Not sure if this one should go here, or MSPIMS, so I flipped a coin and put it here. Mods, feel free to move it.
So, after 16 years of being a Computer Operator, mostly monitoring batch execution and AS400 systems, plus a growing amount of server interaction, I applied for, and got, a job as a Jr. Server Admin.
I don’t have ANY certs, at all, and have never taken a computer course in my life save one “Intro to Microcomputing” at my local JC a few years ago. I’m not a programmer, a coder, a script kiddie, or a anything of the sort.
What I do have is fundamental knowledge of what a server does, how it is put together, and how it fits into our architecture where I work.
Needless to say, the first step for me now is to take some classes and work towards my MCSA, with a healthy dose of VM education on the side, as we’re shooting for 90% virtual within the next 2 years.
Any other advice or tips for a newbie? I know there have to be some Admin’s out there in the Teeming Millions!
Get some cheap equipment for a home lab, set it up, and break it. Figure out how you broke it. Then do it again. Keep trying stuff that you shouldn’t try, on your home equipment. Not work stuff, but if you set up a home network, feel free to kill it repeatedly. That way you won’t panic if something is broken at work. Don’t know how to set this stuff up at home? Now’s the time to learn.
Use Google. A lot. I’ve been doing this stuff for close to twenty years and I still am out on Google every day. You can’t know everything that’s going to happen. One of the most important things to learn is when to say “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.”
I’ve been an admin, I’ve been a programmer, I’ve been a network engineer. I currently work as a performance engineer so I get to wear all those hats at different times in stressing and tuning our systems. The biggest piece of advice I would give to a new admin is to remember that you exist for the users, not the other way around. Some admins see users(be they developers deploying code on the server, or actual end users) as the enemy who brings the dreaded downtime. Don’t allow yourself to think that way. That way lies madness, bitterness, and emnity with your co-workers/users.
The 1st rule of IT work is: always have a working backup.
The 2nd rule of IT work is: never forget rule 1.
Seriously, I agree with all the above. Get yourself a high end PC and set up some virtual servers. Make your own little domain and try and do interesting stuff with it.
It’s been a few years since I did MCSA and MCSE but back then, many of the exams overlapped between the two, so you could choose the right set to get your MCSA and E in the minimum possible number of exams.
These are both excellent advice but I’m going to comment on the first one.
If you do that do NOT set up your family and their access to be dependant upon your test equipment. It’s either test or it’s production and your family isn’t going to be any happier with an extended outage than your clients at work. Particularly if the some issue hits your home servers and work servers at the same time and you have to spend a week fixing things for various clients leaving your wife and kids without access to the world.
Thank you all! I had been pondering the idea of setting up a home network/server enviro, just to get some hands on that ISN’T happening at work. Sounds like that’s a good idea!
You guys make me think this is actually survivable. Yay! lol
#1: Since you’re about to enter a transition/upgrade cycle, anyway, take the time to set up a Configuration / Change Management Database. Document every new piece of hardware, VM, daemon, and service, and every one of its dependencies on other assets. It’ll save your ass on multiple occasions in the future.
#2: If you have fewer than about 500 users, the Cloud is your friend. Outsource as much as possible, starting with stable, but mission critical stuff that is both complicated and boring, i.e., what would otherwise be a full-time job for a service or application specialist. You don’t need to be running your own exchange. Concentrate the most of you effort on building or maintaining systems that either confer competitive advantage to your organization, or aren’t easily sourced from outside the walls.
#3: Backups are your friend. You’re going to want two copies of everything you retain - one on hand locally for immediate restores, and one kept off-site for disaster recovery purposes.
#4: Read this. You don’t necessarily have to shoot for a full-on ITIL implementation, but even at a Jr. Admin level, it helps to start thinking about the role of IT in terms of the provision of services to the organization rather than the management of hardware and software.
Kiss your nights and weekends goodbye. Maintenance has to be down on off-hours. Of course you still have to be on-site for on-hours as well. No, I’m not bitter. Much.
Open source can be your best friend, don’t be afraid of linux.
