Chapter 10
System Administration: The Occupation
This chapter provides hints about all aspects of the job of a
UNIX system administrator including finding jobs, handling an interview, and
interviewing candidates. There will be hacks to deal with vendors, sales representatives,
response centers and help desks, and working with support engineers. You will
see that there is more to the job than just sitting in front of a terminal,
and you'll learn who administrators are, what they really do, what to expect
while you are working as an administrator, and some ways to deal with a variety
of situations.
People choose to become UNIX system administrators for all sorts
of reasons. In the beginning, UNIX administrators were engineers, developers,
and designers. These people were all designated UNIX administrators by default
because their applications ran under the UNIX operating system and they were
the only ones who knew anything about UNIX.
UNIX administration is notorious for turning respected professionals
into office slaves. Most of us want to do simple grunt work and love doing it.
We don't want to be involved with company politics; we just want to be
left alone to tackle the various UNIX situations that take place throughout
the day. We like getting dirty, swapping boards out of systems, and mixing it
up with the operating system. It is no wonder that 85% of UNIX administrators
dress casually. The dry cleaning bills would be too high, and employers tend
not to pay them. Some administrators have turned down positions that forced
dress codes with no reimbursement for their wardrobe. When we do advance through
the ranks and are promoted and have to deal with the politics and paper pushing
that usually goes with the advancements, we still keep trying to keep our hands
in the systems and work on outages along with other system administrators. We
can be found at work late in the evening, on the weekends, and early in the
morning when things go wrong.
Most UNIX administrators are the first ones in to work and the
last ones to leave at the end of the day. When it comes to a break, it is hard
to get many administrators to stop working. They'll eat lunch at the terminal.
Most don't know what a break is. When they train a replacement, they always
tell the new guy to get away and take lunch. As an administrator it is very
hard to find a place to stop during the day. There is always something that
can be done in UNIX, and administrators just love doing it. Contrary to popular
beliefs, some actually do have a life outside the office. UNIX administrators
used to be considered the stereotypical computer geek. They were often considered
to be withdrawn, befriending only those with similar interests.
Today the UNIX Guru Universe has close to 30,000 UNIX administrators
on record, and other UNIX organizations have claimed to have as many as 100,000
UNIX administrators on record. They are people of all nationalities, characteristics,
and interests. In the past, administrators typically had computer science degrees.
Now they might have degrees in sociology, physics, engineering, literature,
and some really bright administrators have no degrees at all.
This is due partly to the explosion of the Internet, as evidenced
by the vast number of Internet service providers. Now it seems that every company
in the world wants to get on the Internet. The demand for UNIX system administrators
is so great that there is a shortage of UNIX gurus. UNIX is currently the most
common operating system for the Internet and high-end servers and should remain
in that position through the millennium.
Many companies have never established the title of UNIX system
administrator. In some companies, administrators are secretaries. UNIX administrators
often hold titles such as analyst, system or application programmer, systems
engineer, system manager, or they're simply a member of technical support
or operations. An administrator's title is usually rolled into a pre-existing
title that most closely resembles a computer-related title.
There is a need for excellent and qualified UNIX administrators,
but many are not aware of how qualified they actually are. They go on interviews
only to be turned away for lack of qualifications, or for being too qualified
for the position. Many are not aware of the three levels of UNIX system administration:
junior, intermediate/advanced, and senior. If an administrator is looking for
the right position, knowing what level administrator a company needs will help
him or her slide right into the position and feel comfortable working.
10.1 Three Levels of Administration
It doesn't matter whether you are applying for a junior or
a senior-level administration position. There are certain requirements that
all levels of administrators need to have. Lacking requirements doesn't
mean that you will not get the position because different positions have different
requirements. You might have to start at a lower pay scale and prove yourself.
Multitasking: The
best administrators can handle multitasking without any problems. There are
those who love the rush of tackling three or four things all happening at the
same time.
Interpersonal skills: All UNIX administrators need to
have strong interpersonal and communications skills, and the patience to work
directly with users to train them in UNIX fundamentals and applications.
UNIX experience: You
need to have some kind of experience in UNIX, whether you are a user turning
into the field of administration, or a hardware engineer who has played with
the operating system on a basic level. With the freely available Intel-based
versions of UNIX (Linux, freeBSD, openBSD, and others) more and more people
are gaining knowledge of the UNIX operating system. There are over 60 flavors
of UNIX, and not all are exactly alike. Make sure you apply for a position as
an administrator of a UNIX system with which you are most comfortable working.
Most administrators need to know more than two flavors.
Programming:
UNIX administrators are not programmers and most never intend to be. However,
experience in more than one administrative scripting language is necessary.
Perl is one of the most powerful and versatile scripting languages available;
it was created by an administrator and is a must for every administrator to
learn. The csh, Bourne, and Korn shells are UNIX shells that are packaged with
the operating system that all UNIX administrators should be exposed to and have
used.
Networking concepts: All
UNIX administrators need to have the basic concepts of networking within UNIX,
such as understanding configuration of IP addresses, packet routing, and monitoring
the status of the network, in addition to the concepts of NFS mounting that
deal with hard mounts, soft mounts, and automount.
10.1.1 Junior Level
The junior level includes the first three years of being a system
administrator. At this level, expect an average ten-hour work day--everyday.
You will find out whether you like UNIX administration or hate it. For those
who stay, the position can be extremely rewarding.
Requirements: As a junior-level administrator, you should
have a fundamental understanding of the UNIX operating system and be familiar
with the UNIX commands, system utilities, and tools within UNIX. Jobs involve
creating soft and hard links, killing processes, creating scheduled jobs, checking
the filesystems, archiving files, and adding and removing users. At this level,
you should have an understanding of the system boot processes and startup scripts
involved and the steps involved in shutdown process of a particular system.
You should also be familiar with the system and user configuration filesgroups,
hosts, aliases, .login, .profile, and purpose. There is one file that should
be etched in every administrators head from the first time he or she logs in
to a UNIX stem: the /etc/passwd file and all the fields that make up the file.
Responsibilities: Whether you are in a large or small-scale
environment, expect to be a grunt. In small sites, expect to be alone. Expect
users to try to run all over you (see Chapter 9, "Users.") In large
sites, expect to assist an administrator or work under the supervision of system
administrator on various issues and situations that come up on a day to day
basis. At this level, you will work the front lines or even the help desk or
response center and deal with agitated and irate users, take complaints, and
try to fix user problems.
Monetary: As
a junior-level UNIX administrator, expect to make under $50,000. Fewer than
1% of those who start as administrators will never make more than that amount.
You will have a 50% chance of getting overtime pay and a 30% chance of a bonus
at the end of the year. Many employers will low-ball a junior-level administrator
and get him or her really cheap. If junior administrators apply themselves 98%
of those who do get raises will see an increase in pay of 10% or more. If they
don't apply themselves, they could be part of the 70% of those who will
never see a raise. Most employers will reward those who work hard, but there
are other extenuating circumstances such as the state of the economy and the
industry.
10.1.2 Intermediate/Advanced Level
After the first couple of years as a system administrator, most
people are ready to move into an intermediate position. You typically need three
to five years to be called an intermediate-level administrator. As administrators
enter their fourth year, they try to leave the intermediate name behind and
be considered an advanced administrator. No matter what you call yourself at
this level, you can expect an average day to be 10 hours long. Don't be
surprised if there is a lack of resources at the company and you find yourself
putting in 12-hour days.
Requirements: By this time you should be able to install
the UNIX operating system from scratch on one or more platforms. After installation,
you should be able to configure disks, swap, printers, mail, DNS, and NIS. You
should have an understanding of the fundamentals of security, the installation
process of various types of third-party software, and licensing techniques.
Script writing should start to become second nature to you as should debugging
previously written scripts and programs.
Responsibilities: While
you might be receiving general instructions from a supervisor, you will begin
administering systems on your own or assist with a group of administrators in
large environments. As junior-level administrators are hired into the organization
as operators, they should begin to oversee the day-to-day operations of their
work. New assignments of evaluating software/hardware, making recommendations
for new purchases, and writing justification purchase requisitions should begin
to be a regular event. You should be consulted and respected by this point and
be influential in the purchase decision process.
Monetary: At
the intermediate/advanced level of UNIX system administration, expect
to make $45,000-55,000. Less than 1% of those who have been working as administrators
will make over $60,000 at this level. For those who work overtime, there is
an equal chance that they will get paid, get time off, or get nothing for their
devotion. Only about 33% of the administrators will receive a year-end bonus.
When it comes to raises, 75% of the administrators at this level will get raises
and 45% of them will get an increase of 9% or more.
If you are working long hours, feel overworked, and you think
that you are not getting the appreciation you may rightfully deserve, you may
want to think about looking for a new job. If you decide it is time for you
to leave your current position, look at your financial situation. You may not
want to do anything in haste. It is very important to keep your job until you
have found a job that satisfies your needs.
10.1.3 Senior Level
You have arrived at the top. Is being at the top as beautiful
as you once thought? Seniors will have five to ten years of experience in UNIX.
Although it is an achievement, you might still ask yourself where all the time
went. By this point you have decided you really like what you are doing and
that you must be doing it right. The only thing senior-level administrators
have to watch out for is one day they could wake up and find out that they are
managers and not even know it. There are two paths you can take after you reach
the top: managing and staying the way you are.
Some administrators love the grunt work, which does not involve
a lot of politics. Others want to take the road that leads to management and
relish the power that goes along with management. Sometimes it is the money
that drives a person to choose a path, and others are just happy doing what
they are doing.
Requirements: As
a senior-level UNIX system administrator, you should have a solid understanding
of UNIX and be able to solve problems quickly and completely. You must have
the ability to identify areas within a system that can be tuned to run more
efficiently,recognize where automation scripts can be used to improve the integrity
and performance of the system, and do extraneous work that administrators are
often left doing manually. A senior-level administrator must feel comfortable
and not intimidated by opening up a workstation or server and replacing memory,
CPUs, boards, or other pieces of hardware. They must be proficient in designing
a high-availability networked computing environment that may consist of a centralized
fileserver, client/server applications, and appropriate local and remote backup
solutions.
Responsibilities: At the senior level, you will work closely
with various vendors, from sales/maintenance representatives of new software
and systems, to the support engineers who will install, setup, and maintain
the system when there are problems. You should be able to take on any size installation
from 10 systems to 100 systems and servers, while working under the general
direction of senior management. You will, when necessary, design and implement
a large local and wide-area network of computing machines. If there are lower-level
administrators, you need to provide technical leadership abilities and supervise
their direction and workflow.
Monetary: At
the senior level, you can expect to make anywhere from $50,000 up to
$100,000. At least 18% of senior-level administrators have a chance at breaking
$100,000 range, and 48% will earn between $50,000 and $70,000. If they work
overtime at this level, 37% will be compensated in the form of money, and 30%
will receive complimentary time off. Over 48% of the senior-level administrators
receive bonuses at the end of the year. This is up 15% from intermediate-level
administrators. When the senior level is reached, the merit increases (or raises)
have peaked at the predetermined pay range set by the company. If an administrator
at this level receives a raise, 47% would see in increase between 2% and 5%
of their annual salaries.
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Note - All the figures and statistics
mentioned in the three levels of UNIX administration were taken from the
results of the 1998 UGU jobs survey.
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10.1.4 Reaching Guru Status
In general, most gurus are modest of the title. They typically
don't admit to it, although everyone else believes that they are gurus.
I think they don't realize it, because to them, they are just doing what
they would do everyday. What is special to us is ordinary to them. There are
several ways to reach guru status. It can be achieved through experience, resolving
an amazing event, or just being the only one that has the knowledge of the system.
Not all gurus live up to the name and honor that goes with being a guru.
Experienced guru: Many of the true UNIX gurus achieve
their status through experience or with a useful and notable contribution to
the UNIX industry. They have usually published works, authored UNIX tools, and
have very impressive résumés. They are well known and widely respected
by their peers. These are the true gurus.
Amazing guru: Sometimes there is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime
event that takes place on or to a computer system, and only one person knows
how to resolve the issue. This can turn that person into not only the hero of
the moment, but a guru. It is a status that sometimes doesn't last very
long. It will usually last as long as there are people in the company who remember
the incident.
Default guru: At times there is a single person who knows
UNIX within a company. This makes that person the guru by default. This person
may be able to answer all the questions for the users and settle any issue or
problems that arise and may even be called a guru by every user in the company.
However, the person who is a guru at one company isn't necessarily a guru
at another company.
If you are on an interview and you tell the potential employer
that you are considered a guru at your current or last position, you may make
yourself sound conceited. This is especially true if your last position required
you to perform fewer duties in a smaller environment than the one in which you
are applying for a position.
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