All about Linux/Unix administration

"You can’t create Unix/Linux administrators, you have to grow them..."

You have a System Adminitrator in you - If you’re constantly messing with your computer at home-fixing it, upgrading it, reinstalling things on it and doing all such kinds of things & fool around with your computer at home...

But, it’s actually an organic process and you learn only from doing or practising. You can’t just teach someone a bunch of Unix commands and make / call him a unix admin, but You have to be using it in an environment.

You can go to Redhat/Sun Microsystem's training school and learn Linux/Unix that way, & you may get an interview simply because you fool around with your computer at home and are able speak intelligently using some technical jargons, about how to fix problems, but you won’t actually know how to maintain a system.

I'd say a System Admin's position is not the first stage, but the second stage, practice & experience by doing things being the first stage. Before you learn the practical applications, it’s always good to learn the theory. Use a search engine, and start reading about how TCP/IP and network works. It’s essential to understand how computers work and how networks talk to each other, and also the other nitty-gritties of it, in order to de-bug problems.And if you start without any training or knowledge of Unix system administration,then tech support would be the best place to start, provided you have the caliber, communication skills and the right attitude for that.

As a system admin, at the initial stages, a large part of server/system administration support is just the reflection of your inter-personal skills. It takes years to learn and master Unix. “I don’t know every nuance of the program or Operating System's working. I know only as much as I need to know to keep things running, and I learn all the time. Once you have a feel for Unix, you can make your way around other versions. Here I'd like to quote a favorite saying among the Unix crowd: "You can’t create Unix administrators, you have to grow them.."

A systems administrator builds servers and installs operating systems, as well as the software that are required to run the applications, including Web servers-the heart of the system that delivers information via or to the Internet. There are lots of pieces of software that run in conjunction  with servers that needs to be installed, configured, and maintained, to deliver different kinds of contents or applications.Even after all of these pieces are installed and running, the components require maintenance. Also there are some issues linked with these like maintenance issues, upgrade issues, and compatibility issues.

Depending on the systems administrator job, an eight-hour day is fairly typical. The stress level varies, depending on the number of servers running. When one is down, revenue runs out the door, so the job can be stressful at times. You’ll spend many frustrating hours banging your head against the wall, but if you’re the kind of person who likes to solve puzzles, you’ll like this job. It’s extremely rewarding when you figure out a problem and see how it all makes sense. This field is all about problem-solving. You need to be a person who fiddles with such issues and also good at doing many tasks, in a nutshell you should be a 'tinkerer' at heart and a professional at work...

If you’re interested in systems administration, get a really cheap computer, install Linux disk or free Unix clone software like BSD, get a manual and learn how to use it and then start the action.. do the practicals...Being able to get hold of techical stuff, having patience, confidence, an avid interest in technology, and a willingness to learn are qualities that you need to have to be a good System Admin.

If you have the qualities we discussed in this page -then systems administration might be a good career opportunity for you.

Wish you all success for being a good Linux/Unix administrator....