[ale] how to make a windows sysadmin functional on Unix

[Ronald Chmara]

On Tuesday, August 26, 2003, at 09:45  PM, Steve Tynor wrote:
> All,
> I've just started a new gig in a mixed Windows / Linux / Solaris
> development shop.  Since the product is implemented in Java, many
> developers work on Windows even though the serious testing and most
> deploys happen on Solaris.  It's a relatively small company, and 
> they've
> just hired their first sysadmin (it was an every man for himself shop
> prior to his hire).
>
> Problem is, he's a Windoze kinda guy.  He can barely login to a unix
> box.

Then he's not a SysAdmin yet. He's just a windows maintainer, and not 
even one who can manage working on it without a GUI. Which means an 
inexperienced one, because much of the better NT 3.x performance hacks 
were command line based.

> I'm looking for advice for some reading material, websites, etc. that
> you would recommend that he can use to bootstrap himself.  "A Unix for
> Dummies^H^H^H^H^HWindows Admin" sort of thing.

Best reference I've *ever* found, written by hardcore 
in-the-trench-admins, is the 
now-purple-book-formerly-other-red-book-which-was-yellow, "The Unix 
System Administrator's Handbook". It went so far in prior printings to 
cover Irix, SunOS, Solaris, HPUX, (etc. etc.) tricks.
http://www.admin.com/Pages/USAH.html
http://slashdot.org/books/00/10/10/146252.shtml

A portion of the slashdot review:
'My favourite is on the subject of "Co-operating With Windows." It 
involves, well, brides, rednecks and shotguns, something with which 
anyone who's ever gone through the pain of trying to make Windows 
machines play nicely in a UNIX environment will identify.'

"The Unix-Haters Handbook" is also surprisingly good, actually. It gets 
the shortcomings out of the way. A generic big-ass "UNIX" 
bible/doorstop/manual might help for a bit if he's a reader. And, of 
course, he needs a testbed to shoot *himself* in the foot, rather than 
the whole company.

He also might want to learn a bit from SAGE.
http://sageweb.sage.org/

After that, the young jedi needs to find a master. I'm not joking.

He needs to find outside expertise, a person he can call on when he is 
lost, and alone...

Someone of guru-level, who he can trust, someone who will keep his 
secrets as he does dumb things, and explain arcane matters in a way 
that the apprentice will not be shamed, or lose his job, or get angry 
at the master.

Most of all, he'll need time. I estimate that guru-ness generally takes 
between 3-7 years, and at least 4 different *nix breeds, and regular 
use/exposure to all other OS's.

-Bop
Ronald Chmara
Ronin Professional Consulting LLC
678-530-9542
"Never send a human to do a machine's job."  --Agent Smith, "The Matrix"

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