This document discusses the role and responsibilities of a system administrator. It begins by defining a system administrator as a person responsible for maintaining and operating a computer and/or network. It then lists some of the key qualities and skills required, including problem solving abilities, understanding of computer security, knowledge of programming languages, and strong communication skills. The document outlines some basic tasks of a system administrator such as configuring systems, troubleshooting issues, maintaining documentation, and helping users. It also discusses how the duties of a system administrator may vary depending on company size. The document closes by emphasizing the importance of backup, monitoring, and always having a backup plan.

1. System
Administration
and
Maintenance
Presented by: Mr. Rexcies Valentin

2. Who is System Administrator?
System Administration and Maintenance
• A person responsible for maintaining
and operating a computer and/or
network
• System administrators are NOT
software engineers or developers
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3. Required
Qualities or
Skills
System Administration and Maintenance 3
A BLEND OF TECHNICAL
SKILLS AND
RESPONSIBILITY!
PROBLEM SOLVING
(FREQUENTLY, UNDER
VARIOUS SORTS OF
CONSTRAINTS AND
STRESS)
UNDERSTANDING
BEHAVIOR OF SOFTWARE
STRONG GRASP OF
COMPUTER SECURITY
KNOWLEDGE OF
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
FOR SCRIPTING AND
AUTOMATION
GOOD COMMUNICATION
SKILLS

4. Basic Task
• Configuring
• Troubleshooting
• Maintaining local documentation
• Helping and educating users
• Baselining
• Problem solving
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• Planning and preparation
• Installation
• Maintaining
• Installing/upgrading/removing software
• Backup and archives

5. System Admin Duties
vs Company Size
• 20 people – everything, alone… (including
nose-wiping for users)
• 200 people – everything, but with specialty
in something (you get colleagues you can
refer to case you don’t want to deal with
smth)
• 2000 or more – very specific task/duties
(get 5 signatures before sneezing before
sneezing near a company server)
System Administration and Maintenance 5

6. Specializations or
Related Fields
• Database Administrator (DBA)
• Network Administrator
• Security Administrator
• Web Administrator
• Technical Support
• Computer Operator
System Administration and Maintenance 6

7. Backup
Bottomline: Skip your breakfast and payroll, not backup!
System Administration and Maintenance 7

8. Maintaining
Software
• Software is not perfect, so it needs
to be maintained
• Updating to new version/release
• Fixing bugs if possible
• Performing housekeeping (log
cleanups)
System Administration and Maintenance 8

9. Maintaining
Software
Realize you
are not the
only user on
the system
• Don't install something you cannot maintain (do your
research before installing)
• Always remove all unnecessary software: every
piece of software you leave is a potential cause of
crash or security breach
• Do not remove things you do not understand :- )
• Never EVER play with production systems! Always
test things on test environment

10. Why Open-Source Software?
• Ability to fix bugs before official
release
• Ability to contribute to
bug/security fixing
• Relative vendor independence
• No headache with licenses, their
installation and management
Presentation title 10

11. Problem Solving
• Renaming directory caused 10% drop in
performance
• Restarting computer causes random fluctuations
of benchmarks
• Hardware upgrade makes things slower
• Moving test system to another building causes a
slowdown
Presentation title 11

12. Monitoring
Spend time monitoring, so you don't have to spend time restoring Demo :-)
Presentation title 12

13. Always have a
Backup Plan
Mila Kunis
System Administration and Maintenance 13

14. Thank you
Mr. Rexcies Valentin
valentin.rexcies@col
m.edu.ph
System Administration and Maintenance 14