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Sysadmin skills isn't about using tools, it is about understanding how they work and why it is so. Sysadmin's understanding isn't about memorizing apt-get or y
by dschiptsov 14y ago
Sysadmin skills isn't about using tools, it is about understanding how they work and why it is so.
Sysadmin's understanding isn't about memorizing apt-get or yum install, is mostly about ./configure --help ,)
After you will be able to build from the sources full LAMP stack, understand dependencies and cross-references, realizing the amount of crap^Wcode apache+php uses - this will be something to start with (integrating Informix or Oracle support is a bonus,)
The next step is to understand and internalize what is the difference between mod_php and fastcgi configurations - why they are different, how to enable caching, how it works, what are persistent connections to DB, etc.
The next level - be able to visualize in your mind the flows of data, and follow requests through all the layers - OS, http-server, fast-cgi transport, scripting engine, database-connection, table storage (realization that MyISAM engine or MongoDB are using table-level locking is a sign that you're on the right way).
Then, you must be able to separate the flows, partition the data, at least understand that /var/log and /var/db/mysql on the same disk slice is a sign of stupidity.
Then comes access patterns - how often the data are accessed, when changes occur, how often they are synced, etc (here comes caching and replications, then sharding).
This ability, to understand, trace and see patterns makes one sysadmin.
After that you might say that you kind of sysadmin.) Learning ssh is nothing. Googling is enough.
- sergiotapia 14y agoThank you for your valuable input! /s For a Windows server admin like myself, this course sounds ideal, the things you mention are important no doubt but how important are they for a person just starting out?
- zeroexzeroone 14y agoI agree with this statement, you have to start somewhere and many a Windows admin don't use command-line now. So essentially a beginner's course in command-line tools, i.e. beginning system administration, not only is good for Linux but can strengthen a Windows admin by helping them not be afraid of cmd.exe.
- peterwwillis 14y agoThe course description sounds essentially the same as just following HOWTOs (which is how I taught myself the basic tools involved in sysadmin-ing many years ago). Just follow these old tutorials and save $20. http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/categories.html http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/categories.html
- zeroexzeroone 14y agoIt does but many people lack the confidence to undertake something like learning a daunting new task on their own, having a class with a guiding direction from people smarter than you is always a good thing.
- mgcross 14y agoThere are certainly tons of free resources out there, but I'm busy enough that $1/day for 20 days of emails with directed tutorials is more than worth it. Those howto's look like a great resource for more detailed (and varied) info, but I just need someone to guide me (and gently prod me) through the basics.