Server Administration for Bioinformatics

Spring 2026


Tentative Syllabus!

Subject to change before start of Spring Semester


Evolving syllabus

Subject to some change during the course of the semester. Under certain circumstances, the instructor may have to alter course requirements, assignment deadlines, and grading procedures; and the university may have to alter the semester calendar.

Course Description

Bioinformatics tools change rapidly, requiring regular updates and installs of new tools. Managing servers with sufficient power to utilize these tools is a valuable skill. Students in the course will explore server administration from hardware through installation through maintenance and security concerns.


Prequisites

COS majors only


Administrative details

Texts:None needed
Meetings:Lecture F 11-11:50pm, location TBD (**)

Contact Information

Instructor:Michael Osier
Office:08-1338
Instructor ScheduleOnline
Contact:mvoscl@rit.edu

Topics and Readings

Under certain circumstances, the instructor may have to alter course requirements, assignment deadlines, and grading procedures; and the university may have to alter the academic calendar.

NOTA BENE: Required readings are in myCourses under Content.

Friday
Week 1 Jan 12 Introduction
Week 2 Jan 19 System hardware
Week 3 Jan 26 Linux/Unix OSes
Week 4 Feb 2 The commandline
Week 5 Feb 9 Systems installation
Week 6 Feb 16 Securing the network - firewalls and ports
Week 7 Feb 23 Shell scripting
Week 8 Mar 2 Internal services, systems monitoring
Week 9 Mar 9 Spring Break
Week 10 Mar 16 Compiling and makefiles
Week 11 Mar 23 Common types of bioinformatics tools
Week 12 Mar 30 R and packages
Week 13 Apr 6 NGS/HTS tools
Week 14 Apr 13 Practicals
Week 15 Apr 20 Practicals
Week 16 Apr 27 Closure


Grading

10 quizzes10 pts each x 10 = 100 pts total
Participation60 pts
Practical40 pts
Total200 pts

A[190-200]
A-[180-190)
B+[173.4-180)
B[166.7-173.4)
B-[160-166.7)
C+[153.4-160)
C[146.7-153.4)
C-[140-146.7)
D[120-140)
F<120


Recording policy

Unless written permission is granted by the faculty member, or a specific accommodation has been approved by the Disability Services Office, students are prohibited from recording lectures or presentations.


Plagiarism/cheating policy

For the first offense, anyone caught plagiarizing or otherwise cheating will receive a 0 (zero) on the assignment, and be referred to the Head of the School of Life Sciences. In the event of a second offense, the student will receive an "F" for the course. Duplicate submissions or excessive patchwriting will also receive a grade of 0 (zero) for the assignment. In the case of especially egregious offenses, the instructor reserves the right to assign a grade of "F" for the course, as per RIT policy.

If you have any questions about whether or not something constitutes plagiarism and/or cheating, please ask the instructor in advance.


Links

Tools used in class Other links

Contents last updated 9/16/25