What Is a Systems Administrator
Systems Administrator
So you’re a junior graduate, or maybe you’re lying on your deathbed, and you’ve finally made the decision to become a systems administrator. Different people have different motivations. Some want to create a shiny new world of IT, while others are simply interested in a relaxing plough through a field that they prefer. I happen to be involved in the latter category, and I wanted to share with you some insight into the various opportunities that exist for someone so heavily involved in system administration.
A systems administrator not only deals with the coordination and thought process of a corporation’s hardware and software, but must also be a strategic planner and implementer of that world. A little insight into the minds of the Systems Administrator will allow you to see where he or she would start and where they would end up in the grand scheme of things.
A systems administrator not only deals with the coordination of large computing resources, such as those of a university, but must also deal with the management of those resources. The communication between those who need assistance and those who may need them is, after all, what makes this part of the job so interesting. The communication between the student who wants to build a passion for computers and the mentor who wants nothing more than to train him or her is a prime example of the sort of communication that is so vital to the smooth running of any large organization.
A systems administrator not only plans the software that the company uses, but must also deal with the functionality side of things. That means that the person who is plans to take care of the computer servers that house many other programs must also be an expert in the way those servers function. That computer server, which you might be familiar with as the campus computer, is run by a Operating System. The OS runs a complete system within it, thus the name, OS. Each part of the OS is designed to accomplish a specific task, and each part of the job is done differently. There are millions of different combinations of operating systems, and they are all different. Having the ability to make sense of those different OSes, and to know how to install them on your own system, is a valuable skill indeed.
How to tell which operating system is which is a minute question, and takes a lot of consideration. The answer is that it’s difficult to tell because each OS is designed differently. There are free sites online that do the research for you, but you can’t make any guarantees. It is definitely a problem for many individuals, especially if they are not used to thinking or using computers for their jobs. For most, they will turn to their Side: Internet forums, blogs, and grades which pretty much tell them what they think they want to hear. This whole thing about operating systems is tough to grasp when you don’t have experience with them and don’t know how to explain why one system is better than another.
Hey, it’s life. If you’re used to something and you’re handed something new to deal with it, you may not welcome the challenge. That’s just how it is. You get used to things and you do them in a certain manner. It’s just how life roll around. So, instead of seeing the operating systems as a burden, maybe you see them as an opportunity to do things in a new way. New ways of doing things, usually results in better or new products: new hardware, new software, new websites, new concepts, and new challenges. Operating systems are just one small part of the overall puzzle we live with.
So, check out the operating systems chapter of The Things I Like About Christmas, premiering athttp://www.swishmills.com.
