Comment Training (Score 1) 112
I actually teach a systems administration course for Unix. It's geared mostly toward HP-UX and HP hardware, but the scale is the same. Prerequisite for the 1 week course (5 action packed days) is a 3 day shell programming class.
You want to learn Unix first hand, and if you are using Linux, and liking it, and some shell programming, then you are on your way.
I would say you need a basic understanding of
shell concepts and shell programming. That's your foundation. Next, you need to understand TCP/IP fairly well - security is an important aspect of being a systems manager. Finally, you need a very good understanding of file and print protocols - people will be depending upon you a lot for these aspects. If you are going to be a DB admin as well - it would be best if you took an introductory course to SQL and SQL type administration duties.
Systems management, however, is a multi-tiered thing. You can learn all there is to know about computers, and be a really lousy systems manager. A good systems manager is extremely well rounded, and very comfortable with his/her knowledge level. BOFS (bastard operators from hell) make piss poor admins IMHO. You need to learn to use human resources, as well as computer resources. In some environments, you will be extremely overloaded. The only way you can hope to survive is to learn when you can trust and employ other employees to help ( a political manuver, that a lot of people rightly sense puts you in a power spot ).
Learning to balance the people against the computer problems is the big task, not the actual work of administration. Always learn to put technology before the people - people should never be robots for a computer.
I hope this helps.
Paul Ferris
cv@jbic.com
You want to learn Unix first hand, and if you are using Linux, and liking it, and some shell programming, then you are on your way.
I would say you need a basic understanding of
shell concepts and shell programming. That's your foundation. Next, you need to understand TCP/IP fairly well - security is an important aspect of being a systems manager. Finally, you need a very good understanding of file and print protocols - people will be depending upon you a lot for these aspects. If you are going to be a DB admin as well - it would be best if you took an introductory course to SQL and SQL type administration duties.
Systems management, however, is a multi-tiered thing. You can learn all there is to know about computers, and be a really lousy systems manager. A good systems manager is extremely well rounded, and very comfortable with his/her knowledge level. BOFS (bastard operators from hell) make piss poor admins IMHO. You need to learn to use human resources, as well as computer resources. In some environments, you will be extremely overloaded. The only way you can hope to survive is to learn when you can trust and employ other employees to help ( a political manuver, that a lot of people rightly sense puts you in a power spot ).
Learning to balance the people against the computer problems is the big task, not the actual work of administration. Always learn to put technology before the people - people should never be robots for a computer.
I hope this helps.
Paul Ferris
cv@jbic.com
