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Linux Business IT

How to Hire a Linux Administrator 62

Posted by timothy from the check-their-spleens dept.
Skapare writes "Hiring a good system administrator can be difficult. Hiring one while converting to Linux may take someone with special skills. Tom Adelstein is exploring just what is needed, and what should be avoided, in an article at Linux Journal about Linux System Administrators. I say hire more than just one."
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How to Hire a Linux Administrator More

How to Hire a Linux Administrator

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  • I know whats needed (Score:3, Funny)

    by FidelCatsro ( 861135 ) <.fidelcatsro. .at. .gmail.com.> on Monday February 28, 2005 @04:58PM (#11806463) Journal
    All you need is my contact information ,and a cheque for atleast 50,000 euros per year.

  • Find a Linux Sysadmin on Slashdot? (Score:4, Funny)

    by xmas2003 ( 739875 ) * on Monday February 28, 2005 @05:00PM (#11806496) Homepage
    Advantage: knowledgeable in open-source, etc.

    Disadvantage: Spends a lotta time on /.

  • I once read on an internal IBM Linux User Group discussion list about several engineers who wanted to build a Lotus Notes client for Linux. One of the engineers said that they would not wait for the software engineers to build the client; they simply would do it themselves--like Linux guys.

    Well, it could hardly be worse than the Windows client!

    If they made it GPL, they could at least add that super-high-tech feature of an icon indicating whether mails have been replied to. Apparently that's too sophistica

  • Interview questions (Score:3, Informative)

    by prostoalex ( 308614 ) on Monday February 28, 2005 @05:17PM (#11806670) Homepage Journal
    Shameless plug, it's my site: Linux Interview Questions [techinterviews.com]

    THe questions were forwarded by recruiters and companies, pretty much all of them in the US, except the first one, who was located in India.

    • Re:Interview questions (Score:3, Insightful)

      by dago ( 25724 )
      Well, the question would be more like "Can you find the incorrect answers on this website ?"

      Here are the first two (easiest) ones :

      "Q: What is HTTP Tunneling
      A: HTTP Tunneling is a security method that encryptes packets traveling throught the internet. Only the intended reciepent should be able to decrypt the packets. Can be used to Create Virtual Private Networks. (VPN)"

      "Q: What is the difference between a soft link and a hard link?
      A: A symbolic (soft) linked file and the targeted file can be located on
      • I have to argue about the first one above (HTTP Tunneling). Just because you tunnel traffic does not mean that it is encrypted.

        • For the second one, a hard link points to the inode for the actual file, while a soft link points to the file's directory entry. Soft links simply become invalid when the file is deleted. All hard links have to be deleted for the file to actually be deleted from the filesystem.
          • BTW, this is the reason why hard links need to be within the same filesystem, but soft links can go anywhere.
          • "For the second one, a hard link points to the inode for the actual file, while a soft link points to the file's directory entry"

            A soft link "points" to an arbitraty string.

            For example:
            ln -s http://slashdot.org foo
            works. Whether it does anything usefull is between you and your webserver code.
            • In FreeBSD you can configure the behavior of malloc by symlinking the file /etc/malloc.conf to the options you want.

              For example, on my main FreeBSD box it looks like this:
              lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 3 May 13 2004 /etc/malloc.conf -> HZA

              H: have malloc generate hints for the kernel as to which pages should be paged out first.
              Z: Zero pages during both allocation and freeing, and always reallocate memory when requested.
              A: Abort processes on any warnings from malloc.

      • Better questions:

        Q: If you didn't know what HTTP tunneling is, how would you find out?
        Q: Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind about your mother...
      • The thing I noticed (other than the wrong answers) was that a lot of the questions are aimed at a potentially different target. For example, why would you be asking a linux admin any dba-related questions? Also, the questions specific about various apache versions should be aimed at a web administrator (which falls under the applications group, not the sys-admin group, at least in a larger organization).
        I'd prefer to see a list of questions that pertain to the more non-technical aspects of system admin, s

    • Re:Interview questions (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Piquan ( 49943 ) on Monday February 28, 2005 @05:56PM (#11807101)

      Not a big fan of several of the answers. The first batch of questions has some things that are quite wrong (virtual memory is implemented by time-sharing?!?) and there's no comments correcting them. At least the one that starts with "ls -ltra" has comments, although the main page doesn't make that clear.

      One problem with providing answers to interview questions is that it's almost useless. If the interviewer knows the correct answers, then they don't need it. If the interviewer doesn't, then the questions must be crafted to only have one correct answer (eg, "What does UDP stand for?"), and such questions are often teh suck. Otherwise (still discussing the case when the interviewer doesn't know the problem domain) you end up with situations like the windows/unix filesharing question, in which the interviewer expects to hear NFS while many respondants would reply SAMBA. Open-ended questions, such as "what does [technology] do" are the worst in this scenario. So I don't think that providing answers helps.

      Beware also of "opinion" questions, such as "what is the main advantage of symlinks over copies". The question on your site says that permissions are shared, while I think that the main advantage is that modifications are shared. Somebody coming from an embedded systems background may well have good reason to say that the main advantage is disk space.

      I guess my point is, it's perilous to interview for Linux folk if you don't know enough Linux to deal with a variety of correct answers.

  • Personality (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 28, 2005 @05:20PM (#11806704)
    Don't forget to look for personality.

    Too many geeks spend so much time in front of the computer they forget how to deal with people.

    I'd rather hire a less-technical person with good person skills then a more-technical person who cannot hold a converation. Since the Linux admin is basically a internal support person for the business, a good personality, decent communication skills, and the ability to turn a low-level human concepts to create a technical solution are always very important. The ability to chat over a coffee or beer is essential in any workplace.

    Many technical skills can be learned very quickly. Personality is learned in a lifetime.

    • Re:Personality (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      What you really want is the best of both worlds. So hire an ubergeek and let him live in the server room. Then hire a moderately technical person with good people skills to act as a firewall between that guy and the outside world.
    • Many technical skills can be learned very quickly.

      I have heard that before. Never seen it practice though. I have seen a bit of the opposite, where geeks work to sand off thier abrasive edges.

      Your typical geek is not interested in Politicking. He can be polite, but not interested in engaging in chit chat for the sake of chit chat.
      • Your typical geek is not interested in Politicking. He can be polite, but not interested in engaging in chit chat for the sake of chit chat.

        Politicking is not required to have a personality.

        The group will function better if the geeks and non-geeks are able to bond a little bit.

        If you're the nice but quiet geek who sits in the corner, I'm not sure you'll survive for long at many of the companies I work at.
    • Remember: it is best not to "talk shop" Over coffee or beer. It may be a good topic if tea is the drink on the table. Sidenote - I can't stand coffee or beer >.>
    • The ability to chat over a coffee or beer is essential in any workplace.

      You drink beer in your office? Where can I apply?

  • Nicknames (Score:5, Funny)

    by Profane MuthaFucka ( 574406 ) <busheatskok@gmail.com> on Monday February 28, 2005 @05:40PM (#11806935) Homepage Journal
    Don't wait until he signs the contract to ask him what his funny nickname means and how he got it. I'm serious about this. Under no circumstances should you EVER hire an admin who answers to the name of "jizz". Truse me.

  • the company in question is located in the Portland (Oregon) metro area, they can just hire me.
    • nothing "off-topic" about it, since i've been an expert in cross-platform interoperability and migration for over a decade. jerks.
    • The Portland metro area is a curious combination. (I know - I live there.) 99% of the population are geeks and there's one tiny computer store - stuck way out on 82nd street, almost into Clackamas.

      Given that it is becoming a major hub of computing (Silicon Forest is no joke) what with Intel throwing big bucks into the area and a lot of tech-heavy industries (eg: Boeing) having a big presence there, it's bizare what Portland DOES have. There's probably no higher density of bookstores, coffee shops, ethnic

      • That's why I moved to lovely wine country, Yamhill county. But my boss hates Linux. And he hates Solaris even more, so I wear my free Solaris 10 shirt to work once a week. I think I have him convinced to let me install a LINUX server to run NAGIOS though.

  • Hire more than one?! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Improv ( 2467 ) <pgunn01@gmail.com> on Monday February 28, 2005 @06:18PM (#11807326) Homepage Journal
    In my experience, that's a recipe for disaster. In my old workplace, there were four of us, and there were constant power struggles. Eventually, things got better when some of us left, or so I hear.
  • Just hire me.

    Seriously, i'm the best, as an added extra i only spend 4 hours a day on /. .

    Hey, i'm a beautiful mind, could you ask for anyone better?

    Of course no!

    Hm, what are you doing with that stick?

    Uh, trust me, i'm not that annoying!

    Don't come any closer or i'll scream!

    EEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

    *thud*

  • I KNOW this stuff (Score:2, Interesting)

    by czarangelus ( 805501 )
    I've been using Linux as my primary or secondary OS at home for 3 years, and I easily know all the questions on that site. I'm wondering how to make that translate into an actual job, given that my degree is (going to be) in the field of Philosophy and I have no real experience administering computers in a professional setting. Are there certifications? Where do you start to get experience? Help, I'm going to need a job when I get out of college!
    • Well, philosophy is good. However, a company often wants enterprise level experience. My suggestion, in that it worked for me, is to find small jobs with linux and work your way up. If you are in the US, Red Hat has the linux market share and their certifications are looked at favorably by many. This does not make them the best, but if you want a job with a company you need to have all the advantages you can get.

      So find a place that needs linux and work for them. Even it it means for real cheap, or free.

    • Re:I KNOW this stuff (Score:3, Insightful)

      by russellh ( 547685 )
      Join a startup company. Of course, you have to find one, or start one, but they love people like you. Being a low-budget environment, you get to do everything, with real responsibility, from sysadmin to programming and answering the phones (or whatever. Startup companies can't afford to hire sysadmins. They can usually only afford generalists. You can then emphasize whatever it is you want on your resume.

      As for finding one, well... luck probably. you have to know people in that world. Or know those who kno

  • Selecting a syadmin (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 28, 2005 @07:46PM (#11808116)
    First, look over your potential new sysadmin from a distance of a few feet. What you're looking for are any major defects.

    Contrary to popular belief, a good sysadmin isn't just skinny or fat. Any body shape will do fine, so don't spend a lot of time here. Just feel him or her in his midsection and verify that the flesh is soft and supple. Firmness in the stomach area is a sign that this sysadmin has been exercising rather than reading product manuals.

    Count the legs and arms: a good sysadmin should have two arms (with hands with five fingers each: sysadmins do a lot of typing), and two legs. However, if your sysadmin has less than two legs and comes with a set of wheels, he will do just fine. Two arms are absolutely necessary though!

    Next, come in a little closer. If you detect the aroma of old floppy disks, throw this one out, it's not fresh. What you want is an aroma of unwashed armpits mixed with the smell of microwaved CD-R fumes.

    Look your sysadmin in the eyes. If he or she looks at the floor, that means the reflexes are sharp.

    Finally, take an alphanumeric pager and wave it in front of the sysadmin. He or she should instinctively take the pager and strap it to his or her belt. If the pager is rejected, a firm "NO" will usually suffice, however a salary increase and/or further training is sometimes necessary.

    Once you've selected your new sysadmin, take him or her to your server room and let him roam freely. Be sure he has a clean box to put empty Mountain Dew cans in.

    If you have sysadmins already, you may want to keep them in separate cubes for a few days. Then, put them in the same room for a few hours each day to rub scent glands and discussion Gentoo USE flags. In some rare situations, disgreement over which boot loader to use may result in fights, be prepared to separate them.

    Congratulations on your new sysadmin! He or she should bring you several months of smoothly running systems, until burnout or employee turnover sets in.
  • Can anyone atest to the fact that entry level Linux Administration jobs actually exist in Texas?

    I'm a Computer Engineer, with background in Debian for over 5 years on my own servers and personal workstation. If anybody wants to get me a job, I'd appreciate it :) but seriously... can anybody give me any hope for an entry level position with career possibilities in Linux system administration in Texas?

  • Typical Linux anti-MS attitude. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by PygmySurfer ( 442860 ) on Monday February 28, 2005 @08:13PM (#11808343)
    In general, a Linux system administrator has an easier time working on Microsoft and UNIX operating systems than the other way around.

    It's phrases like this that make me question the validity of the whole article. The prejudice many Linux users have against Microsoft alone would be enough to keep them from trying to administer Windows systems. On the other hand, I think most UNIX admins would have an easy time admining a Linux system.

    • Re:Typical Linux anti-MS attitude. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ChibiOne ( 716763 ) on Monday February 28, 2005 @08:44PM (#11808578)
      As elitist as it may sound, in my experience (as a Linux Admin for an ERP consulting firm, sometimes I'm asked to provide training for the client firm's tech staff) this is actually true. The reason may be that a Windows admin has spent so much time with the GUI that memorizing/using the command line may seem like a daunting task. I'd say it's not a matter of competence, but rather a matter of attitude.
      • Well, I wasn't talking about Windows admins so much as admins of other UNIX systems (Sadly, there's so many MCSEs without a clue they've created a bad rep for any Windows admins who might actually be competent). Of course, Windows and UNIX are really quite different, some difficulty adjusting from one to the other is to be expected.

        I still stand behind my statement that other UNIX admins (HP-UX, FreeBSD, Solaris, etc) would easily be able to adjust and administer a Linux system, and that was really my big
    • It depends on the flavour. I am almost 21. I've run FreeBSD and Linux since I was 12 years old. I've had encounters with HP-UX which where wholly unsuccessful. On the other hand, Solaris is reasonable enough. There are a lot of differences above and beyond the API-level which need to be taken into concideration. These days I used Windows 2000 Professional. I honestly have no idea how it works, but it does. I'd be a shitty admin of it, however.
      • Naturally, there's going to be some adjustment moving from one system to another. However, I think if you've experience running Linux and FreeBSD, with a bit of exploring, you'd get a basic handle on HP-UX easily enough. Actually, of all the major UNIX-like flavours (Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, Linux and FreeBSD) that I've used, I found AIX to be the most confusing. Solaris is probably the most Linux-like (actually, it's probably even closer to BSD than Linux), and HP-UX somewhere in the middle.
        • Well, SunOS was just a commercial BSD, our beloved Dr Bill Joy, author of Vi, creator of BSD, Java, Jini, and the UltraSPARC processors among other things, brought it to them. Solaris is SunOS with SysV init, near as I can tell. I don't really like it because it's purple, however. And not that good Imperial purple which is really red, but more lavender. i don't like to look at it for long periods of time. or short periods of time. But the Ultra5 was a pretty sweet computer. I'd have liked to have own
    • I can't agree with this one enough.

      I'm one of two UNIX guys in my current role at a basically all-Microsoft shop. Not only can we handle Linux, Solaris, and AIX, but we do just fine working in Active Directory. The Windows guys really don't have any desire to do anything other than Windows.

      On top of that, we tend to be more diverse at the application level as well. We can get our work done in vi, emacs, OpenOffice, or Microsoft Office. And, from what I've seen, the UNIX people tend to be better at usi
    • It's phrases like this that make me question the validity of the whole article. The prejudice many Linux users have against Microsoft alone would be enough to keep them from trying to administer Windows systems.

      More importantly, you get "Admins" who *think* they know how to run a Windows network, but really have little idea. For example, they believe the only way to do user admin is to RDP (or VNC/PCAnywhere/whatever) to the server and open up "Domain Users and Groups", or they think the only way to keep

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