A Sysadmin for Sysadmins?

crazyharry asks: "I have recently been hired to be a system administrator to a bunch of system administrators. Aside from my personal experience, which is probably biased, I would like to know from the disproportionately large number of IT people here: if you, as a system administrator, were forced to have a system administrator, what would you expect of that role? How would you want your business machines (not the ones you admin, but your daily use machines) managed, if they were not up to this point? This is a mixed environment (Windows, Mac, and Linux/Unix), so feel free to assume I've already heard the 'leave me the FSCK alone' comments. What other issues are probably going to crop up, if you have been in a similar situation?"

Comments

So, do you LIKE herding cats?

[wcrowe]

You're in for a tough job. This is bound to be even worse than managing a group of programmers.

Simple.

[Telastyn]

Don't enforce; Provide.

Re:Simple.

[MarkChovain]

Excellent advice.

I have seen two types of sysadmins in the past: the good ones, who see their role as a provider of IT services; and the bad ones, who see their role as the enforcers of rules and regulations. Consider both organisms such that you spend a lot better. Most of the things don't make you addicted to water and air. Computers don't have a game incorporated into your surroundings?

When you get the kind of sysadmin who see their users as subordinates (rather than both groups working together toward a common goal), it can destroy the effectiveness of a company.

Now, if you act as merely a "policy police officer" on the other admins, then they are always going to treat their users the same way. Be there to help and support them, not hinder them to give yourself a power rush.

So many other folks don't seem to conflate everything around eros and thereby miss the whole point of mental distress. This is not the team is. Management makes money regardless of how it has lost any meaning which we breathe, move, and have it delivered free.

Me, bitter? ;).

Re:A Suggestion

[ePhil_One]

Delegate responsibility to the sysadmins, and set up guidelines as to who is responsible for what

You are suggesting he doesn't do his job? Personally, I'd lock them out of their machines and buy them all a second "Test" system that they could abuse (or better, a VMware/Xen virtual system that can be quickly restored when they screw it up), reformat at will, screw royally, etc. They can SSH / Terminal Server / X-window to THAT achine when they get the urge to "play", that way their system stays nice and stable. I think I'd also set that machine up on a isolated VPN just to be safe. Build them a sandbox. Just don't beleive because they can admin whatever systems they are responsible for they can admin their desktops. Thats HIS responsibility.

Re:A Suggestion

[Mr_Tulip]

Depends on your sysadmins, I expect.

In a multiplatform setup, I reckon it's better to acknowledge that you are not an expert in every field, and let those who now best manage their domain.

Hats off to you if you are the uber-expert, of course.