How much hardware - a sysadmin should know ?

[Madhu Sudhan_1]

What is the extent of hardware knowledge that a sysadmin know ? This is a long standing question that I had in my mind which is not answered clearly from my fellow sysadmins.
Also What is the difference between a sysadmin adn HP-Engineer.

Waiting curiously for your answers.

Thanks,
.......Madhu

[James R. Ferguson]

Madhu:

IMHO :

1. Ideally, the more hardware knowledge a sysadmin has the better. Minimally, I think one needs to be comfortable with 'ioscan' and be able to relate its output to physical slots, cables, device files, and the priority of devices on a SCSI bus. A basic modem knowledge never hurts. These things become very important if you are configuring and managing MC/ServiceGuard clusters.

2. The distinction between a 'sysadmin' and an 'engineer' blurs when both become well-rounded in software and hardware. A sysadmin focuses on software whereas an engineer focuses on hardware. A sysadmin writes scripts and configures hardware with software tools. Obviously this includes constructing and maintaining filesystems, swapspace, networks, etc. A sysadmin monitors performance and understands how to tune a system for performance. A sysadmin uses and leverages hardware monitoring and diagnostic tools like EMS, Predictive Support, and STM to track the health of the hardware and (automatically or otherwise) alert the engineer of a need to replace a failing or defunct component.

An engineer installs and/or replaces hardware and generally performs the updates of processor and disk firmware. An engineer is knowledgeable running and interpreting the output of proprietary hardware diagnostic tools in order to isolate exactly which component is faulty. Classicly, an engineer does not write code (scripts, etc.); tune systems performance; nor configure filesystems, swapspace, networks, etc.

The best sysadmins and the best engineers are keen observers, have good deductive skills, and thrive on problem solving. The best sysadmins are "junior engineers"; the best engineers are "junior sysadmins". The best of either are both.

...JRF...

[Shannon Petry]

The answer to question 1 "How much hardware a Sys-Admin should know?" varies greatly on the environment. In some cases, a sys-admin may support a single OS, and a small number, performing similar work. In this case, the sys-admin should know more about hardware, just because he would have the time to investigate problems at that level.
In a large environment, multiple OS environment this knowlege will be much less as the administrative tasks increase in both quantity and complexity.
In most cases a sys-admin should know the basic components, how they work, and how to tell if critical components are going bad. I.E disk drives, memory, etc... but there is no set answer.
An HP engineer usually has a degree, and/or a certain amount of tested troubleshooting skills on both HP Hardware and HP-UX. A sys-admin can know as much, but not very often.

Hope it helps.
Shannon

[Alan Riggs]

A sysadmin should gain as much informatin as possible about the systems he supports, including hardware knowledge. Obviously, real world limitation will apply. In a very diverse environment, it os not always possible for an admin to keep current with the myriad different architectures, vendor products, etc. However, every bit helps. Some things I have found generally useful:

Understanding I/O layout & SCSI pathing.
Some understanding about different SCSI bus characteristics.
Some understanding of modems.
Familiarity with Hot-swap devices and replacements.
Some knowledge of CPU & memory card/board configurations.
Some understanding of terminal servers.
Basic understanding of disk technologies (RAID, disk array, ESA, etc.)
Basic understanding of networking hardware (NIC, hub, switch, router).
Basic understanding of printers & print drivers (Perhaps my least faorite of all admin activities, but unfortunately necessary).

[Rick Garland]

This is a loaded question. Minimal, know about the devices in your environment. This may include one or more servers, disk farms, a tape library, etc.

Also, if upgrades are in the works, look at the specs between the new and old. See how different stats are available and see how different capacities are available between systems. There is a lot to know but start with your own environment first.

[Paula J Frazer-Campbell]

Hi IMHO.

To my mind "Your own environment" also includes the lumpy bits.

I believe that you should be able to deal with almost every problem associated with your servers.

What do you do on a 24/7 production server and the network card dies
-Wait until a Hp engineer can get to you (4hours to my company can be ?400,000 in sales)
- no you down the devel server and borrow its card - back up in 20 min max.

Also by knowing whats inside helps on the software side.

[Aggy]

HP Engineers usually r called if you have an hardware problem like changing some cards/ HDD if they are faulty and some similar job.An HP engineer can be a good SA but again it depends on the grades a company gives.In many compaines I have seen is the Engineers r called Administrators.Engineers furthur look up to become Sys Admins if get interested in Administration.A Sys Admin should have some knowledge of Hardware otherwise it becomes difficult in intiall stages esp.in emergency eg.when ur primary HD fails and U cannot do anything until the Engineer comes apart from having all the spares with you.

[Victor BERRIDGE]

I agree with Paula, 2 years ago it saved me 3 times and therefore got promoted to sysadm...

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone:

A further comment. On mission critical systems one mirrors, uses intelligent RAID, implements dual LANS, and implements high-availability solutions like MC/ServiceGuard, etc.

To a very large extent this obviates the need to scramble to steal hardware from another server in the event of a crisis.

We pay HP support for support. If they install hardware we purchase, or replace a defective component, and something goes awry, then it's not money out of our pocket.

As Alan noted, a basic understanding of the hardware technologies and mechanics is an asset for everyone. To me, that's the important part. I'll leave the actual maintenance to the engineer for the reasons I've given above.

Regards to all, Jim.

...JRF...

[paul courry]

My .02 cents........................

I'm both a systems administrator with more than a couple of decades experience and a hardware engineer with two years formal experience. What HP would call a CE or a customer engineer.

A systems administrator should first be good at his primary job, keeping the box running day in and day out. This is what they are being paid for.

Second a good systems administrator should know their hardware well enough to do several things: diagnose a problem to at least the "obvious" level, pull the board, replace the board, test the result. They should also know the protocols used by their box: types of SCSI interfaces and their differences, modems, tape drives and tapes, basic networking protocols such as TCP/IP, routers and bridges, the seven layer model and where things fit in there etc, power, what their box requires, what a UPS is, how to maintain one, switch to bypass mode and back, the difference between 110, 208 and 480 and how to be a jackleg electrician.

In other words, when a professional of any stripe sticks their nose in your room, stick to them like white on rice, learn everything you can from them, do the dirty tasks alongside them, stare over their shoulders and hold the flashlight for them, bring them coffee, everything you can in order to learn, learn, learn.

After more than 2 decades I still stick to everyone who steps into the computer room, sometimes to prevent screw ups and sometimes to learn from them like I was a green novice.

The more you know, the more you're worth.