Re: RE: present day admin skills

[Frederick M Avolio <fred () avolio com>]

At 06:54 PM 1/10/02 +1100, Darren Reed wrote:
> I think until you've had to deal with users', any claim of system
> administration skills must remain suspect, no matter how many systems
> of your own you have at home to hack on.

And until you have to get involved in real problem solving, too, I'd say. 
I'm not talking about running automated diagnostics, though they have their 
use in automating repetitive tasks. I mean simply the skills to zero in on 
a problem system or program through analysis and an intelligent process of 
elimination.

*** Reminiscence follows -- you may safely ignore the rest. :-) ***

I remember years ago when a system administrator in my spare time for a 
large computer vendor. We had a UUCP hookup to the world and it wasn't 
working. The "assistant" spare time administrator did not have any idea 
what steps to go through to decide -- was it a telephone problem? Was it a 
serial cable problem? Was it a problem with the DH-11? Was it a problem on 
the other computer? Etc.  Have things improved? Too many people going 
through university without learning basic problem solving skills? (I can 
just look for the "cheats, hints, and walk-throughs" on the Internet.)  Or 
am I just in "old codger" mode?


Fred
Avolio Consulting, Inc.
16228 Frederick Road, PO Box 609, Lisbon, MD 21765, US
+1 410-309-6910 (voice) +1 410-309-6911 (fax)
http://www.avolio.com/

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