Today Is System Administrator Appreciation Day

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.sysadminday.com/">http://www.sysadminday.com/</a><br /><br />Give your system adminstrator a hug :grouphug: then read about a few things to do for (to) your sysadmin, like Ted here:<br /><br />• Make sure to save all your MP3 files on your network drive. No sense in wasting valuable space on your local drive! Plus, Ted loves browsing through 100+ GB of music files while he backs up the servers. <br />• Never write down error messages. Just click OK, or restart your computer. Ted likes to guess what the error message was. <br />When talking about your computer, use terms like "Thingy" and "Big Connector." <br />• If you get an EXE file in an email attachment, open it immediately. Ted likes to make sure the anti-virus software is working properly. <br />• When Ted says he coming right over, log out and go for coffee. It's no problem for him to remember your password. <br />When Ted sends you an email marked as "Highly Important" or "Action Required", delete it at once. He's probably just testing some new-fangled email software. <br />• When Ted's eating lunch at his desk or in the lunchroom, walk right in, grab a few of his fries, then spill your guts and expect him to respond immediately. Ted lives to serve, and he's always ready to think about fixing computers, especially yours. <br />• Send urgent email ALL IN UPPERCASE. The mail server picks it up and flags it as a rush delivery. <br />• When the photocopier doesn't work, call Ted. There's electronics in it, so it should be right up his alley.

[OSUKid7]

*whistles* (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=41927) (didn't think this was worthy of a news submission, but I guess it did if it was OT. ;))

Happy SysAdmin Day! :D

[jmulder]

Yep, in addtion to nobody remembering SysAdmin Day, I got my intrusion detection system running today and found that somebody had installed the SETI screensaver, and used a shipping computer for reading their hotmail. Can you feel the love?

Oh well, I guess people forgetting is better than the year everybody said 'Happy SysAdmin's Day!' to the TEST MANAGER, but not to the actual SysAdmin staff.

Maybe I'll buy something for myself on thinkgeek.com...

[BUMP THAT]

Good stuff.

Happy SA Day!!

[Janak Parekh]

Yep, in addtion to nobody remembering SysAdmin Day, I got my intrusion detection system running today and found that somebody had installed the SETI screensaver, and used a shipping computer for reading their hotmail. Can you feel the love?
Yeah... my response to Ed's "suggestions", as a sysadmin, is :bad-words: ;)

Maybe I'll buy something for myself on thinkgeek.com...
Toys do always seem to work. My new Mac is the toy keeping the geek in me satisfied for now. :P

--janak

[MG]

I agree. Our SysAdmin is Bob. Poor bastard. His latest "issue" is syncing up a few BB 7100's for some Exec's, cause ya know, they are so appreciative. How he keeps going, I'll never know...

Mark

[OSUKid7]

Maybe I'll buy something for myself on thinkgeek.com...
Ah yes, definitely a good day for TG. Stumbled upon this (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/7470/) when browsing the site yesterday. That thing's definitely going on my next TG order, probably along with one of these (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/6c20/).

[Janak Parekh]

Hey, OSUKid7, those both are awesome finds! I'll have to get one of each for myself too...

--janak

[pgb5]

Ours is a whore. Talk about networking...

[Darius Wey]

I'll have to get one of each for myself too...

Uh-oh. :P

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Hey, OSUKid7, those both are awesome finds! I'll have to get one of each for myself too...
Even I have to admit those are pretty darn cool... would make great additions to my little emergency geek sack that I carry inside my computer bag.

[TheOrange]

Our office celebrates Secretary's day like its going out of style. When SA day comes round I get nothing, nobody cares if things are running how they should be. They get bent out of shape when the exchange server tanks though. I say that SA day should the one day we get to randomly unplug ports on the patch panel without giving a damn...

Its thankless work, I think we owe it to ourselves to enjoy the 'simple pleasures'. :twisted:

[emuelle1]

I think sysadmins definitely need recognition. I remember reading something once on http://www.techtales.com:

"I just don't understand this computer crap!"

"Oh, well thank you for referring to all of my training and professional expertise as crap. What do you do, by the way?"

[darkfire07]

Hmmmm.....starting to sound like the BOFH....

http://bofh.ntk.net/Bastard.html

[FrozenIpaq]

Happy Admin day all!! Great site, and keep up the great work!

[bjornkeizers]

Hmmmm.....starting to sound like the BOFH....

http://bofh.ntk.net/Bastard.html

.. and you can find the newest ones - and the past couple of years - at The Register at the following link:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/odds/bofh/

All I needed to know to be an effective sysadmin I learned from reading BOFH - and there are days when a cattleprod is indeed the most effective way to deal with the problem (a.k.a. 'the user') :D

[Jon Westfall]

Ya know, I don't think we can blame anyone but ourselves for people's unawareness of Sysadmin Day. Think of all the ways you could "hint" to people that the day is coming up:

1. Edit the /etc/issue files with a friendly reminder.
2. Windows logon messages are way to boring (i.e. "Unauthorized use of this computer... blah blah blah") Spice them up.
3. Email footers weren't made to say "This file screened" or "This email may contain secure data", throw in a Sysadmin plug there too. If it's a HTML-based email, throw in a link to your Amazon wish list.
4. Corporate intranets would do well to have a "About Sysadmin Day" sidebar on the page where users report computer problems.
5. Mandatory wallpapers are just BEGGING for a plug, as are marquee screen savers if you can pull it off.
6. 2 words: Group Policy
7. FTP logon banners
8. Webmail logon screens
9. Set up a filter to change all outgoing emails which include the line "The sysadmin was too busy playing all day to" to "The sysadmin was too overworked (I should really buy him something nice for sysadmin day) all day to"


In short, it's quite amazing all the "keys to the kingdom" we hold, and we know that. But let's not forget that people have to look at the doors to that kingdom everyday they enter said kingdom!

Jon.

[ricksfiona]

Whew! I hadn't seen ranting and raving like this in a while!

I liked the last item on the list... The copier. Yes, I am an electronics god and I can probably fix your printer. Should I raise my hourly rate cause of the Gandolf-like genius I have? I think so. :D

[buss]

I usually buy our SYSADM a beer whenever I run into him at the pub. Thanks for the reminder, tonight I'll make sure get a round of Jagger to go with it.
:beer: