Provides procedures and information to administer and maintain the system, product or application, and includes an overview, data assets, processing, server and database administration, and backup instructions.

As opposed to the Software User Guide, the System Administration Guide is targeted at a techncal audience, generally for Infrastructure or technical support personnel.

The System Administration Guide helps you develop a technical communication document, to administer a software application or IT system. Most system administration guides use both simple and technical language with short sentences and contain both a written guide and associated images or screenshots of how the program should look, feel, and run.

The guide includes, for example, information on how to start and stop the system, trouble shoot unexpected shutdowns, system operations, user accounts and security, administration tasks, user and technical configurations, managing transaction logs and repository space, make and restore backups, use utility commands, interface with other systems, etc.

The System Administration Guide contains the following topics:

  Introduction
        Purpose
        Objectives
        Referenced Documentation
  General System Information
        Overview
        Data Assets
        Processing
        Environment
              Facilities
              Hardware Inventory
              Software Inventory
              Network Inventory
  Administration and Maintenance
        Server Administration
        Account Administration
        System & Software Administration and Maintenance
        Database Administration and Maintenance
        Backup

Scroll down to the IT System Administration Guide example below.