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diff --git a/docs/usage/administration/README.md b/docs/usage/administration/README.md
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+# Administration
+
+This section contains information on managing your Synapse homeserver. This includes:
+
+* Managing users, rooms and media via the Admin API.
+* Setting up metrics and monitoring to give you insight into your homeserver's health.
+* Configuring structured logging.
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diff --git a/docs/usage/administration/admin_api/README.md b/docs/usage/administration/admin_api/README.md
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+# The Admin API
+
+## Authenticate as a server admin
+
+Many of the API calls in the admin api will require an `access_token` for a
+server admin. (Note that a server admin is distinct from a room admin.)
+
+A user can be marked as a server admin by updating the database directly, e.g.:
+
+```sql
+UPDATE users SET admin = 1 WHERE name = '@foo:bar.com';
+```
+
+A new server admin user can also be created using the `register_new_matrix_user`
+command. This is a script that is located in the `scripts/` directory, or possibly
+already on your `$PATH` depending on how Synapse was installed.
+
+Finding your user's `access_token` is client-dependent, but will usually be shown in the client's settings.
+
+## Making an Admin API request
+Once you have your `access_token`, you will need to authenticate each request to an Admin API endpoint by
+providing the token as either a query parameter or a request header. To add it as a request header in cURL:
+
+```sh
+curl --header "Authorization: Bearer <access_token>" <the_rest_of_your_API_request>
+```
+
+For more details on access tokens in Matrix, please refer to the complete
+[matrix spec documentation](https://matrix.org/docs/spec/client_server/r0.6.1#using-access-tokens).
diff --git a/docs/usage/configuration/README.md b/docs/usage/configuration/README.md
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+# Configuration
+
+This section contains information on tweaking Synapse via the various options in the configuration file. A configuration
+file should have been generated when you [installed Synapse](../../setup/installation.html).
diff --git a/docs/usage/configuration/homeserver_sample_config.md b/docs/usage/configuration/homeserver_sample_config.md
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+# Homeserver Sample Configuration File
+
+Below is a sample homeserver configuration file. The homeserver configuration file 
+can be tweaked to change the behaviour of your homeserver. A restart of the server is 
+generally required to apply any changes made to this file.
+
+Note that the contents below are *not* intended to be copied and used as the basis for
+a real homeserver.yaml. Instead, if you are starting from scratch, please generate
+a fresh config using Synapse by following the instructions in
+[Installation](../../setup/installation.md).
+
+```yaml
+{{#include ../../sample_config.yaml}}
+```
diff --git a/docs/usage/configuration/logging_sample_config.md b/docs/usage/configuration/logging_sample_config.md
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+# Logging Sample Configuration File
+
+Below is a sample logging configuration file. This file can be tweaked to control how your
+homeserver will output logs. A restart of the server is generally required to apply any
+changes made to this file.
+
+Note that the contents below are *not* intended to be copied and used as the basis for
+a real homeserver.yaml. Instead, if you are starting from scratch, please generate
+a fresh config using Synapse by following the instructions in
+[Installation](../../setup/installation.md).
+
+```yaml
+{{#include ../../sample_log_config.yaml}}
+``__`
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diff --git a/docs/usage/configuration/user_authentication/README.md b/docs/usage/configuration/user_authentication/README.md
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+# User Authentication
+
+Synapse supports multiple methods of authenticating users, either out-of-the-box or through custom pluggable
+authentication modules.
+
+Included in Synapse is support for authenticating users via:
+
+* A username and password.
+* An email address and password.
+* Single Sign-On through the SAML, Open ID Connect or CAS protocols.
+* JSON Web Tokens.
+* An administrator's shared secret.
+
+Synapse can additionally be extended to support custom authentication schemes through optional "password auth provider"
+modules.
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