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08.14.08 Simple System Administration Guidelines  By Doug Caverly A system administrator's job isn't too straightforward, and there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of tips that could be applied to all the duties. Here's a more manageable handful that will hopefully hit the important parts. Credit goes to Ramesh Natarajan for coming up with ten pointers; we'll try to even save time on some of these. The first one involves the plain advice to "keep it simple." Enough said. Suggestion number two reminds system administrators to make backups regularly. But, since a nonfunctional backup does no one any good, it's important to test these backups, too. And try to keep them from ever being needed in the first place by proactively monitoring situations.
That more or less brings us to tip number five: documenting everything. You never know when you'll need to check your work, pass something off, or undo a step, and having a record of past actions will make these tasks much easier. For many of the same reasons, be sure to make plans and execute them well. The seventh and eighth pieces of advice are a little more technical in nature. "Use Command Line more than GUI," recommends Natarajan, also writing that system admins should try to automate anything that's repetitive. Suggestion nine, "Support your users and developers," is more a matter of remembering why system administrators are here in the first place. Tip ten, "Keep learning and have fun," is a reminder that the job doesn't have to be a chore. These tidbits should save you some time and energy. With any luck, they'll at least keep you from getting fired and going nuts. About the Author: Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news. |
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