Changing Linux System Administrator skills

Changing Linux System Administrator skills

How long ago did you compile the kernel? The answer to the new generation of Linux administrators is simple: I have not compiled the kernel. I have never compiled the kernel. Of course I am not sure about it. I really can't think of why I need a custom kernel, so I just used my "out-of-the-box" kernel.

Linux old birds may laugh at us, but you cannot deny that, as more and more enterprises use Linux, the new generation of Linux administrators have a very good technical strength, but there is a gap with an excellent Linux administrator due to lack of simple but basic skills such as kernel compilation. We can use the most cutting-edge technologies to build a high-performance, high-availability Web infrastructure, but don't let us fix a Linux machine that cannot be started-we will suggest you throw it, then change to a new virtual machine.

There have been many interesting things in the past decade: Linux has not only become a commodity, but its endless releases have become increasingly powerful and flexible. Nowadays, a Common System Administrator does not have to master the underlying skills such as compiling the kernel.

Then we witnessed the commercialization of the virtual machine technology. Users using Amazon cloud hosts or VPS may never need to deploy Linux on bare metal. With the increasing popularity of hybrid cloud and private cloud, even many enterprise-level system administrators do not need to deploy Linux on bare metal-log on to the Web management interface, and more than five Apache virtual machines can be deployed at one time.

The latest two trends: configuration management and deployment kits like docker, which hide more underlying Linux technical details. Whenever the customer asks us to configure a Linux machine on OlinData, our first action is to set up Puppet. With the powerful and trustworthy Puppet module, manual configuration is faster and simpler.

For example, you can use Puppet to install Apache on a new machine as follows:

1. Node 'web01 .olindata.com '{
2. Include apache
3. Apache: vhost {'www .olindata.com ':
4. Docroot => '/var/www/olindata'
5. }
6. }

In this environment, I don't even need to open logs on the machine. With continuous deployment tools such as Jenkins, I can fully automate the deployment of my infrastructure Code and ensure that they pass my preset tests.

The system administrator skills are constantly upgraded.

Even if we have updated tools to hide more technical details, sticking to Linux training is still very valuable to system administrators. It is critical to understand the basic knowledge. These abstract advanced tools free administrators from the old tasks. Then, the system administrator should strengthen the ability to use these advanced tools. Familiarizing yourself with advanced tools is critical to improving the level of the system administrator. This forces the system administrator to constantly practice the ability to write code and make full use of these new tools.

Will the underlying Linux skill requirements disappear completely? Of course not. In addition to commercial server deployment, Linux has many other functions. At the same time, people also benefited a lot from the underlying operational knowledge. Most importantly, if your resume shows these skills, I (and many other bosses) will always give priority to you rather than those candidates who have not yet mastered these skills. Because you don't know when to use these skills!

Walter Heck is the founder and CEO of Olindata, a Dutch open-source training consultant (a Linux-authorized training institution). Here is the official Linux-based training course list provided by OlinData.

Via: http://www.linux.com/news/enterprise/systems-management/780956-linux-system-administration-skills-are-changing

Author: Walter Heck

Translator: sailing Proofreader: wxy

This article was originally translated by LCTT and launched with the Linux honor in China

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