System/Network Admins. How are your typical day?

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FrustratedUser

Lifer
Aug 16, 2001
22,510
9
81
I am grateful to for all support I get from our guys but I rarely need any support. I know they are busy with server upgrades and planning for the future.

What are you (other Network/Sysy admins) working on when not directly helping out people one-on-one?

:beer:
 

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
WTF!?
:confused:
Click to expand...
Any sysadmin worth his grit, sets up the systems right the first time so he doesn't have to do an ounce of work.


 
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Gand1

Golden Member
Nov 17, 1999
1,026
0
76
Real answer....

I work at a University so my day is a bit different than the corp world but...

Check out our packetshaper to make sure it's IDing traffic properly
attend meeting
look at core switches to see if they are running properly
attend meeting
answer any calls that may have come in (only if we have time)/lunch
attend meeting
go find kid who is sending out DOS attack on our network and shut him down
attend meeting
upgrade some closet switches
planning for wireless network
check out firewall logs
meeting for network splitout/nat
go the hell home!
 
M

MercenaryForHire

Lifer
Jan 31, 2002
40,819
2
0
Originally posted by: SampSon
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
WTF!?
:confused:
Click to expand...
Any sysadmin worth his grit, sets up the systems right the first time so he doesn't have to do an ounce of work.
Click to expand...

Yep, all you gotta do is plug a network in. You don't even have to pay attention to it! :beer:

Seriously - the small portions of the day where the sh!t does hit the fan, we do more than earn our wages.

Edit - And "one-on-one" interaction with end users? Are you insane? I chose administration to avoid those mental midgets like the plague they are.

- M4H
 

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I don't want to rain on your parade but it looks a bit booring in the long run.
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It is boring.
But who cares.

Work boils down to, the most amount of money, for the least amount of work.
 
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goldboyd

Golden Member
Oct 12, 1999
1,932
0
0
For me about 75% of the day is boring, going through logs, doing minor non impacting changes, telling the systems guys over and over that it's not a network issue,, working with other groups to schedule maintenence windows, deploying older technologies that you already know like the back of your hand. But the real fun starts when something breaks, sure it's stressfull when VPs are coming over asking when something is going to be back up, but I love troubleshooting...unless of course it starts with a 3am call to your cellphone, like last night :( Also working with and deploying new technology is great. We're in the process of ordering a whole bunch of cisco optical gear (15454 platform mostly) and I can't wait for it to show up...along with the sup 720s and the 10 GigE modules :)

That really isn't a description of my tycical day, but I think it gets at least part of the point accross.
 
Mean MrMustard

Mean MrMustard

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2001
3,144
10
81
Not to hijack the thread or anything, but what skills and/or experience is needed to land a network administration position?

I recently graduated with a CIS degree and have been looking to get into network administration. I don't have much work experience with the like, so I know its probably shot for now. I was just wondering what hardware and software skills are necessary to be in this position.

Craig
 
M

mpitts

Lifer
Jun 9, 2000
14,732
1
81
Originally posted by: lowtech
Originally posted by: Saulbadguy
ATOT.
Click to expand...
50% -- ATOT
30% -- Linux & other computers computer news sites.
15% -- Accounting
5% -- System/network admin.
Click to expand...

Change "Accounting" to "Downloading MP3s and games" and you have what I did as a sys admin for about five years.
 
F

FreshPrince

Diamond Member
Dec 6, 2001
8,361
1
0
if you work for a small comp....ya do it all

if you work for a large comp....your job is do one thing and do it well...which means ya sit on your @ss all day doing nothing :p

I've worked for both and I like small companies better, bc of my work ethic. However, that may not be the same for others.
 
ultimatebob

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,134
2,450
126
Yeah, system admins get spend a lot of time surfing the web and chatting with our co-workers while we're waiting for the various day to day backup jobs and software installs to complete. That's the fun part of the job.

The lousy part of the job is when we need to race from system to system to install emergency security patches and virus defination updates. I have a hunch that tomorrow is going to be one of those days! We also need to put up with whiney users who like to constantly forget their passwords and lose their files on the network drive.
 
C

Czar

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
28,510
0
0
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I don't want to rain on your parade but it looks a bit booring in the long run.
Click to expand...
it can be, if it werent for the forums i would have gotten bored of the internet years ago because I have seen just about everything ;)

 
Confused

Confused

Elite Member
Nov 13, 2000
14,166
0
0
Originally posted by: lowtech
50% -- ATOT
30% -- Linux & other computers computer news sites.
15% -- Accounting
5% -- System/network admin.
Click to expand...

Change that to:

50% -- ATOT/MP3Car
30% -- Photoshop/VB for MediaCar skins
15% -- PICNIC errors
5% -- Server admin


Confused
 
N

nan0bug

Banned
Apr 22, 2003
3,142
0
0
Originally posted by: ELP
Not to hijack the thread or anything, but what skills and/or experience is needed to land a network administration position?

I recently graduated with a CIS degree and have been looking to get into network administration. I don't have much work experience with the like, so I know its probably shot for now. I was just wondering what hardware and software skills are necessary to be in this position.

Craig
Click to expand...

Can anyone answer this guy's question? I'm curious too.
 
rudder

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
19,441
86
91
Originally posted by: nan0bug
Originally posted by: ELP
Not to hijack the thread or anything, but what skills and/or experience is needed to land a network administration position?

I recently graduated with a CIS degree and have been looking to get into network administration. I don't have much work experience with the like, so I know its probably shot for now. I was just wondering what hardware and software skills are necessary to be in this position.

Craig
Click to expand...

Can anyone answer this guy's question? I'm curious too.
Click to expand...


I used to be a pilot. My minor was CIS. I left the flying business to be able to stay home with my children more. I went and took some courses to get my MCSE. Up to that point I dabbled a lot but never serious. The MCSE has helped land a job where I manage over 85 servers with a wan covering the whole state. Yes I am in over my head (j/k). But my point is getting a job in IT is 1/2 skill and 1/2 good timing.
 
S

Shockwave

Banned
Sep 16, 2000
9,059
0
0
Everyone summed it up nicely. Atot. Watch a movie. Listen to streaming radio.
Its like this. Networks are designed to work. There built (supposedly) from the ground up to be reliable and stable. There not SUPPOSED to break. Thus, when the network does what its supposed to do (work) we (admins & engineers) dont really have much to do.
But, when shyte hits the fan and stuff doesnt work, thats when we earn our paycheck. But if you think about it, companies dont WANT us to work. When we're working (barring maintenance and upgrades) it means the network is not. And thats downtime. Lost income, lost productivity. But to the bean counters, if your not working your not needed. Which is a shame, because we end up having to justify our jobs.
But yeah, my typical day isnt usually too stressful. Course, when my day goes bad it makes some sys admins worst days look like a walk in the park.
 
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