should be given equal permissions
    • Black team follows principal of least privilege
  • Properly implemented authentication AND authorization are key
    • File permissions in *nix
  • Topic was Kerberos and LDAP
    • Kerberos (auth tech that uses symmetric key crypto) and LDAP (basically a DB) are used to solve distributed authentication in large networks/systems. LDAP used to centralize kerberos auth. Reduces accounts needed to be managed

Networking I

  • Properly managed networks are a key aspect of system administration
  • IP spec and per layer communication need to be documented and checked down to a T
  • Topic was Spanning Tree Protocol
    • Maps each and every route/connection on a network to ensure no switching loops
    • Helps detect/prevent congestion

Backup and Disaster Recovery / Monitoring

  • Backing stuff up is important, but doing it CORRECTLY is paramount
    • If not done correctly, it can lead to unneeded delays in restores, or even result in not being able to restore at all
  • This is where backup validation comes in. For the black team, ensuring your back is valid is paramount.
  • Topics were How to Choose the Correct Disaster Recovery Solution and Automating validation of with Rubrik
    • Talks about how to choose the correct solution for you, as it isn’t one size fits all. What is correct for A won’t be correct for B
    • Automating something like backup validation is important as user error can be devastating

Ethics and Social Responsibility

  • Perhaps the most important topic for the black team
  • You need to ensure that everything is done properly
    • Privacy ensured
    • Integrity upheld
    • Laws followed
    • Proper communication channels
    • Etc.
  • Topic was LOPSA
    • Code of ethics specifically for System Administrators
      • League Of Professional System Administrators
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