what does a system administrator do?

[Robert Brockway]

I'm speaking mostly the original poster here...

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005, Sy wrote:

> 1)
> Keep the setup fresh in your mind and seize opportunities to improve

Or even better - document it :)

Seriously.  So many systems are not properly documented.  It will come 
back to haunt you.

> 2)
> Ensure the general safety and health of the system now, so that later
> on your "emergencies" will be things you planned for.  Go over

Yes - Backups - test the backups - have a disaster recovery plan.

If you find you are not confident in some area (like disaster recovery) 
don't be afraid to tell your bosses and recommend you get some 
professional help in that area.  This is part of the ethics of system 
administration, and is also useful if there is a problem later :)

Hopefully they will accept your request and will allow the problem to be 
fixed.

> 3)
> Always have something on your plate so you can "seem busy".  Even if
> you're just hacking around with a backup script you've been interested
> in.  Be willing to drop what you're doing to help someone else.  Be
> willing to walk around and be enthusiastic about "face-time".

Yes, don't be a BOFH :)
 
> For #1 he wasn't on-topic with his hobbyest-style meandering.
> For #2 he wasn't aggressively seeking improvements to the existing system.
> For #3 he didn't understand the value of dropping everything to handle
> someone else's "emergency".

Yes, in the end system administration is a service profession, either to 
external clients or coworkers.

> When a person drops in, pause for a moment to dump all non-critical
> tasks (i.e. your spare time stuff) and be willing to help them.  There
> is a socialness to this, where you are seen as enthusiastic to be
> helpful.  This is important for your perception.  Try not to receive

I agree.  To draw from my experience - like many techs I love technology.  
When users visit or call me with a problem I se it as an interesting 
challenge.  This results in people seeing me as eager to help (which is 
true, I love a good challenge).  This has been a huge career booster 
over the years.

There is a another plus - sometimes you are working on an urgent problem 
which must take precedence.  If you are normally eager to help then users 
will take it seriously when you advise you have an urgent problem and will 
get to them when you can.

> Of course, things are getting wierd because we now have two other tech
> types who I like a lot.. and we're now drawing our various borders so
> we can have specialties between us.  It's working out surprisingly
> well, thanks to a fairly functional company culture.

I'd still recommend multiple staff be familiar with the different areas 
lest one staff member being sick causes a big problem.  See also "Truck 
Number" in the jargon file.

Rob

-- 
Robert Brockway B.Sc.
Senior Technical Consultant, OpenTrend Solutions Ltd.
Phone: +1-416-669-3073 Email: rbrockway-wgAaPJgzrDxH4x6Dk/4f9A at public.gmane.org http://www.opentrend.net
OpenTrend Solutions: Reliable, secure solutions to real world problems.
Contributing Member of Software in the Public Interest (http://www.spi-inc.org)
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