When you don't have any workat your job what do you do?

Any messes that were in our network have been fixed... updated floor plan diagrams, network diagrams, updated our configuration archive, tried to help out fellow colleagues.

What can I really do now? Hit the books? Other people in my workplace have inherited the attitude of not doing anything for days and just hang around in groups. I don't want to be one of them. I feel like that cuts into the efficiency of our workplace I think there are lots of cases like that in the world.

So, uhm, what other positive things do you get done when you don't really have any problems facing you?

If you have any suggestions, tips, please let me know.

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Comments

Krones

What is this downtime that you speak of?

Study / skill progression is almost nil for me while on the job. Too much trench work but trying to force the study time when I can since the trenches will always be there unless I am promoted.

techfiend

Thanks phil and chris, I've begun thinking about improving procedures and especially the network. I took a lot of it home this weekend, looking at endpoint solutions, network monitoring, server migration and network inventory. I have to put these in the back of my mind right now and focus on finishing wsus and the last desktop swaps. I have big ideas, probably not all good and it will require some finances.

What I need to do in the short term is get a very detailed idea of the current servers and roles from the 'just get it to work' sys admin. It's not easy when he only works 8 hours a week. Finding some experienced smb sys admins that have better habits then him and able to answer occasional questions would also be very helpful.

philz1982

techfiend wrote: »

Thanks phil and chris, I've begun thinking about improving procedures and especially the network. I took a lot of it home this weekend, looking at endpoint solutions, network monitoring, server migration and network inventory. I have to put these in the back of my mind right now and focus on finishing wsus and the last desktop swaps. I have big ideas, probably not all good and it will require some finances.

What I need to do in the short term is get a very detailed idea of the current servers and roles from the 'just get it to work' sys admin. It's not easy when he only works 8 hours a week. Finding some experienced smb sys admins that have better habits then him and able to answer occasional questions would also be very helpful.

One of the best lessons I've learned being on the sales side is to sell the idea before trying to get funding and/or execution. This seems blatantly obvious, but so many people try to sell the funding rather than the idea. If you have everyone thoroughly convinced that they "need" something the funding fairy will make the money rain...

RomBUS

I have downtime nearly everyday for hours on end... (which is why I question why I am here) so I either am brushing up for my next Microsoft and/or Cisco exam. Just trying to keep up really.

anoeljr

When I have downtime, I study for school. Once I get school over with then I can start on other things.

rcsoar4fun

What is this downtime you speak of? In general it seems like the harder I work on the to-do list the longer it gets!

I supervise a number of people. In general my rule is if you are not working on something you better be learning something or trying to get better at something. The reason more senior guys are faster at solving issues is, of course, experience. But it also a lot of little things they have learned over the years. Take the network world. When I ask someone how an interface is configured and they type "show run" and space bar down the config it causes me great pain.

Priston

Creating and updating documentation, creating network visio diagrams, comb through the network looking for discrepancies and old config that does nothing, study, clean up the computer rooms.

One day I created a web tool for building the base config for our access switches and terminal servers. Just needed a few text boxes for hostname, password, ip add, subnet mask, gateway..., etc, etc. The website looks like it was made in the 90s but it works XD