System Administrator

The term system administrator designates a job position of engineers involved in computer systems. System administrators responsible for running the system, or some aspect of it.

The precise meaning varies. Organizations with very large or complex computer systems typically divide up computer staff according to specialization, in which case a system administrator is someone responsible for the maintenance of an existing computer system.


Duties of a system administrator
A system administrator's responsibilities typically include:
Performing backups
Applying operating system updates, and configuration changes
Installing and configuring new hardware/software
Adding/deleting/modifying user account information, resetting passwords, etc.
Answering technical queries
Responsibility for security
Responsibility for documenting the configuration of the system
troubleshooting any reported problems
System performance tuning
In larger organizations, some of the tasks listed above may be divided between different system
administrators. For example, there may be a dedicated individual or group responsible for testing
and applying system upgrades.

In smaller organizations, the system administrator can also perform any number of duties elsewhere associated with other fields:

Technical support
Database administrator (DAB)
Network administrator/analyst/specialist
Application analyst
Security administrator
Programmer
System administrators also tend not to be system architects/system engineers/system designers, although these duties are sometimes given to them, too. In smaller organizations, IT/computing specialties are less often discerned in detail, and the term "system administrator" is used in a rather generic way — they are the people who know how the computer systems work and can respond when something fails.


Becoming a system administrator As with many professions, there is no single path to becoming a system administrator. Few colleges or universities have specific programs for system administration, so many system administrators have a degree in generic fields: computer science, computer engineering, information system management, or even a trade school program. As of 2004, only two U.S. universities, Tufts and Florida State University, have post-graduate programs in system administration.

In addition, because of the practical nature of systems administration and the easy availability of open-source server software, many systems administrators enter the field self-taught.

Generally, a prospective administrator will be required to have some experience with the computer system he or she is expected to manage. In some cases, candidates are required to possess industry certifications before being considered. For example, someone applying for a job administering Microsoft Windows systems may be expected to have the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator MCSA certification (Lesser of MCSE). For Linux systems, there are three common certification programs: LPI, RHCE and Linux+. Administrators of systems in certain fields using specialized software may also be required to have experience or have received certification to use said packages.

Sometimes, almost exclusively in smaller sites, the role of system administrator may be given to a skilled user in addition to or in replacement of his or her duties.