How to be sis. administrator, and not seem?

Question

Computer networks

Good afternoon. I work with enikem in 2 construction supermarkets, each with 15 computers, 2 video servers (surveillance video servers), IP telephony, 40 cameras per store, and other office and shop stuff (such as fiscal cards / receipt printers, etc.) . The company has self-written software, its own team of progers, and also in the central office there are 4 true admins who set up this entire network (I have already come to everything set up and adjusted).
There are no problems as such during operation, mostly blunt users. There is a lot of free time and a great desire to grow from an enikey into an administrator's work, it is impossible to interfere in the network infrastructure unnecessarily, respectively, touch the iron and twist it for no reason.
Poke me with your nose, please, in books / articles / educational materials. Share your experience, where is the best place to start?
I tried to install vmware and build my own "network" of virtual machines, but the note is weak, with 2 virtual machines it is already bad for him, i3 3120m and 4GB of RAM.
I think if I add up to 8 gigs, I can normally dig deeper. And at the same time I'm working on Python, I read that this is a useful skill for the admin.
Please guide me on the right path.
I apologize for the rambling presentation.

Answer 1

with such a quantity of equipment, the company must have an n-th number of spare parts ready for operation. for the best repair of "combat" elements is 100% replacement. there will be misunderstandings, glitches and the system will not start immediately. Well, then look for answers to your questions. at the same time, without eating ... talking with the system setup, reading the accompanying man howto, etc. you will ask already reasonable questions entim 4 "cool" admins. but a correctly and technically competently asked question really elevates you in the eyes of the questioner :) the system administrator must know how to assemble the system from scratch (and consider STE implies knowledge of the system structure and data exchange).
request permission to use these parts to study the shop system, ie. take two cameras, assemble a video information collection system from the programs installed in the live system on your laptop from scratch on a clean operating system. further configure the operation of IP-telephony based on the equipment and software available on the other, etc. etc.

Answer 2

Well, I can share my life experience as the situations are very similar. Being about 30 years old, he worked as a system administrator in a hypermarket. Of course, I had to strain, but sometimes, but mostly all the admins were from Moscow. Well, the outgoing power cables from monitors, etc., were solved quickly and with a bang. In general, I bought myself a mac mini and since there was a lot of time, and schedule 2 through 2 began to study ios programming. 4 years have passed, the salary has increased by 6 times. I do not insist on ios :) But, everyone will take out morality for himself.

Answer 3

You choose one of the CO admins and write to him "Teach me sensei".

Answer 4

Well, do you get paid at work? Why do you need company hardware if you can just buy yourself a computer on which you will drive virtualization? He does not need a super-powerful processor, it is enough to assemble something on a core duo / quad or the first Core i3 / 5/7 (2000 series). On Avito, similar pieces of iron are sold in wagons, at a price of 3-5 thousand. The main thing is to stick more memory there. For example, here's an announcement . 5500 for Core i3 and 4 gigs of RAM. Memory to finish up to 16 gig, and you can have fun.
Well, here, for example, you can read what can be done on virtual machines in order to master new horizons: Linux administration - is it relevant?
Here, by the way, you can still read the work :-) It is written somewhat chaotically, and a very long preamble, but it gives a concept about the harsh everyday life of UNsimple admins.

Answer 5

My advice to you is not to narrow your brain down with the concept of becoming a "true sys.admin", decide better how much money you want in life and what amount will be comfortable for you for life, and then start from this.
Decide what you are interested in doing every day throughout your life, compare it with the money in the labor market and develop in this direction, and sysadmins are just maintenance staff of employees who earn money for the company.
It is much more profitable to really influence money than just repairing pieces of iron.

Answer 6

All learning at home at VMware is very much like homework at school or rehearsing at home in front of a mirror. There is some benefit from all this, but it cannot be compared with going on stage. My personal recipe: solve specific problems. Not at work? We put the server at home, we raise one, the second on it. We go further, we implement solutions to others who need what, in the end we are looking for another job. Yesterday, at a football match, the commentator said - this footballer left the team, where he was a substitute for the whole season with losses in the contract, to the team where he began to play. In general, to get into a team - where work is associated with a permanent prof. growth - where there is someone to explain everything to you intelligibly - a dream.

Answer 7

For experiments, I think 4Gb is enough. Install linux+kvm. For tests 128-500Mb, 128Mb is enough for test client, 512Mb for servers is enough.

Answer 8

What do you really want to know?
Generally there are different courses from large firms producing certificates.

Answer 9

I think if you throw up to 8 gigs, then I can normally dig deeper

Nope. 8G is the minimum from which VmWare wants to work at all, so it needs 16 percent and hardware support for virtualization. No, it will work without it, but it will be like in "The Adventures of Pinocchio" - "Mmmmmmmucheeee...
" in the process of work - at first, of course, the simplest, then more difficult ... A typical problem of the head office - Vasya is away, Petya is on a business trip, Kolya is sick from a hangover, I can’t leave, because at least one must be in the office :) so usually if a person shows a desire to learn, they do not refuse him.