A system administrator, systems administrator, or sysadmin, is a person employed to maintain and operate a computer system and/or network. System administrators may be members of an information technology department.
..........The duties of a system administrator are wide-ranging, and vary widely from one organization to another. Sys-administrators are usually charged with installing, supporting, and maintaining servers or other computer systems, and planning for and responding to service outages and other problems. Other duties may include scripting or light programming, project management for systems-related projects, supervising or training computer operators, and being the consultant for computer problems beyond the knowledge of technical support staff. A System Administrator must demonstrate a blend of technical skills and responsibility.
Skills:
The subject matter of systems administration includes computer systems and the ways people use them in an organization. This entails knowledge of operating systems and applications, as well as hardware and software troubleshooting, but also knowledge of the purposes for which people in the organization use the computers.
..........However, perhaps the most important skill to a system administrator is problem solving -- frequently under various sorts of constraints and stress. The sysadmin is on call when a computer system goes down or malfunctions, and must be able to quickly and correctly diagnose what is wrong and how best to fix it.
..........System administrators are not software engineers or developers. It is not usually within their duties to design or write new applications software. However, sysadmins must understand the behavior of software in order to deploy it and to troubleshoot problems, and generally know several programming languages used for scripting or automation of routine tasks.
..........Particularly when dealing with Internet-facing or business-critical systems, a sysadmin must have a strong grasp of computer security. This includes not merely deploying software patches, but also preventing break-ins and other security problems with preventive measures. In some organizations, computer security administration is a separate role responsible for overall security and the upkeep of firewalls and intrusion detection systems, but all sysadmins are generally responsible for the security of the systems in their keep.
Related fields:
Many organizations staff other jobs related to systems administration. In a larger company, these may all be separate positions within a computer support or Information Services (IS) department. In a smaller group they may be shared by a few sysadmins, or even a single person.
- A database administrator (DBA) maintains a database system, and is responsible for the integrity of the data and the efficiency and performance of the system.
- A network administrator maintains network infrastructure such as switches and routers, and diagnoses problems with these or with the behavior of network-attached computers.
- A security administrator is a specialist in computer and network security, including the administration of security devices such as firewalls, as well as consulting on general security measures.
- A web administrator maintains web server services (such as Apache or IIS) that allow for internal or external access to web sites. Tasks include managing multiple sites, administering security, and configuring necessary components and software. Responsibilities may also include software change management.
- Technical support staff: respond to individual users' difficulties with computer systems, provide instructions and sometimes training, and diagnose and solve common problems.
- A computer operator performs routine maintenance and upkeep, such as changing backup tapes or replacing failed drives in a RAID. Such tasks usually require physical presence in the room with the computer; and while less skilled than sysadmin tasks require a similar level of trust, since the operator has access to possibly sensitive data.
In some organizations, a person may begin as a member of technical support staff or a computer operator, then gain experience on the job to be promoted to a sysadmin position.
Unlike many other professions, there is no single path to becoming a system administrator. Many system administrators have a degree in a related field: computer science, information technology, computer engineering, information system management, or even a trade school program. Other schools have offshoots of their Computer Science program specifically for systems administration.
..........One of the primary difficulties with teaching system administration as a formal university discipline, is that the industry and technology changes much faster than the typical textbook and coursework certification process. By the time a new textbook has spent years working through approvals and committees, the specific technology for which it is written may have changed significantly or is now obsolete.
..........In addition, because of the practical nature of systems administration and the easy availability of open-source server software, many systems administrators enter the field self-taught.
..........Generally, a prospective administrator will be required to have some experience with the computer system he or she is expected to manage. In some cases, candidates are expected to possess industry certifications such as the Microsoft MCSA, MCSE, Red Hat RHCE, Novell CNA, CNE, Cisco CCNA or CompTIA's A+ or Network+, Sun Certified SCNA, Linux Professional Institute among others.
Duties of a system administrator:
Support and service:
A system administrator offers service for full on site and on-line technical supports.
An administrator offers multi-service support of servers, desktops, printers and networks.
Provide master solutions:
Initiative towards new opportunities, development and growth Acquisitions & ExpansionsDiversification with contemporary solutions
Preventive Maintenance:
· To make sure your computer system is working at peak performance.
· Regularly scheduled maintenance performed by us.
Work in time:
The professional team, not only has the innovative and updated technical knowledge, but also has the analytical and management skills to adhere to stringent quality methods and committed time schedules.
Proactive in work:
An administrator should be proactive in offering total IT solutions to the user by continuously striving to exceed their expectations."
Understanding Requirements:
- A system administrator is to understand the companies or users requirements, designing optimal solutions to meet those requirements.
- How to select carefully the right hardware and software combination to meet our needs.
- Our solutions should combine scalability and ease of use with individual requirements.
Network Security for sensitive Data:
Everyday security threats are refined as hackers designed new security threats. Computer Security in the data communication cannot be compromised. Hackers’ can exploit the sensitive and financial and corporate data. There can be many threats to a computer network and it’s the responsibility of a computer network administrator to keep the computer network secure from these threats.
Awareness about the risks:
The end user’s education on the security threats, preventions and precautionary measures are must. They should be trained about the possible and easy virus attacks from the internet if they browse the inappropriate sites.
- IT Administrator should know about all the possible security attacks and also know their solutions.
- IT Administrator should look for the viruses from the Internet, Malware, Adware, Trojan horses, E-mail attachments, CD or any infected computer that is attached to the network. Spyware and network intrusions are specifically designed to get the secret information from their target companies, which can do harm for the company. Everyday security threats are refined as hackers designed new security threats.
- The main cause of a security threat in the small companies is the misuse of the internet without proper antivirus, anti spyware installed on the every PC of the company’s network. For example if a company’s employees browse an inappropriate website, sends or receives the infected data, leaks company’s secret information, then there are greater chances for a possible virus/malware attack.
- Hard core security from old employees:
if the company’s employee leave the company for any reason, then its very important that all the computer and other company’s sensitive assets access should be revoked by him immediately. I have personally seen a situation, when a company’s network administrator was dismissed and he access the company’s server by VPN and send harmful viruses to the server and the entire computer network, and it was impossible for the IT manager to control all the security attacks in one time. It’s the responsibility to keep a closer eye on the new employee’s activities, their access to the sensitive data, and computers servers. IT managers should bring it in the knowledge of the employees that any change in their computer will be logged. So that nobody can even try to do anything that is not permitted.
