Linux System Administrator Task
 

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Hello,

In my personal opinion there is no 'complete' description for what concerns the tasks of a system administrator since it depends on what you are in charge of. For example, you mention your eCommerce server. First of all you'll need to know the inside outs of your operating system (Linux distro) so that you can go 'down to the basics' if needed. Next you'll need to know how the different services and servers/daemons like http, mail, database, are configured, what they are, what they do and how they do it. Furthermore, you'll need to get to know the security of the server(s) in question.

Being a system administrator is a very interesting job since you have a lot of variety and always you'll meet some challenges on the way.

Start out with learning the Linux distro installed on the server, the service(s) it offers, who uses them, the security. That'll keep you going for a while I believe.

Best of luck.

Kind regards,

Eric

First Congratulation on your job!

As Eric said its so interesting and challenging job.

For this you have to learn security and access control issue, system monitoring, scheduling, problem management of systems, systems loads and capacity planning for future, existing problems and solution , system backups , and updates, and integration with other systems, continuous service improvement and transfer the use of technology with business requirement for your organization.

With this you have extra knowledge of Network and Database.

You've got some good advice already, and again, congratulations. Want to know the tasks?? Here it is:

Keep the servers up, running, and available 24/7/365, no excuses.

That's it. There are LOTS of pieces to doing this, though, and alot of it depends on what the servers are running, your involvement in the software vs. just the OS maintenance, hardware, etc., which depends on your employer. You might get asked to do ALL of it...you might get asked to do some of it. Regardless, it's up to YOU to get it done.

I can tell you that you're going to have to walk a fine line between making the users happy (i.e., "I need root access to install my software!"), keeping the boss happy ("They don't need root, tell them to get over it"), and keeping the server running ("you gave them root, and they crashed the box, because they're idiots"). Keep the end in mind...make smart decisions.

Thank you peeps. You guys rocks! :))

A systems admin may also act as a technical consultant on matters Linux to internal and external people (examples: developers, project managers, general management) and as external liaison (examples: 3rd party tech support and suppliers working on in-house Linux systems or providing secure data storage).