Introduction

Welcome to the class notes to Python for System Administrators.

The source code for these notes can be found on Github.

The latest version of these notes is published at Read the Docs. It is also available in PDF and ePub formats.

Classroom delivery of this course is available from Silicon Bay Training, who sponsored its development.

Background Assumptions

This class is designed for system administrators who will be using Python in the course of their work. It assumes students will have the following background knowledge:

  • Solid understanding of unix/posix system administration.
  • Comfortable working on the command line.
  • Basic understanding of networking and tools like SSH.
  • Basic understanding of Python language and syntax.

Environment

The following assumptions are made about the environment in which students will be taking the course:

  • Ubuntu 12.04. All package installation etc examples assume you are working on an Ubuntu 12.04 desktop. It should be possible to run all the code examples on other posix-compatible platforms, but additional or different setup may be required.

Work In Progress

These class notes are a work in progress. Many sections are missing or incomplete. There are still many TODOs:

Todo

Brief description of pdb, maybe a simple example.

(The original entry is located in /var/build/user_builds/python-for-system-administrators/checkouts/latest/debugging.rst, line 86.)

Todo

Add an example for each (?) species of bug.

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1011431/common-pitfalls-in-python

(The original entry is located in /var/build/user_builds/python-for-system-administrators/checkouts/latest/debugging.rst, line 96.)

Todo

Write entire LDAP section.

(The original entry is located in /var/build/user_builds/python-for-system-administrators/checkouts/latest/ldap.rst, line 5.)

Todo

Describe use of standard library for REST API calls

(The original entry is located in /var/build/user_builds/python-for-system-administrators/checkouts/latest/restful_apis.rst, line 111.)

Todo

Describe use of Requests library for REST API calls

(The original entry is located in /var/build/user_builds/python-for-system-administrators/checkouts/latest/restful_apis.rst, line 120.)

Todo

Write entire SOAP section.

(The original entry is located in /var/build/user_builds/python-for-system-administrators/checkouts/latest/soap.rst, line 5.)

Todo

Customize (hosts etc) all examples to match student VM setup

(The original entry is located in /var/build/user_builds/python-for-system-administrators/checkouts/latest/ssh.rst, line 6.)