Very Computer

I am trying to find out what my specialty will be once I graduate from
college.  I have an interest in 3D programming, but I also like the idea of
controlling a system of networks using a Unix OS and being able to maintain
them and programming the kernel for optimization.  

Since I dont know too much about both areas, can someone tell me what they
find so fun with SysAdm with Unix?

--
Marlin Rowley
LSUS Computer Science

Quote:>I am trying to find out what my specialty will be once I graduate from
>college.  I have an interest in 3D programming, but I also like the idea of
>controlling a system of networks using a Unix OS and being able to maintain
>them and programming the kernel for optimization.  

>Since I dont know too much about both areas, can someone tell me what they
>find so fun with SysAdm with Unix?

   o  Having angry users call you up and yell at you because *they* forgot
      their passwords.

   o  Dealing with <insert favorite computing platform> vendors who refuse
      to take responsibility for their software and hardware faults.

   o  Trying to explain to management why you need to add a new network
      switch.  Hint:  If it doesn't have lots of pretty lights, and
      run Windows, it may be a tough sell.

   o  Trying to explain to users that storing 3GB of JPG files grabbed
      from USENET is *not* an appropriate use of company resources.

   o  Having to deal with the mailbombs that ensue when one of your
      users decide they aren't being paid enough, and spam USENET
      with "Make Money Fast!"

   Need any more suggestions?  :-)

--
Rich Mulvey                                                                                            

http://www.frontiernet.net/~mulveyr

Basically the same holds for a programmer. As a programmer you usually
have a greater variety of things to do (as the projects change).

I for myself like a hybrid of doing a little management (buisiness),
some programming, and system administration. Thus you meet some people,
you do (at least some) engineering, and you don't forget how to
administer...

Your mileage may vary!

        Lars

--
Legal Warning: Anyone sending me unsolicited/commercial email
WILL be charged a $100 proof-reading fee. See US Code Title 47,
Sec.227(a)(2)(B), Sec.227(b)(1)(C) and Sec.227(b)(3)(C).

Um System Administrating can be fun but can be a pain..

IMO:

When you have users call you complaing that you have changed somethhing or
the forget their password.

Dealing with postmaster duties, webmaster duties, funnling all the
problems with people that can be affected by your users.  Ie.. Mail box,
spam, hacking etc..

Being on call, monitoring system virtually 24-7.

getting up at 3 oclock in the morning to restore system a system after the
hard drive fails or a system crash!.    

administrating the newsgroups people complaining why you dont have all the
posts from all 26,000+ usenet groups why the newsserver sometimes fails to
posts.  

umm.. there are so many factors but it can be a rewarding a charge.

Matt

I think that that sounds cool!  In essence, I would like to venture forth
like that.  I mean, I don't really want to sit down and program ALL day
long.  Especially if its something I don't want to do...  Hmm...seems like
SysAdm is calling my name.:)  Of course, I can still use my skills as a
programmer and continue to keep them current..
--
Marlin Rowley
LSUS Computer Science

Quote:> Um System Administrating can be fun but can be a pain..

> IMO:

> When you have users call you complaing that you have changed somethhing
or
> the forget their password.

> Dealing with postmaster duties, webmaster duties, funnling all the
> problems with people that can be affected by your users.  Ie.. Mail box,
> spam, hacking etc..

> Being on call, monitoring system virtually 24-7.

> getting up at 3 oclock in the morning to restore system a system after
the
> hard drive fails or a system crash!.    

> administrating the newsgroups people complaining why you dont have all
the
> posts from all 26,000+ usenet groups why the newsserver sometimes fails
to
> posts.  

> umm.. there are so many factors but it can be a rewarding a charge.

> Matt

    What I love about being a sysadmin rather than a programmer (I've been
both, but always known I wanted to be a sysadmin) is that, with programming,
you get specs, you have coding conventions, you have to comment things, you
are subordinate to the people you're doing things for, etc etc.

    But, as a sysadmin, I normally get told by my boss or asked POLITELY by
my users to get something accomplished.  I can prioritize it, I can do it the
RIGHT way, not the way some flunky manager has decreed it shall be done,
and I basically have total latitude, as long as it gets done.

    The downside is getting up at 3am every morning for a week because,
for example, a Sequent Symmetry has a recurring problem with flaky CPU boards,
or a hard drive is developing bad sectors, or a production system is running
out of space.  But personally, I don't see that as a downside, because when I
come in, it's MY system to fix.

    My vote is always for being a sysadmin over a programmer.  Programmers
are a dime a dozen, sysadmins are the special few who are more than just
programmers.  You won't lose your programming skills, trust me.

--

            PGP RSA: C992 109C 6D7F 8D91 062E 817E 00D3 287A
   "The worst censorship is self-censorship, because fear has no limits."
                                               -- Grady Ward

I find the programming aspect of System administration fun. But the
administration side of Programming is a blast too....

In other words, to be a pro in either area you need both skills.  They go
hand in hand.

(Except in government where the system administrator is usually someone's
cousin that has no clue what a CRT even is.  The sysadmin's are really the
guy's in the computer room with the title programmer I, II, or III.

Quote:> I am trying to find out what my specialty will be once I graduate from
> college.  I have an interest in 3D programming, but I also like the idea
of
> controlling a system of networks using a Unix OS and being able to
maintain
> them and programming the kernel for optimization.  

> Since I dont know too much about both areas, can someone tell me what
they
> find so fun with SysAdm with Unix?

> --
> Marlin Rowley
> LSUS Computer Science

o       Dealing with publishers that want you to re-write your code to add
"flair"

o       Dealing with managers that cut your deadline in 1/2 and expect you to
        "work on your own time" for the good of the company.

o       Bolting out of bed at night and dashing for the computer to get the code
        down that you finally figured out.

o       Trying to decypher that mess of "code".

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Date: 14 Jul 1997 08:07:37 GMT


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: I find the programming aspect of System administration fun. But the
: administration side of Programming is a blast too....
:
: In other words, to be a pro in either area you need both skills.  They go
: hand in hand.
:
: (Except in government where the system administrator is usually someone's
: cousin that has no clue what a CRT even is.  The sysadmin's are really the
: guy's in the computer room with the title programmer I, II, or III.
:
Hey now...I take offence to that... I'm managing an outdate Interactive
system(s) here at Minnesota US District Court.. It ain't no bed of
roses. =( Luckly I have my one Linux pager gateway box. =)  so I
know what our crappy UNIX systems crash.  (Soon, we will move to
SLOWARIS...I want the database off UNIX or at least move to
something better then UNIFY 4.0 )  

There are some of us who know what we are doing.  Not many <g>.

Personally I like SysAdming... However, if I had my choice I'd be
doing network Administrating and doing web-programming on the side.
It fits me a bit more.  But you take what you can get at this moment.


: > I am trying to find out what my specialty will be once I graduate from
: > college.  I have an interest in 3D programming, but I also like the idea
: of
: > controlling a system of networks using a Unix OS and being able to
: maintain
: > them and programming the kernel for optimization.  
: >
: > Since I dont know too much about both areas, can someone tell me what
: they
: > find so fun with SysAdm with Unix?
: >
: > --
: > Marlin Rowley
: > LSUS Computer Science
: >

: >
: > I am trying to find out what my specialty will be once I graduate from
: > college.  I have an interest in 3D programming, but I also like the idea of
: > controlling a system of networks using a Unix OS and being able to maintain
: > them and programming the kernel for optimization.
: >
: > Since I dont know too much about both areas, can someone tell me what they
: > find so fun with SysAdm with Unix?

I'd recommend doing what I'm doing.  I'm also into 3D programming, business
application programming, system admin, networking, etc.  I'm currently working
on several degrees so I can take a job in any of those areas.  Since, at least
where I'm going to school, the classes overlap quite a bit, it's not that much
more work to achieve all the different degrees.

Jeff

Oops, oh well, I expected that i'd evoke some flames from that one....

I am glad you have the knowlege and abilities for your position, too often
in government, (From experience) any job that has the word administrator in
it is looked upon as for the "leadership personell" (I.E. that guy in
accounting that won't shut up about how unfair it is to him to work 5
minutes over just to clean up. and want's to file a grievance)  Or, the
city manager has "just the person in mind".....

AS you can tell, I am a programmer II (Haven't programmed a darn thing for
3 years now, done lots of networking and "how do I fix my e-mail" stuff.).

sorry if I stepped on your toes.

Quote:> :
> : (Except in government where the system administrator is usually
someone's
> : cousin that has no clue what a CRT even is.  The sysadmin's are really
the
> : guy's in the computer room with the title programmer I, II, or III.
> :
> Hey now...I take offence to that... I'm managing an outdate Interactive
> system(s) here at Minnesota US District Court.. It ain't no bed of
> roses. =( Luckly I have my one Linux pager gateway box. =)  so I
> know what our crappy UNIX systems crash.  (Soon, we will move to
> SLOWARIS...I want the database off UNIX or at least move to

        DEMONIC LAUGH HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAAAAA

        Do a net search for 'BOFH', and read all about the Bastard Operator
From Hell :). You will soon be a man ( err sysadmin ?) my son.....

                                        Chris price

: Oops, oh well, I expected that i'd evoke some flames from that one....
:
: I am glad you have the knowlege and abilities for your position, too often
: in government, (From experience) any job that has the word administrator in
: it is looked upon as for the "leadership personell" (I.E. that guy in
: accounting that won't shut up about how unfair it is to him to work 5
: minutes over just to clean up. and want's to file a grievance)  Or, the
: city manager has "just the person in mind".....
:
: AS you can tell, I am a programmer II (Haven't programmed a darn thing for
: 3 years now, done lots of networking and "how do I fix my e-mail" stuff.).
:
:
: sorry if I stepped on your toes.
:
Ah, no problem.. =)  I ain't really mad.. It was either a job with the
US District court or working as a "Help Desk Mac Lackey"  and I personally
perfer UNIX to Mac. <g>

I will admit there are some in any business that are brain-damaged. =(

To be a system administrator you have to read Bastard Operator From Hell
Archives (including the new ones at networkweek), and follow them.  This
constitiutes of:
o  Never allowing lusers/cow-orkers/cop-rogrammers to know what you are up to
o  Controlling *all* comnnunicational entities in the building including
   the signaling flags (if you are a BOFH at the Airport or such)
o  Using large and heavy LARTS on each and everyone
o  Be up at the wee hours in the morning
o  Be able to handlle being subjcted to alot of screamind, then go
   rm -rf /home/luser, and still show not a change of * expression.
o  *ing at alt.sysadmin.recovery nightly

Programmers need to do the following:
o  Read Bastard Operator From Hell archives(including the new ones), paying
   close attention to descriptions of interface
o  Never allowing lusers/cow-orkers/cop-rogrammers to know what you are up to
o  Control all compilers/assemblers/programming manuals in the building
o  LART lusers remotely, by writing "features" into their programs that
   will auto-LART upon improper handling by lusers
o  Be up at the wee hours in the morning
o  Be able to handle alot of screaming by management lusers, and still
   show not a change in * expression
o  * at alt.sysadmin.recovery nightly

As you can see, the jobs are essentually similar in all respects, with
exception of one: SysAdmins have instant gratification when they go
<clickety-click>, while programmers do not get to see the sweat on the
forheads of their victims.

Quote:> I will admit there are some in any business that are brain-damaged. =(

Stan

--
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