System Admin Tips

[Samson35]

Sorry if this the wrong forum to post this in. Not sure where the best place was.

 

I will be starting my first job as an Junior IT Systems Administrator in the next couple of weeks. As far as i know the infrastructure is a Windows  based network  with about 100 computers and Windows 2012 DC  with Synology Storage etc. 

I want to get a head start on what to expect. I have a basic knowledge of networking, troubleshooting Windows PC's etc. 

 

What other bits would be useful for me to learn that any other Systems Admin would need to know?

[KuJoe]

Learn how to Google well. Not even joking, I would say 99% of the crazy issues I run into are resolved with a Google search. I've only ever had to call a VMware or Microsoft a handful of times in 10+ years for the really specific crazy issues.

[schwellmo92]

The job is mostly Googling and escalating to the OEM's from my experience, I would just come in with an open mind and ask lots of questions (think change management procedures, ticket management, how do the backups work, what/where is the dr, what sort of monitoring do they have and what is being monitored). If you're being hired as a junior I don't think they're expecting you to know much.

 

I was only a sys admin for just over a year but from my view what separates the crappy sys admins from the good is being proactive (monitor your shit and fix things before they become problems) and being approachable (just be friendly and as accommodating as practical - if you can't accommodate than explain why as nicely as possible - and give updates/time frames to your users). All the tech heavy stuff you can pretty much google and follow guides on.

[Samson35]

Thank you for your comments. Obviously  everything is Googling. I just thought if there is anything that would be work learning that most industry companies now days would  know. 

 

I think I will be the only IT person, the current chap is always out of the office  doing other things I believe.  

[NineEyeRon]

Follow the procedures and policies set out by your employer or Compliance people like me will be very annoyed!

 

[Raykahn]

Schwellmo is spot on.  To start with just focus on learning the network infrastructure as that will have more long-term benefit than solving any one specific problem.  Remaining approachable is important because it means people will actually report problems to you, or ask you to provide them solutions instead of trying to do things behind your back (shadow IT).

  

Just take things one at a time and you will get up to speed.  It sounds like a smaller network, so expect maybe 6 months to a year to get fully embedded.  During this time it would be beneficial to volunteer to assist with any after hours maintenance that needs to be done.  Good chance you will learn more in one night of maintenance than a week or two of regular tickets. 

Finally, don't be afraid to ask questions either of your coworkers or online.  Reddit is a pretty good source, as is Spiceworks (check that link for tools and recommendations).  You will find yourself googling error messages a lot and end up in all sorts of random forums looking at years old posts for issues that are similar but not quite the same as yours.

[Donut417]

While I dont work in IT. Id say make sure you do a good job documenting everything. Never know when an issue might crop up that you solved a while back. Oh and from what I was told when I did my assoicates in CIS, many issues are just ID10T issues. For those who dont know what that is, its spells Idiot, because from anything I have learned working in food service, retail and customer service, the end user is an Idiot most of the time, just be aware. 

[leadeater]

3 hours ago, Donut417 said:

good job documenting everything

Such a pain! lol

 

17 hours ago, Samson35 said:

Thank you for your comments. Obviously  everything is Googling. I just thought if there is anything that would be work learning that most industry companies now days would  know. 

Technology wise since it sounds like a Windows network get to know what Group Policy is and what you can do with it, the modern ways to use it as well. Also look in to OS deployment like Windows Deployment Services.

 

Get familiar with Folder Redirection and Roaming profiles, how spot if they are broken and how to fix them.

 

Look in to VMware vSphere and ESXi, how HA works and DRS. What happens when you put a host in to maintenance mode. What happens when you put a Snapshot on to a VM, the storage and VMDK files and what happens when you remove the Snaphot, how long should you keep them (hint short as possible).

 

Most issues are rather basic and most general/standard changes are too, typically in the areas I mentioned. Other more complex things are usually tied with hardware replacement projects. It's not often you'll be racking up new ESXi host for example.

[Samson35]

5 hours ago, leadeater said:

Such a pain! lol

 

Technology wise since it sounds like a Windows network get to know what Group Policy is and what you can do with it, the modern ways to use it as well. Also look in to OS deployment like Windows Deployment Services.

 

Get familiar with Folder Redirection and Roaming profiles, how spot if they are broken and how to fix them.

 

Look in to VMware vSphere and ESXi, how HA works and DRS. What happens when you put a host in to maintenance mode. What happens when you put a Snapshot on to a VM, the storage and VMDK files and what happens when you remove the Snaphot, how long should you keep them (hint short as possible).

 

Most issues are rather basic and most general/standard changes are too, typically in the areas I mentioned. Other more complex things are usually tied with hardware replacement projects. It's not often you'll be racking up new ESXi host for example.

 

Great thank you sending those. Some of those i have never heard of, so will look into them now :)