What are the different types of system administrator?
What is a Systems Administrator?Companies are heavily dependant on their networks to keep things running smoothly, therefore it makes sense that any problems that arise need to be corrected quickly. This is the responsibility of a systems administrator. Show
Systems administrators are responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of a company's computer systems; especially multi-user computers, such as servers. They also keep all equipment and software up to date. What does a Systems Administrator do?A systems administrator is the first-point-of-contact for a company's network users when they experience technical problems. For example, computer system administrators ensure that the Internet connection in the office is working, and that the mail server is running and processing emails that are sent and received by all staff within the company or organization.  Systems administrators gather information from network users in order to define and fix the problem, troubleshoot system hardware and software, and work with vendors to glean more information. A systems administrator typically needs to document various troubleshooting attempts in order to pinpoint the solution to specific network problems. Systems administrators ensure that the performance and security of the computers they manage meet the needs of the network users, without exceeding the company's budget. To meet these needs, they may purchase, install, or upgrade computer components and software; provide routine automation; maintain security policies; troubleshoot; train and/or supervise staff; and offer technical support for projects. There are different types of systems administrators based on their roles and responsibilities: Server Administrator – maintains the operating system of the servers (and sometimes the applications as well), such as the mail services, the web services, etc., and is also in charge of troubleshooting any hardware, operating system or application-related problems. Network Administrator – maintains the network infrastructure, such as the routers and switches, and troubleshoots network-related problems. Database Administrator (DBA) – maintains the database system used by the company or organization. In bigger organizations, there is a DBA which is specifically responsible for this role. In smaller organizations, this role would normally be shared by the server administrator. Security Systems Administrator - maintains the daily operation of security systems, and can handle things like systems monitoring and running regular backups; setting up, deleting and maintaining individual user accounts; and developing organizational security procedures. Are you suited to be a systems administrator?Systems administrators have distinct personalities. They tend to be investigative individuals, which means they’re intellectual, introspective, and inquisitive. They are curious, methodical, rational, analytical, and logical. Some of them are also realistic, meaning they’re independent, stable, persistent, genuine, practical, and thrifty. Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if systems administrator is one of your top career matches. Take the free test now Learn more about the career test What is the workplace of a Systems Administrator like?Systems administrators are very much in demand, and crucial to the success of Internet-based companies. Most systems administrators are on-call, as they have system and network infrastructures which need to run 24 hours a day, every day. Systems Administrators are also known as: System types are sometimes defined by how they access the root (/) and /usr file systems, including the swap area. For example, stand-alone systems and server systems mount these file systems from a local disk. Other clients mount the file systems remotely, relying on servers to provide these services. This table lists some of the characteristics of each system type. Table 6–1 Characteristics of System Types
Description of a ServerA server system contains the following file systems:
Servers can also contain the following software to support other systems:
Stand-Alone SystemsA networked stand-alone system can share information with other systems in the network. However, it can continue to function if detached from the network. A stand-alone system can function autonomously because it has its own hard disk that contains the root (/), /usr, and /export/home file systems and swap space. Thus, the stand-alone system has local access to OS software, executables, virtual memory space, and user-created files. Note – A stand-alone system requires sufficient disk space to hold its necessary file systems. A non-networked stand-alone system is a stand-alone system with all the characteristics just listed, except it is not connected to a network. Diskless ClientsA diskless client has no disk and depends on a server for all its software and storage needs. A diskless client remotely mounts its root (/), /usr, and /home file systems from a server. A diskless client generates significant network traffic due to its continual need to procure OS software and virtual memory space from across the network. A diskless client cannot operate if it is detached from the network or if its server malfunctions. For more overview information about diskless clients, see Diskless Client Management Overview. Description of an ApplianceAn appliance, such as the Sun Ray appliance, is an X display device that requires no administration. There is no CPU, fan, disk, and very little memory. An appliance is connected to a Sun display monitor. However, the appliance user's desktop session is run on a server and displayed back to the user. The X environment is set up automatically for the user and has the following characteristics:
Guidelines for Choosing System TypesYou can determine which system types are appropriate for your environment by comparing each system type based on the following characteristics:
Disk space usage How much disk space is required to effectively deploy this configuration? This table describes how each system type scores in terms of each characteristic. A ranking of 1 is most efficient. A ranking of 4 is least efficient. Table 6–2 Comparison of System Types
What are the different types of system administration?Depending on the job role and requirements of an organization, the term 'system administrator' may also be implied to job titles such as system engineer, database administrator, data center administrator, system operator, server administrator, or application support engineer.
How many types of administrator are there?SAP NetWeaver BPM differentiates between two types of administrator roles: Technical administrator. Business administrator.
What is a Tier 3 system administrator?Being a Systems Administrator III performs systems maintenance tasks, such as system back-up, recovery and file maintenance. Schedules, installs, and tests system software upgrades. Additionally, Systems Administrator III configures software and resolves technical problems.
What are the other name of system administrator?In smaller organizations, the system administrator might also act as technical support, database administrator, network administrator, storage (SAN) administrator or application analyst.
What are the roles of system administrator?Sysadmins are responsible for managing, troubleshooting, licensing, and updating hardware and software assets. You will ensure that appropriate measures are proactively followed in response to unforeseen issues such as IT downtime or zero-day exploits.
What are the related fields of a system administrator?In smaller organizations, a system administrator can also perform any number of duties elsewhere associated with other fields like:. Technical support.. Database administration (DBA). Network administration/analyst and specialist.. Application analyst.. Security administration.. Programming.. |
