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Corporate Linux Admin vs Web based Linux admin

antielvis

Any thoughts on working as an enterprise level Linux admin versus working in a more web orientated position (LAMP). How do salaries compare? Any comparison on working conditions & potential to advance? I'll assume a web orientated Linux position is going to be someone who needs scripting/programming skills?

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Comments

higherho

If your dealing with linux (Enterprise Server / no GUI ) you will need to learn some type of scripting (bash for admins is a great start) regardless of the role. I currently work on an Enterprise Big data solution (administering it) and it runs Enterprise Server 6.3 (Red Hat). The pay is drastically better than a Windows Admin. One reason is the big data portion of it but the second reason is that Enterprise Linux admins are not as abundant as Windows admins.

ChooseLife

Umm, it's not like Linux jobs are unionised with clear black-and-white role descriptions - if you're a Linux admin, chances are high that you'll be dealing with various systems, both Web stacks and enterprise servers. You will need scripting skills regardless of what you do with Linux, and programming knowledge will help a lot too

antielvis

@Chooselife.

I'm already a senior level server guy (windows, VMware, SCOM), so I understand life in the datacentre/enterprise. My employer has a large team of *nix types on staff and like those on the MS side, the scope of the job is somewhat narrow. I want to know how that compares to a more web orientated gig. I spent a few years in a ISP working on Linux but that was a long time ago and I wonder how they compare.

Another question maybe someone can answer. Are there IT consultant firms that focus on Linux for small/medium business? I did SMB consultanting for years and rarely saw Linux in the environment unless it was for financial software.

ChooseLife

Ah, good stuff. Yeah, if you are at a large enterprise, I suppose it gets *that* specialized. Haven't had that experience personally though.

jibbajabba

ChooseLife is right. It will likely be a mix.

I also worked for an ISP and whilst the main task was to get LAMP installs going, you still ended up to administrate internal systems or simply systems customer want to implement, which aren't necessarily web systems.

Scripting always seem to be a big part of it. In fact, later today I am having a technical phone interview with an ISP again, where there are two main areas they need - VMware (got all that) and Linux ...

They know my Linux is not THAT great so it will be interesting to see how deep they want me to go

clarknova

Can anybody recommend a good Bash scripting book I can read that is aimed at systems administrators?

Sounds Good

clarknova wrote: »

Can anybody recommend a good Bash scripting book I can read that is aimed at systems administrators?

Don't know if books are the way to go with bash, but online tutorials should be good enough unless you want to get into really advanced stuff.

BASH Programming - Introduction HOW-TO