--- title: "System administration; special vs general user" subject: "Operating System" chapter: 9 key: "semester_6/operating_system:sysadmin-special-vs-general-user" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/operating_system/sysadmin-special-vs-general-user site: BCT Engineering --- # System administration; special vs general user Operating System · Chapter 9: System Administration - Asked in: 2072 Asoj, 2+3 marks - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/operating_system/sysadmin-special-vs-general-user - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_6/operating_system/chapter-9 ## Question What is system administration? How is a special user different from a general user? Explain. ## Short answer System administration is the management of an organization's computer systems, including installation, configuration, security, and user support. The special user (root or Administrator) has unlimited privileges with UID 0, can access all files, kill any process, and administer the system, whereas a general user has restricted rights limited to their own files and permitted resources, reducing potential damage from errors. Administrators should use root only when necessary and ordinary accounts for daily work. ## Answer #### System administration **System administration** is the work of managing and maintaining the computer system and network of an organisation: installation, configuration, user management, security, backup, monitoring, performance tuning and user support, so that the system runs reliably and securely. #### Special user vs general user A **special user** is the super-user (root in UNIX/Linux, Administrator in Windows) with unlimited privileges. A **general user** is an ordinary account with limited rights. | Point | Special user (root/administrator) | General user | |---|---|---| | Privileges | Complete control over all files, processes, devices | Limited to own files and permitted resources | | UID | 0 in UNIX | Non-zero (e.g. 1000) | | Files | Can read/write/delete any file | Only own files and those permitted | | Administration | Add/delete users, install software, mount disks, change system configuration | Cannot do these | | Processes | Can kill any process | Only own processes | | Risk | A mistake or attack can damage the whole system | Damage limited to own area | | Use | System administrator, only when needed | Everyday work | An administrator should use the root account only for administrative work and a normal account otherwise, following the principle of least privilege. In UNIX, `su` and `sudo` give temporary root rights. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. What does system administration mean? A. Writing application programs B. Managing and maintaining an organisation's computer systems and network reliably and securely C. Designing processors D. Teaching programming Answer: B. It covers installation, configuration, user management, security, backup, monitoring, tuning and support. (Key point: System administration) 2. Which describes the special user in UNIX? A. UID 1000 with limited rights B. The super-user root, UID 0, with unlimited privileges C. A guest user with read-only access D. A user who can only kill own processes Answer: B. The special user (root, or Administrator in Windows) has UID 0 and complete control, whereas general users have non-zero UIDs. (Key point: Special user identity) 3. Why is working daily as root discouraged? A. Root cannot run programs B. A mistake or attack can damage the whole system C. Root has no access to files D. Root accounts are slower Answer: B. Because root has unlimited power, errors or attacks have system-wide effect; damage by a general user is limited to own area. (Key point: Risk of special user) 4. What do su and sudo provide in UNIX? A. Permanent deletion of root B. Temporary root rights C. A new general user D. Faster disk access Answer: B. They give temporary root privileges so an administrator can use a normal account otherwise, following least privilege. (Key point: su and sudo) ## Related in Operating System - [Process vs thread; user and kernel threads](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Foperating_system%3Aprocess-vs-thread-user-kernel-threads) — Operating System, chapter 2 - [File system layout; i-node vs linked list](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Foperating_system%3Afs-layout-inode-vs-linked-list) — Operating System, chapter 5 - [File system layout; interface vs implementation](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Foperating_system%3Afs-layout-interface-vs-implementation) — Operating System, chapter 5 - [File system layers; linked list vs index](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Foperating_system%3Afs-layers-linked-list-vs-index) — Operating System, chapter 5 - [File system vs virtual memory; contiguous allocation](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Foperating_system%3Afs-vs-virtual-memory-contiguous-tape) — Operating System, chapter 5 ## Related in other subjects - [General vs one-class CF](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Finformation_system%3Ageneral-vs-one-class-cf) — Information System, chapter 7 - [General block diagram of a control system](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_3%2Fcontrol_systems%3Ageneral-bd-control-system) — Control Systems, chapter 1 - [Embedded vs general purpose computing](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fembedded_system%3Aembedded-vs-general-computing) — Embedded System, chapter 1 - [Void vs voidable contract; general conditions](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fengineering_professional_practice%3Avoid-voidable-general-conditions) — Engineering Professional Practice, chapter 4