First days as a system admin

CodeBlox · November 2012

So I figured I'd make a post about how my first days have went as a system admin. For starters, they are still searching for a replacement that is qualified to replace me in my old position so I am doing 40/60 days helping the helpdesk and doing sysadmin work. First put me as responsible for patching one of the banks servers used heavily by a program in one of the departments here and it was a success. I've had to stand up three servers already (and MAN was the documentation seriously out of date). I found myself seeking outside resources like the vendors website. in this case it was dell for a discrepancy in configuring the iDRAC6. I came across an issue while building the servers where I couldn't image them using sccm 2012 so I got a disc and did it that way. I than began to look at why the pxe boot was failing and made a few changes. Guess what... I pushed an update to ALL workstations in the enterprise which said to image the workstation for windows server 2008 r2. I only noticed it when I came from the NOC and sat at my desk and saw the scm client ask for me to install updates (we don't use it to manage updates) on my workstation. I stared listlessly at my screen for about 10 seconds. Moments later, a fellow comrade got a call from a user. A few seconds into the call and him remoting into their workstation, he stuck his head over into my workspace and asked "hey [my name], did you push an update to the kiosk today?". I already knew what he was going to say but before I could answer he said "The description says 'task sequence created by [my name]' ". I had created a task sequence and deployed it too all workstations O_O. I immediately got up and disabled the task sequence in SCCM and deleted it. I then notified the network manager of what happened. Would it actually image the workstation if you applied the update? I wasn't expecting it to be sent to the workstations but instead as a selectable install after loading the boot image. I couldn't tell you and thankfully nobody updated. Today I actually fixed the problem with SCM and was able to use the pxe image. It's definitely a step up, but I'm liking it so far. A lot more projects thats for sure. Man... if all the workstations were actually imaged for server 2008 after that it would have probably been the end of me. It's really easy to mess things up. Just the otherday someone else(not me) turned on some quest client that began to sync domain accounts from the old domain to the new domain. Guess what, people couldn't log in. It was caught early and got sorted out though. I was also tasked with setting up helper addresses across the enterprise for in place imaging to work too.

cyberguypr · November 2012

Hmm... Enter key broken? A sysadmin needs a good keyboard

MentholMoose · November 2012

At least it isn't ALL CAPS!!

truckfit · November 2012

good stuff

RouteMyPacket · November 2012

cyberguypr wrote: »

Hmm... Enter key broken? A sysadmin needs a good keyboard

Precisely, what a noob. lol

Anyway, welcome to System Administration. Be smart and methodical in your approach to pushing anything out to the production environment. I beg you not to be one of the noobs that does something without knowing and doesn't ask. Please don't be that type. lol

Anyway, as you said. It's a different ball game now in your position, you are starting to see the bigger picture and things do happen, it's about mitigating risks while maintaining and improving the environment.

Deathgomper · November 2012

It seems like just yesterday I was reading your thread on getting your helpdesk job (wiping a tear).

Congrats on moving on up!!! I hope it works out for you.

truckfit · November 2012

In another year or two you should be a good system administrator you are starting out,

Keep at it.

In a year or two you will look back and be like WTF.

Zartanasaurus · November 2012

The SCCM image you ran into is a tough and scary lesson to learn. I haven't touched 2012 yet, but in 2007, you have to set your image package to only to deploy to Windows 2000. Everyone still gets the package, but they ignore it because of the version mismatch. PXE boot ignores this setting, and you can image normally. Anyway, you just got your first lesson in not messing around with something you don't fully understand.

You learn a lot of bad habits working as a field tech/help desk guy. You can screw around and at worst you mess up one machine. Reimage and it's back in an hour. As an admin, you have the rights and tools to bring down the entire enterprise. Be careful.

Ch@rl!3m0ng · November 2012

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

The SCCM image you ran into is a tough and scary lesson to learn. I haven't touched 2012 yet, but in 2007, you have to set your image package to only to deploy to Windows 2000. Everyone still gets the package, but they ignore it because of the version mismatch. PXE boot ignores this setting, and you can image normally. Anyway, you just got your first lesson in not messing around with something you don't fully understand.

You learn a lot of bad habits working as a field tech/help desk guy. You can screw around and at worst you mess up one machine. Reimage and it's back in an hour. As an admin, you have the rights and tools to bring down the entire enterprise. Be careful.

I second this. As a wise man once told me. When working as a sys admin "remember you are a surgeon not a butcher check twice and cut once"

Oh and congrats on job.

truckfit · November 2012

You just started in sys admin you have a very very very long way to go

U have everything to gain

Take you're time best of luck

First days as a system admin

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