- Boot, reboot, and shut down a system safely
- Boot or change system into different operating modes
- Install, configure and troubleshoot bootloaders
- Diagnose and manage processes
- Locate and analyze system log files
- Schedule tasks to run at a set date and time (./cron, anacron, at)
- Verify completion of scheduled jobs
- Update software to provide required functionality and security
- Verify the integrity and availability of resources
- Verify the integrity and availability of key processes
- Change kernel runtime parameters, persistent and non-persistent
- Use scripting to automate system maintenance tasks
- Manage the startup process and services
- List and identify SELinux/AppArmor file and process contexts
- Manage software
- Identify the component of a Linux distribution that a file belongs to