# About This Guide

This section describes the purpose, organization, and conventions of this document.

## Audience and Purpose

This guide describes the concepts and procedures that an AFS(R) system administrator needs to know. It assumes familiarity with UNIX(R) administration, but no previous knowledge of AFS.

This document describes AFS commands in the context of specific tasks. Thus, it does not describe all commands in detail. Refer to the OpenAFS Administration Reference for detailed command descriptions.

## Document Organization

This document groups AFS administrative tasks into the following conceptual sections:

- Concepts and Configuration Issues

- Managing File Server Machines

- Managing Client Machines

- Managing Users and Groups

The individual chapters in each section contain the following:

- A chapter overview

- A quick reference list of the tasks and commands described in the chapter

- An introduction to concepts that pertain to all of the tasks described in the chapter

- A set of sections devoted to specific tasks. Each section begins with a discussion of concepts specific to that task, followed by step-by-step instructions for performing the task. The instructions are as specific as has been judged practical. If two related procedures differ from one another in important details, separate sets of instructions are usually provided.

## How to Use This Document

When you need to perform a specific administrative task, follow these steps:

1. Determine if the task concerns file server machines, client machines, or users and groups. Turn to the appropriate section in this document and then to the appropriate chapter.

2. Read or review the general introductory material at the beginning of the chapter.

3. Read or review the introductory material concerning the specific task you wish to perform.

4. Follow the step-by-step instructions for the task.

5. If necessary, refer to the OpenAFS Administration Reference for more detailed information about the commands.

## Related Documents

The following documents are also included in the AFS documentation set.

OpenAFS Quick Start Guide

- This guide provides instructions for installing AFS server and client machines. It is assumed that the installer is an experienced UNIX(R) system administrator.

  For predictable performance, machines must be installed and configured in accordance with the instructions in this guide.

OpenAFS User Guide

- This guide presents the basic concepts and procedures necessary for using AFS effectively. It assumes that the reader has some experience with UNIX, but does not require familiarity with networking or AFS.

  The guide explains how to perform basic functions, including authenticating, changing a password, protecting AFS data, creating groups, and troubleshooting. It provides illustrative examples for each function and describes some of the differences between the UNIX file system and AFS.

OpenAFS Reference Manual

- This reference manual details the syntax and effect of each AFS command. It is intended for the experienced AFS administrator, programmer, or user. It contains a reference page for each command or file specifying its syntax, including the acceptable aliases and abbreviations. It then describes the command's function, arguments, and output if any. Examples and a list of related commands are provided, as are warnings where appropriate.

  This manual complements the OpenAFS Administration Guide: it does not include procedural information, but describes commands in more detail than the OpenAFS Administration Guide.

  The OpenAFS Reference Manual is provided in the form of UNIX(R) manual pages and as HTML pages.

OpenAFS for Windows Release Notes

- This document provides a series of usage notes regarding the OpenAFS for Windows client, supported platforms, contribution information, debugging techniques, and a reference to supported Windows registry values.

## Typographical Conventions

This document uses the following typographical conventions:

- Command and option names appear in bold type in syntax definitions, examples, and running text. Names of directories, files, machines, partitions, volumes, and users also appear in bold type.

- Variable information appears in italic type. This includes user-supplied information on command lines and the parts of prompts that differ depending on who issues the command. New terms also appear in italic type.

- Examples of screen output and file contents appear in `monospace type`.

In addition, the following symbols appear in command syntax definitions, both in the documentation and in AFS online help statements. When issuing a command, do not type these symbols.

- Square brackets [ ] surround optional items.

- Angle brackets < > surround user-supplied values in AFS commands.

- A superscripted plus sign + follows an argument that accepts more than one value.

- The percent sign `%` represents the regular command shell prompt. Some operating systems possibly use a different character for this prompt.

- The number sign `#` represents the command shell prompt for the local superuser root. Some operating systems possibly use a different character for this prompt.

- The pipe symbol | in a command syntax statement separates mutually exclusive values for an argument.

For additional information on AFS commands, including a description of command string components, acceptable abbreviations and aliases, and how to get online help for commands, see Appendix B, Using AFS Commands.