System administration on Apple macOS involves managing and maintaining the computer systems, including user accounts, software updates, system configurations, and more. This article will guide you through some essential system administration tasks using macOS Terminal commands and graphical user interface (GUI) tools.

Examples:

1. Managing User Accounts

Creating a New User Account via Terminal:

You can create a new user account using the sysadminctl command in Terminal. Here’s how:

sudo sysadminctl -addUser newusername -fullName "New User" -password "password123"

Deleting a User Account via Terminal:

To delete a user account, use the following command:

sudo sysadminctl -deleteUser oldusername

2. Software Updates

Updating macOS via Terminal:

You can update macOS and installed applications using the softwareupdate command:

sudo softwareupdate -i -a

This command installs all available updates.

3. Managing System Services

Starting and Stopping Services:

macOS uses launchctl to manage system services. Here’s how you can start and stop services:

Start a Service:

sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.service.plist

Stop a Service:

sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.service.plist

4. Disk Management

Checking Disk Usage:

To check disk usage, the df command can be used:

df -h

This command displays disk usage in a human-readable format.

Repairing Disk Permissions:

You can repair disk permissions using the diskutil command:

sudo diskutil repairPermissions /

5. Network Configuration

Checking Network Configuration:

To check the current network configuration, use the ifconfig command:

ifconfig

Renewing DHCP Lease:

To renew the DHCP lease, use the following command:

sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP

Replace en0 with the appropriate network interface identifier.

6. System Monitoring

Monitoring System Performance:

The top command provides a real-time view of system performance:

top

Viewing System Logs:

To view system logs, use the log command:

log show --predicate 'eventMessage contains "error"' --info

This command filters logs to show only entries containing the word "error".

Conclusion

These examples cover some of the fundamental tasks involved in system administration on macOS. By using these commands and tools, you can effectively manage user accounts, update software, control system services, manage disks, configure networks, and monitor system performance.