Seems like there has been quite a few visitors coming to this blog after having done a google search on xkcd system administrator. To spare future visitors the disappointment I might just as well post the content I believe they were looking for.
(See xkcd #705 for the full size original.)
One of the exciting parts of being a system administrator are the situations when you need to get something working Right Now. Working under time pressure, trying to find a creative solution to an unexpected technical problem, that’s not entirely unlike doing the job of MacGyver.
Earlier this week I had to deal with the result of a failing DNS server. What made this a real problem was a bunch of Windows computer which refused to talk to any other DNS servers they had been, or were being, told of. Perhaps not the most exciting of examples, but it will do for the point I’m about to make.
The otherwise extremely stable server failed due to a bad hard drive. Considering the age of the hard drive in question I can’t really claim to be surprised. Had I actually replaced the hard drive earlier on, then there wouldn’t have been a problem. Also, had I actually verified that all computers really talked to the secondary DNS server I wouldn’t have had a problem which needed to be solved Right Now.
No matter how fun it can be to solve problems, your users will most likely prefer it if the problems weren’t there in the first place. While the heroic actions of MacGyver are important you musn’t forget the all so important, and somewhat more mundane, proactive measures which has to be done routinely.
Well, then there is of course the small detail of having the time…
