Edit: The loss of old information is tragic.
Originally posted July 7, 2020 on AIXchange
While a lot of information is dated, it’s still relevant. Old documentation and archives actually hold answers to a lot of our current questions.
A while ago I was asked about implementing system accounting software:
“The system accounting utility allows you to collect and report on individual and group use of various system resources.
“The accounting system utility allows you to collect and report on individual, group, and Workload Manager (WLM) class use of various system resources.
“This accounting information can be used to bill users for the system resources they utilize, and to monitor selected aspects of the system operation. To assist with billing, the accounting system provides the resource-usage totals defined by members of the adm group, and, if the chargefee command is included, factors in the billing fee.
“The accounting system also provides data to assess the adequacy of current resource assignments, set resource limits and quotas, forecast future needs, and order supplies for printers and other devices.”
Along with that introduction from IBM Knowledge Center, check out this primer, this IBM Redbook, this discussion thread on AIX® auditing, and this lengthy doc on monitoring user activity.
Yes, a lot of that information is quite dated, but it’s still relevant to this topic. Old documentation and archives actually hold answers to a lot of our current questions. Personally I can’t count the number of times I stumbled onto some old post that had precisely the information I was searching for.