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UNIX Hints & Hacks |
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Chapter 9: Users |
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Users will always want to borrow equipment from cables and peripherals to various computer components. How you handle the situation has to be assessed on an individual basis. If you have been an administrator for a long time, you will know that if you lend something, the majority of the time, you will never see it again.
You can attempt to set some rules or guidelines for getting the equipment back, but most of the time it won't really work. If you try to set a return date on the equipment, the user will almost always need it for a longer period of time. Just remember, the equipment is yours to delegate.
You are not lying by telling users that the equipment they are borrowing will have an effect on both you and them when they take it. You have purchased each piece of equipment for a specific purpose. Lending your private stock was not in the budget. There are two things I like to do in circumstances such as this. I must be able to reclaim the equipment, or help push a purchase requisition through for the user.
If you allow a user to borrow a piece of equipment, you can set the following conditions: No matter what the state the borrowed equipment is in, it must be returned on a specific date. In the event of and emergency, you (the administrator) have the right to disconnect that piece of equipment without warning at a moment's notice. If the user agrees to this, send an email of the agreement to the user, his or her manager, and your manager. In the email also include that a purchase requisition will be prepared if one of the managers would like to purchase a piece of equipment.
Here is a sample letter:
I would like to inform everyone involved that I understand Mike and his project had an immediate need to borrow one of my spare disk drives. Although it is true that this drive is a hot spare for a production system and there would be an impact if we were to experience a drive failure, Mike agreed that he would allow me to reclaim the drive at a moment's notice without warning if the drive is needed in an emergency. He has also informed me that he is only in need of the drive until Monday, January 25th, 1999.
If you find that you need the drive longer than the scheduled date, I am preparing a purchase requisition with Mr. Daniels name on it (Mike's manager) to purchase another drive in its place. If you choose to purchase the new drive, I will let Mike keep the current one unless an emergency does occur before the new drive arrives.
I'm glad I was able to help Mike
Thank you, <Your UNIX Administrator>
In many cases, the piece of equipment will be returned in 24 hours and the user will ask for the purchase requisition for a new piece of equipment. Management doesn't like the possibility of data or time being lost. Depending on the amount of authority you have if you cannot make such a judgment call, consult your manager.
If you know for a fact that no system in the environment will be affected by a user borrowing a piece of your spare equipment, stress to that user that this is from your personal stock. Remind him or her that you as an administrator will be impacted if the equipment is not returned. Nonessential emergencies are not in the budget. I find that using the following conditions often work best: Let users borrow equipment as long as it is returned on a specific date. Provide them with a purchase requisition for a new piece of equipment if they need it longer than the designated period. Send an email letter stating the agreed upon terms to all managers involved and to the user.
Here is one possible way the letter can be written:
I would like to inform everyone involved that I understand Mike and his project have an immediate need to borrow one of my spare disk drives. Although I was happy to be able to help Mike out, this depletes my stock of spare drives and will impact me in performing my duties to support you as an administrator. Mike has also informed me that he is only in need of the drive until Monday, January 25th, 1999 and will be happy to return the drive on this date. If the disk drive is not returned on the agreed upon date I would like you to consider purchasing a replacement drive so my performance will not be impacted . I will send over a purchase requisition in Mr. Daniels name (Mike's manager) for your consideration. After the dirve is replaced, you can then keep the current functioning drive that Mike is using. I'm glad I was able to help Mike. Thank you, <Your UNIX Administrator>
Try to provide the purchase requisition as soon as possible. If the manager sees that you are serious about the piece being returned, he or she might buy the replacement piece upon receiving the requisition. If you do not have the authority to make a judgment call to lose a piece of equipment, consult with your manager first.
No matter what the borrowed equipment is, if you do not want write the equipment off as a lost cause, make every attempt to contact the user several days before the agreed upon return date. Remind the user to think about preparing the borrowed equipment for its return back to you. By this time, most users will know whether they have any intention of returning the equipment. You can use a tactfully written email to see what they plan to do:
Hi Mike,
We are coming up on January 25th pretty fast. This is the deadline for you to return the disk drive I let you borrow. Let me know if you need the data on the disk drive backed up or migrated off somewhere. I will be happy to take care of that for you.
Let me know if you are unable to return the drive.I'm okay with that. I just need to make sure that your manager will sign off on the purchase requisition I sent.
Thanks, <Your System Administrator>
Providing a couple of questions within the email forces users to respond and give you an indication of where they will be going with the borrowed equipment.
If it turns out that the user has no intention of returning the piece of equipment, what a surprise. Have a tactful email ready to go to the manager and send a carbon copy to the user. This letter will need to inform the manager of the employee's intentions to keep the borrowed piece of equipment:
Mr. Daniels,
As you know, I sent you a purchase requisition a couple of weeks ago that was for a replacement disk drive I let Mike borrow in the event it was not going to be returned. Mike has informed me that he will not be returning the disk drive.
In order for this to happen and not impact your environment and the performance of my duties in supporting you, I need to ask you to push that purchase requisition through at your earliest convenience.
If there are any problems or you need another copy of the purchase requisition, please let me know. We need to get that disk drive replaced as soon as possible.
Thank you, <Your System Administrator>
By sending this letter, any one of four things could happen. You might get a replacement piece of equipment ordered. You might get your original equipment back. The manager of the user may decline the option to buy the new equipment and keep the old one, or the manager may just ignore you in an effort to get more time using the equipment. If any of the latter two do occur, about all you can do is explain the situation to your manager and see if he will pick up the cost of the equipment. Managers will have a budget for miscellaneous expenditures.
Depending on your relationship with the user or the user's manager, you may want to confront them on the issue. I have always had a good relationship with users and management, and would confront them face to face. The good ones will work with you to resolve an issue that never should have became an issue to begin with.
There are managers who will attempt to turn the issue on you and force you to justify whether your need to have the equipment is greater than their need. This is not the issue. Don't fall into this trap. Some managers are really good at this game. You don't have to justify anything. Don't forget it is your equipment and your money that bought it. I don't recommend saying this, but again it depends on the people involved. While smiling, you can stress the fact that they are keeping something that belongs to you and that you respect them too much to ever steal anything from them. This may turn the table back at them for the good or for the bad. Be careful how and where you use this.
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UNIX Hints & Hacks |
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Chapter 9: Users |
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