CIT 470: Advanced Network and System Administration Slide #1

CIT 470: Advanced Network and System Administration

People

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Topics

1. Organizations

2. Perception and Visibility

3. Time Management

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Sizing

QuestionsHow many people do you need?

Which people do you need?

CategoriesCustomer/desktop support

Customer server support

Infrastructure support

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Scaling the Organization

Small Company1-2 SAs, no formal helpdesk

Need helpdesk software at around 20 employees

Medium CompanyNeed formal helpdesk by 1000 employees.

SAs specialize by OS or task (network, security)

Large CompanyWell-staffed helpdesk with 2nd tier support team.

Highly specialized SAs.

Formal communication paths.

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Cost Centers

IT is viewed as a cost center, not a profit ctr.

De-centralized ModelEach business group has its own IT staff.

SAs provide better service, have more visibility.

Centralized ModelOne central IT group supports everything.

Groups have incentive to maximize usage.

Unless groups are billed for their resource usage.

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Infrastructure Teams

Infrastructure must be consistent and interoperable across different sites.

Routing

Authentication

Email

Infrastructure teams may be centralized or distributed across sites.

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Customer Service

Centralized SupportGood automation improves support.

Better communication w/ SAs than customers.

De-centralized SupportBetter communication with customer base.

Handling requests may dominate infrastructure needs.

Centralize help desk contact.Have single phone number to call.

Have single e-mail address / request tracking.

Each large site needs its own physical help desk.

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Outsourcing

When should you outsource?Small organization.

Basic computing needs.

When should you not outsource?Large organization.

Need for high availability systems.

Need for high levels of security.

Internet site generates revenue.

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Consultants and Contractors

ConsultantsBring in outside expertise your SAs don’t have.

Useful for introducing new technologies.

Must work with in-house SAs to ensure maintainability of new services.

ContractorsPerform same tasks as current in-house SAs.

Use contractors to allow SAs to work on new development projects.

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Perception and Visibility

Perception: A qualitative measure of how people see you.

Visibility: A quantitative measure of much people see you.

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Perception is Reality

• If customers don’t know you exist, you don’t exist.

• If customers can’t see evidence of your activities, they’ll assume you’re doing nothing.

• If it takes a long time to resolve customer requests, customers will assume you’re lazy or incompetent.

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First Impressions

Ensure customer is set up for first day.PC is installed and configured.

Account is created.

Customer knows where to get support.

Meeting customersBe on time.

Be polite, friendly.

Listen.

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Attitude

Who do you support?lusers

users

customers

Align your priorities with their expectationsSatisfy “small” requests quickly.

Prioritize larger requests.

Customers aren’t always rightSome requests have unexpected impacts.

Others are too expensive, time-consuming.

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Be an Advocate

“System clerk”Do requests when received.

Do infrastructure work when asked by mngr.

AdvocateAutomate simple tasks.

Advocate customer needs to manager.

Involved in planning new projects.

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Visibility Paradox

SAs aren’t noticed when everything works.100% uptime takes tremendous effort.

SAs are noticed when something breaks.SA becomes a hero by fixing down server, etc.

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Managing your Visibility

System Status Web PageMake it your customers home page.Include useful content so they keep using it.Announce down services so customers know you’re on top

of the situation.

Management meetingsMeet with customer managers to inform them of the status

of projects relevant to their groups.Learn their needs and priorities.

NewslettersRegular updates, FAQs, etc.

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Time Management

Why is it hard?SA is interrupt-driven work.

Convert interrupts into requests.

Follow throughResolve all requests in a timely fashion.

Make it to all meetings on time.

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Principles

1. One “database” for time management information (use one organizer).

2. Conserve your brain power for what's important (conserve RAM).

3. Develop routines and stick with them (reuse code libraries; don't reinvent the wheel).

4. Develop habits and mantras (replace runtime calculations with precomputed decisions).

5. Maintain focus during “project time.”6. Manage your social life with the same tools you

use for your work life.

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One Database

Use one organizerDigital (PDA)

Analog (notebook)

Take it with you everywhere.

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Conserve Brain Power

Write it downUse request tracking system for requests.

Use organizer for other to-do items.

Use wiki or notes file for instructions.

Memory is fallible.You will forget.

You will waste time worrying about what you forgot.

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Develop Routines

• Do your daily planning every morning.

• Do backups on a regular schedule.

• Re-use code from previous scripts.

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Habits

• Trust your processes.

• Don’t skip planning on busy days.

• Don’t put off essential tasks on hectic days.

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Maintain Focus

Ensure you’re not interrupted when working on projects.

Deal with interrupts appropriatelyResolve critical issues as needed.

File requests for other issues.

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One System

Manage your social life in your organizer too.Avoids conflicts between work/social events.

Ensures that you do something other than work.

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Daily Planning

Start the day by planningReview to-do list.

Prioritize tasks.

Schedule tasks.

Should only take about 5 minutes.

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Touch All Paper Once

Process each mail message completely.Throw it away.

Resolve the problem, then throw it away.

Respond to it, then throw it away.

File it.

Don’t put it in a pile to read later.

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References1. Mark Burgess, Principles of System and Network

Administration, Wiley, 2000.2. Aeleen Frisch, Essential System Administration,

3rd edition, O’Reilly, 2002.3. Thomas A. Limoncelli and Christine Hogan, The

Practice of System and Network Administration, Addison-Wesley, 2002.

4. Thomas A. Limoncelli, Time Management for System Administrators, O’Reilly, 2005.

5. Evi Nemeth et al, UNIX System Administration Handbook, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall, 2001.