Hints and Tips for New Systems Administrators or What to panic about…… Catherine Jones Systems Librarian

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Contents Introduction My approach to Systems Admin Back-ups Hardware problems Software problems Upgrades Users Conclusions

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Introduction CCLRC: scientific research establishment on three sites (Cheshire, Hampshire & Oxfordshire) Unicorn users since 1995 Two Libraries (physically & in Unicorn) I have a Computing background & have worked in the CCLRC Library since 1994

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service My approach to systems admin Know your system and why people use it the way they do Document everything: –Original set-up –Changes to policies –What reports run when and what they do –How you’ve set-up wizards –When you contact Sirsi – what about & what the result was

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Holding codes

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Complicated reports

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Wizards

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Report schedules

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service My approach to systems admin Ensure everyone knows who is authorised to instruct you to make policy changes Have a clear Change Control process –Written request for change –Check for ramifications –Make the change –Document the change Use the Help facility (only techies do this!)

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service My approach to support Endeavour to build & maintain a good relationship with everyone who supports you; especially the Sirsi helpdesk The more friendly & professional you are the more likely they are to go the extra mile

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Back-ups Should be the biggest part of System Librarian’s nightmares! Ensure that you back-up with appropriate frequency for your site (at least once a week) Ensure that the back-ups work Consider trying to restore from back-up They are so important when things go wrong.

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Hardware problems Ensure you use the Unicorn tools to monitor space – things stop working if disks are full Keep on top of how old your equipment is and plan for replacements

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Software problems Always attempt to duplicate problems you are about to report to Sirsi Always find out about the data being used Always keep a record of what you reported & what the result was Remember it may be the user rather than Unicorn

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Example from my log-book

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Upgrades Upgrades: one of the scariest times in my working life…….. Be prepared: read release notes, lists & manage user expectations Always back-up before & after upgrades on media that isn’t going to be reused in the normal back-up sequence If you have complicated policies run a listpol before you start Ensure rigorous testing before letting people continue with normal work

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Upgrades – user expectations

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Upgrades – plan upgrade

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Upgrades – check for problems

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Users – Library staff & real users Train your users to STOP and TELL YOU when there is something strange going on. Train them not to delete scheduled reports Be aware that they won’t read the documentation you write!

Catherine Jones Library & Information Service Conclusions The best Systems Librarians are paranoid about everything - particularly disasters! Upgrades fix old problems and create new ones Ensure that your knowledge is somewhere where other people can get to it Have your own back-up person Be very nice to your support team – you never know when you might need them………