Educating users

The following list suggests points the system administrator can explain to users so they can take advantage of the system's resources without overloading the system or causing unnecessary system problems. The more users understand the system and its limits, the less demands are placed on the system administrator.

If a user is completely new to SCO OpenServer, the system administrator should recommend a training course or at least a careful review of the basic user documentation. Augment this training with the points listed here. References to documentation cover both graphical and character environments.

• How to log in. Emphasize password secrecy and methods of memorization. Explain the limits on password length and type, the schedule for changing passwords, rules about changing passwords, and the number of unsuccessful tries allowed. Tell users with character terminals how to specify their terminal type.

  Character: ``Getting started''

  Graphical: ``Starting the Panorama (xdt3) Desktop''
  

• How to manage files and directories. Make sure users are familiar with basic operations, including the use of file permissions.

  
  Character:

  ``Directories and files'' and ``Protecting files and directories''

  
  Graphical:

  ``Using files and directories'' (in the Graphical Environment category)

• How to edit files. Make sure users know basic editing commands.

  
  Character:

  ``Using the vi editor''

  
  Graphical:

  ``Creating files with Edit'' (in the Graphical Environment category)

• How to use the calendar program. Show users how to organize their schedules with the calendar.

  
  Character:

  ``Using the Calendar''

  
  Graphical:

  ``Using the Graphical Calendar'' (in the Graphical Environment category)

• How to run applications. Relate the names, locations, and commands necessary to run applications that you have installed at your site.

• How to print files. Explain the print commands for most-used programs. Tell the user the location of the default print service printer. Demonstrate how to replenish paper and toner, tape, or ribbon cartridge. Refer the user to the printer documentation, if necessary.

  
  Character:

  ``Printing files''

  
  Graphical:

  ``Printing files'' (in the Graphical Environment category)

• How to use the undelete feature to restore files. Explain the filesystem versioning feature. Show users how to version files and recover them with undelete(C).

  
  Character:

  ``Retrieving deleted files''

  
  Graphical:

  ``Deleting and recovering files and directories'' (in the Graphical Environment category)

• Good mail etiquette. Explain how to read and send mail, how to read through mail lists, and how to organize messages into mailboxes or folders. Explain how to clean out unwanted messages by deleting or saving them to floppy or tape. Emphasize the importance of maintaining free disk space.

  
  Character:

  ``Using e-mail''

  
  Graphical:

  ``Using Mail''

  
  

• Good filesystem planning. Explain the limits of directory size. For best performance, login and working directories should have less than 64* entries, including the dot (.) and dot-dot (..) entries, and data storage directories should have less than 638* entries. Warn users that directories do not get smaller, even if files are removed. Discourage users from saving mail messages in separate files rather than appending them to existing mailbox files. Refer to ``Maintaining filesystem efficiency'' for more information.

• How to store (archive) files. Show users how to use floppy disk and tape archiving facilities to store unused files or directories.

  
  Character:

  ``Working with disks, tapes, and CD-ROMs''

  
  Graphical:

  ``Using floppy disks'' (in the Graphical Environment category)

• How to reset a scrambled serial terminal. Teach users with serial terminals how to escape from the most-used programs and how to reset a terminal with tset(C) and stty sane. Tell users how to turn the terminal on and off if necessary. Make sure users try these procedures before asking a system administrator to disable and reenable the scrambled terminal. See ``Fixing scrambled terminal display''.

• How to kill ``hung'' processes. Instruct users how to use ps -flu on a neighbor's terminal to find the hung process on their own terminal, and how to kill the process without causing undue system problems. See ``Fixing hung terminals''.

• Use of environment variables. Inform users of critical environment variables (especially $PATH) and how they can be changed. See ``Understanding variables''.

• System security profile Inform users of the security profile configured on the system and any restrictions applied to usage. For a list of security profiles and parameters affected, see ``Security profiles''. Refer users to ``Using a secure system''.

*

These figures apply to filenames of 14 characters or less. As filename lengths increase, up to a maximum of 255 characters, the number of files that fit on a single disk block decreases, reducing the optimum number of files in a directory.