The daily tasks of network administrator

nygs82

Hey guys I'm studying for my net + and sercurity + I have no prior experience in i.t. I have my A+ though after I get n+ and s+ im going to go for my ccna .I would like for you experience guys to explain your daily tasks to a rookie like me . I'm studying certs to become a network administrator one day. Please share your experience. Thanks in advance .

ns_frank

I'm a new network admin so I can help you out a bit. I create user accounts and email. I help:
troubleshoot internet issues
check servers
mange and troubleshoot network printers
add IP phones and configure them
if there's a new software that the school wants, I talk with the sales team and get a quote.
After that, I install them wherever its needed.
I reset passwords for user
So much more ...

scaredoftests

But WAIT, there is MORE. Look over security alerts and see if it affects the servers..Look over STIGS and apply where needed. Apply upgrades/patches..do snapshots. Write work instructions.

kohr-ah

Check logs for reported issues
At the moment eliminating all forms of Telnet
Documentation
Patch upgrades/Equipment upgrades
Solarwinds automation and reporting
Train Jr Engineers
Study if downtime
Tickets that came in. Be it routing issues, requests, etc

bettsy584

Active Directory users and group changes, updates and resets

Firewall configuration changes around NAT rules.

VLAN configuration changes, altering what ports are in what VLAN's.

DHCP configuration, setting reservations, leasing IP's etc.

Patch management, ensuring server (especially web facing ones) are patched and updated.

SCCM for application and desktop management.

VDI recomposing.

Depends on the environment.

Priston

I'm a network administrator and I often wonder what I should be doing on a daily basis... I often find myself documenting the same thing over and over again...

DPG

1. Wait for fire.
2. Put out fire.
3. Profit.

alias454

Hmm, I always seem to forget that last part.

JGDaily

DPG wrote: »

1. Wait for fire.
2. Put out fire.
3. Profit.

Basically sums up my role.

evarney

It varies, depending on what kind of a network environment you are in but basically, you are the lightning rod of the IT department when it comes to blaming. A lot of what the infosec people do is essentially going to be your focus because they will constantly be breaking things and you will constantly be blamed. The key to being happy in a network role is not having people calling you directly everytime one computer goes down. If you have a good help desk team that actually calls customers you will do fine. If they just kind of do nothing but send alll tickets that sound like network issues to them; you may hate your life.

nygs82

Hey guys please list the certs you have that gave you the opportunity to be an network administrator

verbhertz

I'm in my first network admin role so I'm also curious to see what others are up to. I do any of the following on any given day:
1. Configure new and existing network equipment (switches, routers, firewalls, access points and wireless controllers).
2. Handle trouble tickets as they come in.
3. Manage other things like web filtering, AAA servers.
4. Design and implement infrastructure changes.
5. Many other misc things.
This is all for close to a thousand pieces of networking gear. Not counting access points, then it would be several thousand. I've got a CCNA and an unrelated degree.

chmod

This is why i prefer to work for the service provider/consultant/vendor side of telecom rather than regular enterprise IT.

Fadakartel

chmod wrote: »

This is why i prefer to work for the service provider/consultant/vendor side of telecom rather than regular enterprise IT.

hahaha so true the SP world is where its at!

RHEL

This is confusing. When I think of 'network administrator,' I'm thinking network infrastructure management -- switches, routers, cabling, maybe SAN switching, firewalls.

In this thread context, it seems that 'network administrator' is being used as more of a generic term for anything IT. I've also seen 'systems administrator' used this way as well.

Legacy User

The role of a Network administrator really can vary depending on the company. From what I seen network admins usually are a jack of all trades. The roles of network admin can be being the system admins of linux/windows boxes, exchange, maintain network equipment, do any administration on firewalls, add moves changes on voice servers, prime.

The size of the organization can really dictate the role. If it is a smaller company the admin will be the everything guy regardless of title (system/network admin) since its a smaller team. If itsa huge infrastructure then they'll be a bigger team and more of a need for specialized guys so network guy works on the network, system guy works on the systems.