[Cialug] Getting started as a sysadmin

[Crouse]

Not having a clue as to where you are in your knowledge of things, I'd
recommend the basics ... unless your looking to specialize already.

1. Learn how to read man pages and logs. (I know... it SOUNDS simple... :)
)
2. Learn how to use default text editors. (vi, vim absolutely - emacs if
you think you must... :)   )
3. Learn how to use a terminal multiplexer. (I prefer screen, but there is
tmux, among others)
4. Learn how to shell script.  (Must know bash, but there are others like
ksh.)
5. Learn about other languages you might run into...
(c/perl/python/php/ruby)
6. Understand / learn all the builtin/normal commands that are usually
available on systems... there are a TON of those...
7. Learn how to setup a web server then move on to other types of servers
and understand the configs... there are TONS of those too...
8. Build your own systems if you can afford too... build a virtual machine
server so you can test things on...(vmware/xen/kvm)
9. Build your own NAS if you can afford too... (nas4free / nexenta
community edition / freenas)

Those are pretty much in order for me...
Once you can read man pages and logs 1 ... things become alot clearer alot
faster...
If you can't use the default text editors 2 on systems that you might need
to manage, you will struggle... become good with vi or vim I've never seen
a system without one of those.
Once you figure out a terminal multiplexers 3, your productivity/speed will
increase as your not flipping through point/n/click terminal windows. Trust
me, take the time to learn at least ONE.
4 is pretty self explanatory imho.  Bash is like the super-glue for Linux
for a sysadmin, not sure what you'd do without it...
5 is just handy to know how to ready and understand other
programs/crons/tools written in things other than bash, you don't have to
be an expert, but being able to understand those helps alot.
Since bash is the super-glue, it's nice to understand the building blocks
(those other commands others before us have given us to use) 6 ... things
like  apropos, netstat, tac, sort, uniq, sed, awk ... the list is long...
very long...
Setup a web server 7 ... install mediawiki... keep your notes/ideas there...
Once you have 8 and 9, it's very easy to start building all kinds of
servers with different operating systems and get alot of experience with
virtualization and storage and networking.
You can also do the same on an older cheap computer, it's just not as
handy... :)

Once you have the basics down, it's easy to start learning all the "cool
new stuff" that may or may not be the flavor of the day tomorrow, but all
those "basics" will prove to be timeless, and useful, no matter what new
app of the month is in vogue at the time...

Someone once told me a long time ago, that a good sysadmin doesn't know
everything, but can figure it out quickly.  You won't ever know everything
there is to know... it's simply not possible.  So, once you know the
basics, concentrate on what you like to do best, and just keep expanding
from there to what you think might be fun  :)

These are just my opinions, nothing set in stone there... mostly, you just
have to keep learning and enjoy what your doing.


On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 9:21 AM, Matthew Nuzum <newz at bearfruit.org> wrote:

> Let me reply to my question:
>
> If you are looking to get hired, you have two challenges: Look for what
> skills are in demand now and learn them, and figure out what skills are
> going to be in demand when you enter the marketplace.
>
> Skills that should always be in demand are networking, esp TCP/IP and
> routing, security and integrating with a Windows network. Virtualization is
> a hot topic now and should continue to be a hot topic, but its hard to
> predict where things are going to be. There's a lot of buzz around docker,
> but VMWare seems to have staying power. Something that I know is big to
> many businesses but is completely unfamiliar to me is storage. I don't even
> know the technology de jour. Sadly, these things are expensive and you
> probably won't get much experience without having an employer to sponsor
> your education, which is why I know nothing about it. :-)
>
> I went to Dice.com and did a quick search. You might want to browse through
> these <https://www.dice.com/jobs?q=system+administrator&l=Des+Moines%2C+IA
> >
> to see what looks interesting to you. Seems that one of the top attributes
> they look for is "Good communication skills." Here's an interesting read
> for a junior admin
> <
> http://www.dice.com/jobsearch/servlet/JobSearch?op=302&dockey=xml/9/1/91db29ddb4377b62c7333a17a029238e@endecaindex&source=0&FREE_TEXT=&rating=&
> >.
> I respect companies who look for juniors. That means they're willing to
> invest in you. (as a side benefit, they get a good deal and they get
> someone who's bought into their way of doing things) In my mind, it's the
> opposite attitude of the company who wants a rack star sysadmin (see what I
> did there?), where they want all the benefit and none of the risk.
>
> On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 9:12 AM, Matthew Nuzum <newz at bearfruit.org> wrote:
>
> > On Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 9:08 AM, Tim Kromphardt <aaronmit at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Anyone willing to share what skills an aspiring system admin should
> >> concentrate on?
> >>
> >
> >
> > Is your goal to get employed or do you just like learning new stuff?
> >
> > --
> > Matthew Nuzum
> > newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin and twitter
> >
> > ♫ You're never fully dressed without a smile! ♫
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Matthew Nuzum
> newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin and twitter
>
> ♫ You're never fully dressed without a smile! ♫
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