Core Job Descriptions
An excerpt from SAGE Short Topics booklet #8, Job
Descriptions for System Administrators, Revised and Expanded Edition, by Tina Darmohray
Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV
DefinitionsThese definitions are guidelines, not rigid categories. As any
of the variables at a site increase—number of computers, number of
users, types of hardware, variety of software, and operating systems
supported—the site becomes more complex. Increased site complexity
typically requires increased system administration resources and also
requires more experienced system administrators to manage the more
complex aspects of the site.
- Small, uniform site
- < 50 computers, all running the same operating system, and 20
or fewer users. (A computer used only by the administrator does not
qualify as a site.)
- Complex site
- Up to 100 computers, running more than two different operating
systems, and up to 100 users.
- Large, complex site
- > 100 computers, potentially running more than one operating
system, and >100 users.
The titles proposed here may not be suitable for all sites. Senior
System Administrator is a relatively standard title, but the titles in
use for the lower levels vary widely from place to place. However, the levels and descriptions are likely to apply, whatever the title may be.
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Level I: Novice System Administrator
Required Skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; capable of explaining
simple procedures in writing or verbally; good phone skills.
- Familiar with an operating system and its commands/utilities
at a user level; can edit files, issue commands, find users'
home directories, navigate through the file system, and use I/O
redirection.
- Able to follow instructions well.
Required Background
- Two years of college or equivalent post-high school education or
experience.
Desirable Background and Skills
- A degree or certificate in computer science or a related field.
- Previous experience in customer support, computer operations,
system administration, or another related area.
- Motivated to advance in the profession.
Appropriate Responsibilities
- Performs routine tasks under the direct supervision of a more
experienced administrator.
- Acts as a front-line interface to users, accepting trouble reports
and dispatching them to appropriate system administrators.
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Level II: Junior System Administrator
Required Skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; capable of training
users in applications and operating system fundamentals and writing
basic documentation.
- High skill with most operating system commands/utilities.
- Familiarity with most basic system administration tools and
processes; for example, can boot/shut down a machine, add and remove
user accounts, use backup programs and fsck or chkdsk, maintain
system database files (groups, hosts, aliases, usermanager).
- Fundamental understanding of an operating system; for example,
understands job control, soft and hard links or shortcuts,
distinctions between the kernel and the user environment.
Required Background
- One to three years of system administration experience.
Desirable Background and Skills
- A degree in computer science or a related field.
- Familiarity with networked/distributed computing environment
concepts; for example, can use the route command or administer
routing and remote access service, add a workstation to a network,
and mount remote filesystems.
- Ability to write scripts in some administrative language (Tk,
Perl, VBScript, a shell).
- Programming experience in any applicable language.
Appropriate Responsibilities
- Administers a small, uniform site alone or assists in the
administration of a larger system.
- Works under the general supervision of a system administrator or
computer systems manager.
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Level III: Intermediate/Advanced System
Administrator
Required Skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; capable of writing
purchase justifications, training users in complex topics, making
presentations to an internal audience, and interacting positively
with upper management.
- Independent problem-solving, self-direction.
- Comfortable with most aspects of operating system administration;
for example, configuration of mail systems, system installation and
configuration, printer systems, fundamentals of security, installing
third-party software.
- Has a solid understanding of a UNIX-based operating system;
understands paging and swapping, inter-process communication, devices
and what device drivers do, filesystem concepts (inode, clustering,
logical partitions).
- Familiarity with fundamental networking/distributed computing
environment concepts; can configure NFS and NIS, NT domains; can use
nslookup or dig to check information in the DNS; understands basic
routing concepts.
- Ability to write scripts in some administrative language (Tk,
Perl, VBScript, a shell).
- Ability to do minimal debugging and modification of C
programs.
Required Background
- Three to five years of system administration experience.
Desirable Background and Skills
- A degree in computer science or a related field.
- Significant programming background in any applicable language.
Appropriate Responsibilities
- Receives general instructions for new responsibilities from
supervisor.
- Administers a complex site alone or assists in the administration
of a larger site.
- Initiates some new responsibilities and helps to plan for the
future of the site/network.
- Manages novice system administrators or operators.
- Evaluates and/or recommends purchases; has strong influence on
purchasing process.
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Level IV: Senior System Administrator
Required Skills
- Strong interpersonal and communications skills; capable of writing
proposals or papers, acting as a vendor liaison, making presentations
to customers or client audiences or professional peers, and working
closely with upper management.
- Ability to solve problems quickly and automate processes.
- A solid understanding of an operating system; understands paging
and swapping, inter-process communications, devices and what
device drivers do, filesystem concepts (inode, clustering, logical
partitions), can use performance analysis to tune systems.
- A solid understanding of networking/distributed computing
environment concepts; understands principles of routing, client/server
programming, the design of consistent network-wide filesystem
layouts.
- Ability to program in an administrative language (Tk, Perl,
VBScript, a shell), to port C programs from one platform to another,
and to write small C or C# programs.
Required Background
- More than five years of previous system administration
experience.
Desirable Background and Skills
- A degree in computer science or a related field.
- Extensive programming background in any applicable language.
- Publications within the field of system administration.
Appropriate Responsibilities
- Designs/implements complex local and wide-area networks of
machines.
- Manages a large, complex site or network.
- Works under general direction from senior management.
- Establishes/recommends policies on system use and services.
- Provides technical lead and/or supervises system administrators,
system programmers, or others of equivalent seniority.
- Has purchasing authority and responsibility for purchase
justification.
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