The Great Solaris Administration Best Practices Debate

Peter Baer Galvin

In the February 2002 Sys Admin magazine, my column covered "The Golden Rules of Sun Systems Administration". This led to a flurry of feedback, point, and counterpoint about the true Solaris systems administration best practices. This month, my column includes the points from readers, and my view on them.

So much time, effort, and discussion is spent on specific sys admin tasks (“how to get this thing to do that thing”), and relatively little time is spent on the larger issue of the best ways to install systems, the best ways run systems, and in general, the best practices of systems administrators. Systems administration is a journeyman’s trade. Most admins don’t earn a degree in systems administration. Most don’t even take any courses in it, except for the occasional “how to” tutorial or vendor course. Rather, good sys admin practices are learned on the job, through interactions with other administrators and direct experience (i.e., “the hard way”).

Thus, I believe that a Solaris Sys Admin Best Practices FAQ is a good and useful thing to create and maintain. This month, I include new ideas and points of discussion from readers. In the May issue of Sys Admin, the wisdom from “Golden Rules” and here, plus your new feedback, will be collected into such a FAQ. I hope it will continue to evolve and improve over time, again with reader input.

With no further ado, here is the more salient feedback to the Golden Rules column. Stewart Dean wrote:

Comments/Additions:

1. PAY ATTENTION: Your world is hostile; “smell” the wind, listen to the slightest noise, *know* your world. You can generally deal with problems two ways:

• Early and cheap, if you’re paying attention and are proactive

• Late and expensive if you are smashed under the avalanche.