(Part 3) Top products from r/sysadmin

When I started as sysadmin, reading this sub and learning about products helped me in my field. Someone mentioned CCNA certification, personally I think that would be overkill for your job, however you can still look at syllabus and just skim through. I do not know about CompTia, if it is easy then maybe that is worth it. Sysadmin is broad field, it includes networks and security, servers, storage and various solutions. You know all this as you sell it all. But how do you put it all together -- defines your infrastructure.

Just before I begin, quite a lot of terms are just a product knowledge. I.e. if you sell racks, you know what unit is. If you sell switches, you know what are SFP ports. And so on.

As a buyer, sometimes I find it difficult to make a decision how to setup my infrastructure, even as a team of 3 we spend time meeting, drawing diagrams and discussing etc. If project is big, we may come up with 3 different plans within a month.

If you find certificates boring and taking long, I suggest you just read this sub from time to time, most popular topics, and learn with others. /r/homelab definitely check this sub as well.

If your clients are mostly Windows, perhaps skim through this book: Microsoft Server 2016 unleashed , most SMEs setup AD environment, Hyper-V or VMWare, and storage.

What are storage array levels ( any easy random link from google about raid level 0, 1, 5 and 10 for starters ) and raid calculator. While at it, ask your technicians difference between SAN and NAS, but you may already know it.

I cannot think of anything about networks, but we mostly use fierwalls, as we need to segregate networks and setup access controls between them. Setup DMZ (google it). Routers are of little use for us. SMEs would buy firewall with intrusion detection or prevention. Something like Checkpoint, which could prevent intrusions and also control which applications can access internet (i.e. is facebook allowed?).

Networks switches is easy to understand. Little more complicated network can make use of VLANs (i.e. each department can have their own VLAN. also telephone network (VoIP) usually connected into separate VLAN for QoS). How Spanning Tree protocols (STP) work is complicated for beginners, but good to know they exist and what they are for. The (STP) feature found in managed Layer 2 switches. PoE is another term you might hear - it means power over ethernet, when you can connect phones and IP video cameras to computer network without need of power socket. Expensive stuff.

software wise, apart from Windows, SMEs may need monitoring, logging and backup systems.

Look at this guy's backup question May be your type of customers. Sometimes people mention 3-2-1 backup approach.

It is also important to have monitoring setup to monitor infrastructure: SNMP from network switches to monitor traffic speed, various metrics from Windows operating system, and server health. It is on our wiki You can setup PRTG quick and easy on windows box to play with, for fun. Logging tools are complicated subject for security and compliance, suggest leave it for later (marketing term: SIEM).

If all of this is still not enough, can read PCI DSS SAQ D questionnaire and whatever you can pick up from there - read up. If something is complicated - skip for another time/year/life. This will give you some insights into best practices and good security approach in planning and managing infrastructure.

Hope my thoughts are relevant to your question. Good luck, ask us anything. Try to setup small lab yourself but do not be discouraged..

​

EDIT:

I recommend you also read about OSI model in networking. 7 Layers. It is good knowledge for any techie, not only for network admins. OSI model is kind of theoretical, TCP/IP model is practical -- just FYI.

If you happen to learn this much, I think you may even become a consultant one day. Something to look up for!

I say this all the time, but: Who would have thought that in the 2012, the greatest OS war of our day would still be BSD vs SystemV (iOS vs. Android)?

Generally, a focus in Windows is going to take you into corporate IT, building internally-oriented tools to support organizations. Here you'll want to learn bout VMWare, the full Microsoft stack, and look closely at tools designed for Enterprise support. There's less demand in this arena for nix, but also less chance to make a real impact on the world. Sure, there's something to be said for helping maintain the compute clusters inside of banks, or using Altiris or similar tools to manage hundreds of desktops for gigantic offices. I've done this myself, but I didn't have very much fun.

For my money, where you want to be is in web operations, building the systems that drive popular websites. Think about Instagram, Etsy, Netflix, companies that move enormous amounts of data around on the cheap, with relatively tiny staff. Read the blogs by the infrastructure team behind Etsy, and you'll realize quickly that these guys are geniuses.

Here you'll want to learn about how to interact programmatically with cloud compute providers, such as Amazon AWS, Rackspace Cloud, and the OpenStack providers that are starting to pop up, like HP. (A cloud provider is generally not just virtualization, but virtualization coupled with an API. It may sound small but it's a big difference!)

Here's some reading: If you want to learn a lot about nix operating systems, check out The Armadillo Book and The Practice of System and Network Administration.

If you're interested in learning web operations-oriented sysadmin, which is a VERY interesting place to be, also check out The Art of Scalability -- well, the first 2/3 anyway -- and the followup book, 50 Scalability Rules.

And especially, especially read and understand this, because there won't be many web-oriented companies still in business by 2014 that don't follow this process: Continuous Delivery.

Good luck! You picked a GREAT time to get started in the industry. The 00's were pretty boring by comparison. :)

EDIT: I KAN SPEEL

Unfortunately, I don't have, Not sure if on Archive there's something.
Will Edit this once I can find a way of seeing removed texted.

Edit: FOUND IT

Here's the Text:

"Hi r/sysadmin

Each week I thought I'd post these SysAdmin tools, tips, tutorials etc with just one link to get it in your inbox each week. Let me know any ideas for future versions in the comments.

Here are the most interesting items that have come across our desks, laptops, phones this week. As always, I have no affiliation with any of these unless I explicitly state otherwise

​

A Free Tool

LetsMonitor.org(https://letsmonitor.org/) is a free service that alerts you when your site certificates are misconfigured or nearing expiration. Notifications can be sent to multiple contacts.

A SysAdmin Site

Wahl Network (http://wahlnetwork.com/) is a weekly technical blog with a focus on data-center technologies, business challenges, and new products and solutions. The site was founded by Chris Wahl in 2010, with a goal of providing technical solutions for SysAdmins.

Another Free Tool

Switch Miner (http://switchminer.sourceforge.net/). Ever have trouble figuring out what's connected where? Switch Miner is a port-discovery tool that can help locate all the devices connected to any switch. This handy utility can also discover and scan neighbouring switches via CDP. And best of all, it's free!

A Hacking Story

Ghost in the Wires (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316037729). This is the intriguing true story of Kevin Mitnick, who was the most-elusive computer hacker in history. He broke into networks at the world's biggest companies, all the while being pursued by the Feds. The complex cat-and-mouse game that ensued ultimately inspired permanent changes in the way companies protect their sensitive data.

A Server Room Tip

Here's a simple trick for physically tracing unlabelled server-room cables: Slide a velcro loop or binder clip along the cable until you reach the other end.
​

Have a fantastic week!!

u/crispyducks (-REMOVED 2 NOT VIOLATE SUB REDDIT RULES-)

​

Why am I doing this each week? (Updated)

I want to be mindful of the rules of the subreddit, so if you’d like to know more about my reasons for doing this, please visit the the sister post on /r/SysAdminBlogs here."

I bought one of these years ago for the same reason at work ... One of the best things I ever bought. Came with special filters for toner, powerful as can be so totally replaced canned air ... and very very well built. I recall it was a bit pricey, but it was completely, totally worth it.

Edit: Found the one I had -- Looks exactly the same. I miss this thing! What a great unit, and it looks like it's still American Made, too! Good for them.

Double edit: looks like they have two versions now ... this is the actual one we had -- Appears this one has the two speeds (as I recall) and a more powerful motor -- but is more than 2x the price.

10000 limit again. Reserving this comment for the Programming section:

PROGRAMMING
Gray Hat Python: Python Programming for Hackers and Reverse Engineers
Beginning Python
The Python Standard Library by Example (Developer's Library)
Shell Scripting
Shell Scripting Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach
Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible, Second Edition
Wicked Cool Shell Scripts
sed & awk (2nd Edition)
The Ruby Programming Language
Beginning Ruby: From Novice to Professional
Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example
Agile Web Development with Rails
Automating Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with Windows PowerShell 2.0
Pragmatic Guide to Subversion
Programming Perl
C++ Primer Plus
The AWK Programming Language thanks sjhill
Modern Perl thanks three18ti
High-Order Perl thanks three18ti
The Art of Scalability thanks mr_chip
Scalability Rules thanks mr_chip
Continuous Delivery thanks mr_chip
The Varnish Book thanks mr_chip

A CIO even in a small business is a business focused strategic position. Your job should be to understand the business strategy and align IT resources to complement it (or in some cases performing adjustments all around to compliment business, informational, and organizational strategy).

So my question to you is, how are your business skills? Having tech skills in a position like this helps but it is a very small part of what you will be doing.

This is pseudo fiction. But it is an easy read and really gives a good picture of what it is like to onboard as a CIO. It might be worth picking up a copy to give yourself some idea of what it feels like to deal with IT from a strategic standpoint. http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-IT-Leader-Robert-Austin/dp/142214660X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347142447&sr=8-1&keywords=%22the+adventures+of+an+IT+leader%22

When I was a field tech, mostly working with structured cabling and networking equipment I took the following along with me, some of these things are no longer needed with VOIP phones though:

• Klein Scissors, great for working with cabling. http://www.amazon.com/Klein-2100-7-Electricians-Scissors-Stripping/dp/B000VL03NC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_2
  
  
• Klein 11-in-1 screwdriver (I actually had two) http://www.amazon.com/Klein-32500-Screwdriver-Driver-Cushion/dp/B0015SBILG/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_y
  
  
• Harris puncdown tool ( I think fluke took them over though in quality) the little flip out hook is really useful when doing 66 blocks or panels - something like this http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-D914S-10061810-impact-EverSharp/dp/B000GA6QEI/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1377872619&sr=1-2&keywords=harris+punch+down+tool (You can get cheaper here, but I burned through the ideal ones pretty fast. The harris ones seemed to last a while).
  
  
• Multimeter (Fluke makes some nice ones)
  
  
• Cable Tester - this will do phone, coax, cat5/6 and isn't crazy priced. You can buy more remotes for it too: http://www.amazon.com/Test-Um-TP300-Resi-Tester/dp/B000J15CEE/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1377872779&sr=8-7&keywords=test+um+cable+tester
  
  
• Tone and probe kit (sends a signal over a cable and you can use the wand to figure out what cable it is. Killer for unmarked cables. You'll probably want to take some jacks and make up your own adapters too) - http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-PRO3000-Tone-Probe/dp/B000FTADX0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377872864&sr=8-1&keywords=harris+tone
  
  
• Banjo adapter is nice if you don't want to make your own: http://www.amazon.com/Paladin-Tools-1902-Modular-Adapter/dp/B000099O64/ref=pd_sim_indust_13
  
  
• If you have traditional phone lines to deal with, a buttset (or linemans set) isn't a bad thing to have either.
  
  
• Some coax tools (crimper/stripper)
  
  
• A drywall saw
  
  
• A decent tool bag. I used a generic husky one from lowes.
  
  
• A drill (keep the charger in the bag) and a decent bit set
  
  
• A box of random screws and anchors
  
  
• Bigass roll of velcro
  
  
• Double sided tape
  
  
• ALL the connectors (in bulk)
  
  
• Electrical tape
  
  
• Pull string anytime you fish a conduit or a pain in the ass space, leave a string.
  
  
• Various standard hand tools, spackle isn't bad to have and a putty knife, I had a cheap soldering iron and some basic stuff for it too. Sharpies (a whole pack of them). A level, a tape measure.
  
  
• A label maker! Brother makes a bunch. Label everything!
  
  
• Flashlight. I carried two. One small penlight on myself (streamlight) and one that shared the batteries with my drill.
  
  Obviously this all doesnt go in one bag, but I had mine in my car/truck all the time. It'd be a lot easier in an office.

No problem, I would always say deploy them as Applications as you get much better control of them and have more options available.

Packages are mostly a holdover from CM2007 and earlier and while still perfectly functional I tend to only use them for "dumb" deployments now like copying a file to a PC.

Theres a nice overview of the differences between Packages and Apps here:

https://allthingsconfigmgr.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/package-vs-application/

If you are looking for a better "guide" for sanely deploying and managing SCCM I highly recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/9187445085/

Rather than just being full of pictures of clicking Next on a wizard it actually walks you through a real world deployment and provides some hard won tips and hints as well as showing how to work with each part of SCCM, from installation to app deployment, OSD, OS updates and more.

I agree that the OEM docks are always the best, hands down - but I recently had a surprisingly good experience with an aftermarket USB dock. Plugable makes one that's compatible with just about anything, tablets included (using an OTG cable). This wasn't on an important system else I would have gotten the OEM dock for a little bit more.

I was having trouble getting it to work, and while suggesting a BIOS update first would have been helpful, they were happy to 2-day a tested and working dock to isolate the fault, and provide free return shipping on the test unit.

Of course, you don't get the built in charging ability, which for most users is a dealbreaker because an extra cord is too much to remember and "my laptop keeps dying ever since I started using this new dock you put in."

I've been struggling with the same thing in my environment, so I'm not sure I can answer this question for you. That being said, I've been doing a fair bit of reading on best practices for this issue and from what I can tell the general consensus is "what works best for your environment".

I've been organizing users and computers into their own OUs by department. That may not work best for your environment though. You may need to do by physical location, both in the office, and nationally/internationally.

I've been architecting mine to best be able to use GPOs and GPPs. Again, you'll want to think about your final setup here. Are you going to have printers mapped by location? Are you having specific printers for specific users or groups? Do your users move between floors? Between sites?

These are questions I've been learning to ask when thinking about AD design. I've been reading The Practice of System and Network Administration and I can't recommend it enough. Another book I've been reading is Group Policy: Fundamentals, Security, and the Managed Desktop. The Group Policy book is a great resource and poses different scenarios out to help with organizing AD which I found particularly helpful.

As for those "migrated" users, you'll likely want to put them in the proper OUs, it sounds like there was a merge or something similar in this environment. It may be best to just start over and rebuild the domain, but that's a big if.

We've gone all-in on Plugable USB 3.0 docks with our Surface Pro 4's and new Dell Latitude 3390 2-in-1 machines. They've been damn near flawless. This is after a year of suffering with SP4/Surface Docks.

Downside is it seems like a lot of the rendering is done on the CPU, so dragging windows across the external monitors can cause CPU usage to spike, but we haven't had any issues from it. Just something to note. All machines are specced with i5 CPUs at a minimum, wouldn't recommend anything lower with it.

Plugable support has been very friendly and helpful in the two times I've contacted them. They also offer discounts when you buy a "case" of docks (a case is 12). You have to e-mail support for that.

The Klein 11-in-1 Screwdriver is an amazing companion. The torx bit is perfect for the screws in HP desktops and the phillips bits have good bite.

Otherwise, you pretty much have that I would carry myself. I would add what /u/bitbucket87 mentioned for sure.

College made me a more well-rounded individual. Science, philosophy, literature, mathematics, history, all these things helped me learn how to think.

College did absolutely nothing whatsoever to teach me how to be a systems administrator.

Want to get ahead in IT, out of that lowly helpdesk position? Here's what you do:

Get this book. Study it for a few months. Next, save a few hundred dollars and schedule an appointment to take the A+ Certification.

Congratulations, you are now professionally qualified to work a series of contract jobs or maybe a full time position fixing computer hardware all day. You will get these jobs by spending a lot of time on www.monster.com and filling out your resume completely. Update that resume every few days by moving words around to ensure your resume continues to be on the top of the new resumes list for recruiters to see. Congratulations, you've just advanced your career. It's still not a lot of money, but it's more interesting, and pays more. Regardless, you will be making significantly more money than at a helpdesk, and it's a lot less frustrating.

After this, I recommend you get this book and repeat the process. I should caution you, the Network+ is more difficult than the A+. With an A+ and a Network+, a hiring manager deemed me qualified for entry level at a web hosting company, where my career really took off. I learned everything I could, focusing on Linux administration.

Why Linux? Because there's too many Windows administrators and not enough Linux administrators. Your opportunities will be more lucrative and easier to obtain because there will be less competition.

My certifications, in order of receiving:

• A+
  
  
• Network+
  
  
• Security+
  
  
• RHCSA
  
  
• RHCE
  
  

You get what you pay for. I wouldn't touch a $40 cable tester, much less a tool kit.
You can spend money wisely, like buying a Klein 10-in-1 or 11-in-1 for PSTN/POTS outside work.
For precision drivers, Wiha is what you want- this is a nice portable set which works on the bench as well.
For crimpers I currently use an Ideal Telemaster but will be switching to an Amp. For cable testing I use a Fluke Cable IQ or LinkRunner.
Your tools need to be better quality that the amateurs that banged on it before you. You definitely don't want crappy tools to be holding you back.
If you are worried about theft, sign the tools out to individual techs and make them responsible for them. Part of the sign-out process should be an authorization to withhold the replacement cost from their paycheck if they lose anything.

Sorry for getting back so late, I've been out of the office and busy with audit stuff. Here's a link to the green MS book. https://www.amazon.com/70-410-Installing-Configuring-Windows-Server/dp/0735684243 Admittedly, I haven't taken that test or studied for it so I can't comment on that book specifically.

70-410 is a Server 2012 test and mainstream support has ended for that OS, but extended support is still planned through October 2023. I'm not sure if you're able, but I would consider a cert in Server 2016. Much of it is the same as 2012 but you'll be ahead of the curve with 2016. Although that might change your certification path too. Good luck either way

TIL ZenOSS was a nicely packaged Cacti/Nagios. I've always gone with Nagios/Cacti combos I set up myself... before Zabbix. Still nice to know going forward. Thanks!

I also was given this book: Nagios: System and Network Monitoring and while we didn't go the Nagios route, it was very beneficial too.

A+ is pretty entry level so I'd suggest teaching from an A+ course book. Michael Meyers' book is where I'd develop lesson plans from. He goes above and beyond so he covers A+ plus additional helpful skills. Buying used textbooks off of Amazon can help as well. I even use them to give myself "refresher" courses.

Get the Darril Gibson book:


https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Security-Get-Certified-Ahead/dp/1939136059/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527111564&sr=8-3&keywords=security%2B



I bought 3 books when I got my sec+. Gibson, the official CompTIA book, and a study guide book. The Gibson book was the only one I needed, I barely even looked at the other two. When I got my CISSP I used CBTNuggets videos and they were great as well. They have a Security+ course there, and I think they still offer a 30-day free trial. I just used the 30 day trial and it was long enough to get my cert.



None of the extras CompTIA sells are worth it, unless you really have money to burn.

I went through Mike Meyers' All-in-One A+ Certification exam guide in about a months' time of reading a couple chapters a day, and averaged 95% on the tests. Started off feeling like it was mindlessly simple, then ended up learning a lot. Not to say this is the best exam guide to use, but it worked great for me.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007179512X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

EDIT: The book also comes with the basic exams, that I took a bunch of times throughout. That helped a lot (but isn't a substitute for actually learning the material, because the practical application questions require you to actually know what you're doing).

I've replaced several FVS318g with Ubiquiti EdgeRouter's. They handle way more bandwidth and are so far extremely stable. I've installed 4 in the last 2 months and haven't had problems out of any of them. They are very easy to configure and have a ton of capabilities, although many are only available in the CLI, which is very easy to learn.

http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Edgerouter-Router-ERLITE-3/dp/B00HXT8EKE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464313762&sr=8-3&keywords=ubiquiti+edgerouter

In modern computing & when dealing with a domain, you're rarely going to touch the Registry much less consider fucking with it exception for very rare circumstances or if you're a very very very very big organization.

There are some books this book is usually the standard recommended that I've seen. Otherwise, you're using sites like these from the source. (I wish that site wasn't so hard to find.

I also recommend, judging by the comments, reading this may be helpful: https://darksim905.com/blog/index.php/2017/02/17/rsysadmin-frequently-asked-questions-an-ongoing-series/

"COM port" is a meaningless term that doesn't really tell us what you need.

I assume you need RS-232 serial connectivity, and that means you want either a DB-9 or a DB-25 interface.

I've had pretty good luck with this product, that uses the Prolific chip:

https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Converter-Installation-Universal-TU-S9/dp/B0007T27H8/

But I've also heard good things about the FTDI chip:

https://www.amazon.com/Tera-Grand-Premium-Serial-Adapter/dp/B0762BSKGC/

Now, those are assuming you needed a DB-9 connector, which is the most common.
If you need DB-25, we'll have to find some different recommendations.

I do see your point to that. As for the different RAID types, I have a basic understanding, but not a professional's grasp. I'd definitely have to look to reference for usage, but I wouldn't feel completely out of my depth.

What would you recommend I should look at in regards to "learning the important stuff?" I've looked up the bootcamp link in the sidebar and plan on getting one of the books mentioned there for starters.

Canadian link

I'm from Canada so I think that's the same. Could you go into more detail about how to properly set this up? I haven't dealt with commercial grade networks before but this seems doable. Thanks for the help.

Edit: I'm looking at their webpage and I've watched a few tutorials, but I can't seem to come up with much in terms of equipment I need besides the AP and an Ethernet Switch (recommendations?). I think from what I've seen I'll need 3-6.

Edit 2:Setup

Think this is pretty straightforward, it doesn't seem to say that I need to purchase anything besides the access points. The only issue now will be extended Ethernet cables throughout the warehouse.

I recently had great success managing a Cisco PIX firewall with this USB to Serial adapter from Trendnet. I used it from a Windows 8.1 VM and Bootcamp.

The book, The Adventures of an IT Leader. Great book written like a story which makes it very engaging, but don’t let the style fool you, it’s a great book.

https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Leader-Robert-D-Austin/dp/142214660X

>How did you get started in DevOps?

I watched https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdOe18KhtT4. I realised this was the future and if you wanted to be in a high performing organisation you need to do what they're doing.

Unless you're in an organisation that is willing to undergo the cultural change of Operations and Development working together you're probably not going to go far. Creating a devops organisation from scratch is HARD unless everyone is on board.

Looking into the technology is the simple part, try reading around the movement. Pheonix Project (http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business/dp/0988262509) is a good start, from there I'd look into Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Continuous-Integration-Improving-Software-Signature/dp/0321336380 & https://www.amazon.co.uk/Continuous-Delivery-Deployment-Automation-Addison-Wesley/dp/0321601912).

If by this point you don't know a programming language you're going to be in serious trouble. Learn something, be it Powershell (and honestly you probably will want to move onto C# if you want to be amazing at what you) or Python/Ruby.

Honestly you should be working towards what Google does with SRE if you want to be at the leading edge. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Site-Reliability-Engineering-Production-Systems/dp/149192912X.

If you can control the edge (Firewalls) of the remote offices, you can do direct management in multiple ways.

For hardware withouth dedicated out-of-band-management - consider purchasing IP KVM like the Lantronix spiders

Paired with IP-based power-control - you can access consoles, boot, power on/off any hardware you want - remotely.

If you get the option, always pay the little extra bit for full enterprise-options like iLO (HP), iDRAC (Dell) etc. I've stopped questioning the value of having that kind of access; Monitoring, management, alerting, troubleshooting... Worth it!

As for desktop-remoting, there are quite a lot of options. My shop uses NAble and they're pushing their "MSP Anywhere" pretty hard.

It looks good, but we've chosen https://www.maxfocus.com/ for desktop inventory/support and its using Teamviewer in the back.

Other options is AnyDesk, LogMeIn, Bomgar etc.etc. - but it really boils down to what your budget and what your management-vision is.

I hope Tom Limoncelli doesn't mind me quoting from his book, but there's a brief section from The Practice of System and Network Administration about this:

Moving to/Opening a New Building

• Four weeks or more in advance, get access to the new space to build the infrastructure.
  
• Use radios or walkie-talkies for communicating inside the building—Chapter 6 and Section 20.1.7.3.
  
• Use a personal digital assistant (PDA) or nonelectronic organizer—Section 32.1.2.
  
• Order WAN and Internet service provider (ISP) network connections 2–3 months in advance.
  
• Communicate to the powers that be that WAN and ISP connections will take months to order and must be done soon.
  
• Prewire the offices with network jacks during, not after, construction—Section 7.1.4.
  
• Work with a moving company that can help plan the move.
  
• Designate one person to keep and maintain a master list of everyone who is moving and his or her new office number, cubicle designation, or other location.
  
• Pick a day on which to freeze the master list. Give copies of the frozen list to the moving company, use the list for printing labels, and so on. If someone’s location is to be changed after this date, don’t try to chase down and update all the list copies that have been distributed. Move the person as the master list dictates, and schedule a second move for that person after the main move.
  
• Give each person a sheet of 12 labels preprinted with his or her name and new location for labeling boxes, bags, and personal computer (PC). (If you don’t want to do this, at least give people specific instructions as to what to write on each box so it reaches the right destination.)
  
• Give each person a plastic bag big enough for all the PC cables. Technical people can decable and reconnect their PCs on arrival; technicians can do so for nontechnical people.
  
• Always order more boxes than you think you’ll be moving.
  
• Don’t use cardboard boxes; instead, use plastic crates that can be reused.
  
  
  Limoncelli, Thomas A.; Christina J. Hogan; Strata R. Chalup (2007-07-05). The Practice of System and Network Administration (2nd Edition) (pp. 5-6). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.

I have an EdgeRouter Lite. It's an excellent device that is capable of 1 million pps and can be found for under $100 ($91.99 - Amazon). Has been able to handle anything I've thrown at it so far. If you have any questions just ask!

http://www.amazon.com/Deployment-Fundamentals-Vol-Deploying-Windows/dp/9197939080/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367603901&sr=8-1&keywords=deployment+fundamentals

I can't recommend it highly enough. I'm going through it now and its made learning it a breeze. The Kindle version is $9.99 to buy. But if you have an actual Kindle and Amazon Prime, it's available to rent for free from the Kindle Lending Library on a month to month basis. :)

The original hacker Kevin Mitnick (the first anti-hacker law was written due to his activity) wrote a pretty gripping book called "Ghost in the Wire" and it's pretty good in audiobook format too. I've listened to it more than once. You learn how a hacker thinks and attacks and realize that social engineering is almost always where experienced/competent hackers start (when trying to penetrate a "valued" target, not so much with broad scraping).

​

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Wires-Adventures-Worlds-Wanted/dp/0316037729

Professor Messer's content is not enough IMO, it very lightly touches upon a large number of subjects, and completely ignores others. I purchased Darril Gibson's Security + Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-501 Study Guide and used it alongside Professor Messer's videos.

The study guide provides a great pool of test questions (per chapter) and the summaries are extremely helpful.

If price/budget is a big factor. These might be a good option for you guys, they scale quite nicely and are cheap compared to most other scaled out access point systems.

http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-UAP-LR-3-UniFi-Enterprise-System/dp/B005SHQ644/ref=pd_cp_pc_2

In college I had a class that was partly based around Adventures of an IT Leader. Fairly interesting book, well written to keep my attention.

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-IT-Leader-Robert-Austin/dp/142214660X

https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481135935&sr=8-2&keywords=plugable+docking+station

These are cheaper and just work in my experience. Never had issues with these.

The external dell docking stations that are usb-c tend to be absolute garbage. The usb 3.0 ones also are garbage.

I've had better luck with this cheap plugable branded one than anything else.

I still think this is one of the best series of books ever written.
https://www.amazon.com/Windows-Server-Unleashed-Content-Program/dp/0134583752
I have every edition since 2003 for windows server and they are great for looking over things. Taking the exam preps are nice but these can be just as useful since they broken down and do take the time to explain things.

The Practice of System & Network Administration chapters 6 & 7 will definitely help you.

Use a computer vacuum like this one http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-MDV-1BA-DataVac-Computer/dp/B00006IAOR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417703098&sr=8-1&keywords=computer+vacuum

it works alot better then can air and its cheaper then always buying more cans.

As many other users have stated, it really sounds like you're dealing with a bunch of dinosaurs. For a guide on getting things right, I wholeheartedly recommend Jeremy Moskowitz's group policy book. http://www.amazon.com/Group-Policy-Fundamentals-Security-Managed/dp/1118289404 (you can get a taste on google books too)

Did you base your studying around the exam objectives? https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/exam-70-410.aspx


In my experience with MS exams they will stick to the objectives they outline. The kicker of course, is that you have to be prepared to answer the MS way. I'd highly recommend buying their study material so that you can get an idea of the way they expect you to answer.

https://www.amazon.com/Training-Installing-Configuring-Windows-Microsoft/dp/0735684332/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=70-410&qid=1567086196&s=gateway&sr=8-8


https://www.amazon.com/70-410-Installing-Configuring-Windows-Server/dp/0735684243/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=70-410&qid=1567086285&s=gateway&sr=8-7

Someone recommended me the book System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager: Mastering the Fundamentals by Kent Agerlund.

I haven't gotten around to looking in it yet, though, as we already have it set up, so this isn't my personal recommendation, just a tip.

Also check out the reviews for the book. People seem overall very impressed.

https://www.amazon.com/System-Center-2012-Configuration-Manager/dp/9187445085/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22635594-system-center-2012-r2-configuration-manager

You are luck that fans are electric motors, not electronic and power supplies are designed to supply more power that a static discharge can create.

You can use a pc vac,
https://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-MDV-1BA-DataVac-Computer/dp/B00006IAOR/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_60_tr_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PB9T9ASTV4TZ2BJK3AA6
or compressed air, either from a can or from a compressor.

I just read the majority of this: Group Policy Fundamentals... - thought it was great. It filled in a lot of little gaps in knowledge I had.

I'm going for the 2016 version, but this is the same company I used for my 2016 books. They were quite helpful along with setting up a test lab..

https://www.amazon.com/70-410-Installing-Configuring-Windows-Server/dp/0735684243/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1520535651&sr=8-3&keywords=mcsa+windows+server+2012+r2

There is an excellent book i used. https://www.amazon.com/System-Center-2012-Configuration-Manager/dp/9187445085/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1517507778&sr=8-3&keywords=system+center. It walks you through step by step and you get to learn along the way.

Nagios is really easy to manage.. however, if you find yourself struggling with it, you should read at least the official documentation[1], or any of these books[2,3].. in fact, I encourage to read the books.

[1] http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/nagioscore/4/en/toc.html
[2] http://www.amazon.com/Nagios-Network-Monitoring-Wolfgang-Barth/dp/1593271794
[3] http://www.amazon.com/Building-Monitoring-Infrastructure-Nagios-Josephsen/dp/0132236931

If you are just starting out, begin with A+ (not for the certification, but for the knowledge). Buy this book, get some old desktop PCs, and learn everything about computers. Then, buy the Network+ book by the same author and learn about networking.

This gives you some basic knowledge of computers and networking. From there, try to do what I did, if you like. Just get a basic "office job", and then see if you can either work your way into their IT department, or offer to fix their computers for them.

I found his "Deployment Fundamentals - Volume 4" book to be very useful.

Time Management for System Administrators: Stop Working Late and Start Working Smart

The Practice of System and Network Administration, Second Edition

Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed

Windows Server 2016 Unleashed includes Content Update Program

The Practice of Cloud System Administration: DevOps and SRE Practices for Web Services, Volume 2

The Practice of System and Network Administration: Volume 1: DevOps and other Best Practices for Enterprise IT

Network Warrior: Everything You Need to Know That Wasn't on the CCNA Exam

I'm glad you found your answer. For complete (very) documentation on Nagios I suggest this book. It's what got me really started.

I'm a Windows admin who wanted to learn more Linux. I asked a friend the same question as you recently. He recommended A Practical Guide to Commands, Editors and Shell Programming by Marc Sobell as well as Web Operations by John Allspaw and Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble. He recommended I start with Sobell's book before moving on to the others.

:/ I haven't had much time to actually read any of this, but I trust his advice.

I don't have course suggestions, but all you really need is Darrell Gibson's textbook on Security+. You can run all the labs on your own hardware (you need the experience setting that stuff up anyway). His textbook is comprehensive, and his well-maintained blog fills in any gaps.

I went in with very little security knowledge and was able to blast the Security+ exam out of the water. It's not an easy exam, but his material hits all the necessary check-marks.

Edit: He also has an Android app with test questions, flash cards, and other crap. Worth it.

Like this? http://www.amazon.com/1PORT-USB-Remote-KVM-Spider/dp/B000OH5MDO/

I highly suggest "Ghost in the wires" by Kevin Mitnick. I really enjoyed it!

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Wires-Adventures-Worlds-Wanted/dp/0316037729

I found this book invaluable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9187445085/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also found this one useful: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9187445166/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The top will will show you how to build a SCCM site from scratch. It'll walk you through what everything does and why.

IIRC, can't the EdgeRouter Lite do 1 Gbps?

At less than $100, IMO it's worth a try first before splurging for something more expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007T27H8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Works fine on windows and linux

I think this will be my plan of action

• Use PluralSight videos
  
• Use this book for everything Server 2012 R2
  
• Then use this to navigate the correct info from the book above
  

http://www.amazon.com/Nagios-Network-Monitoring-Wolfgang-Barth/dp/1593271794/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345369768&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Nagios%3A+System+and+Network+Monitoring+3rd

this one but it's probably outdated by now.

• IT service management based on ITIL v3 2011
  
• Running Linux
  
• Ethernet: The definitive guide
  
• Learning the Bash shell
  
• CompTIA Network+
  
• Docker: Up and running
  
• TOGAF: The Open Group Architecture Framework

I switched to Pluggable's and have fewer issues now, almost zero issues.


https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502301580&sr=1-1&keywords=pluggable+usb+3.0+docking+station

This was how I learned BASH in a hurry:
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-bash-Shell-Programming-Nutshell/dp/0596009658

Just get the Darril Gibson book.

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Security-Get-Certified-Ahead/dp/1939136059

This one is the actual Ubiquiti 3box set, which is cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-UAP-LR-3-UniFi-Enterprise-System/dp/B005SHQ644/ref=pd_sim_sbs_indust_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DWD6E8A645EM4K22FCM

Windows? read this. http://www.amazon.com/1/dp/9197939080

klein I use this nearly everyday

Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick

I have a D-Link DGS-3024 switch, and it has a female console port, do I just need a regular serial to USB cable?

http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-RS-232-Serial-Converter-TU-S9/dp/B0007T27H8/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1380836922&sr=8-14&keywords=male+console+cable

One of these?

OP, run, don't walk, to your local bookstore to buy Adventures of an IT Leader. Read it, love it, live it.

This rant is a living example of why IT doesn't get brought to the decision making table as often as we should. Your point 1 is fine, but your points 2, 3, and 4 just disclose how oblivious you are as to who the salesperson is actually targeting in their pitch. Hint, it's not IT. IT has no money (traditionally) and needs the business to open the purse strings to do anything of any size at all.

You can use something like this. Works fine. Still requires evil Java ... but what doesn't?



Then a power control unit to match...

You couldn't find the EdgeRouter Lite anywhere at MSRP?

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Edgerouter-Router-ERLITE-3/dp/B00HXT8EKE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466915841&sr=8-1&keywords=edgerouter+lite

$7 below MSRP, and Prime shipping. You mustn't have been looking very hard.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JLMUJ0 for the lazy

>but they're very simple, repetitive tasks that I may have done many times.

http://www.amazon.ca/Learning-bash-Shell-Unix-Programming/dp/0596009658/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342611985&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.ca/Windows-PowerShell-Administrators-Pocket-Consultant/dp/0735625956/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1342612010&sr=8-3

So now that you only have regular tasks to do. Time to work on only 1 thing at a time.

We currently sell both units. The Meraki's are basically the same thing with a web portal that is accessible from anywhere whereas the UniFi stuff has to run on your own server (or rent a VPS, etc)

Both units set up easily, both program easily, the UniFi units are SO much cheaper than the Meraki's, especially considering yearly licensing. Stick with either the long range ones or the Pro's (pro's are better). Avoid the Lite access points as they have kind of crappy range, and the Long Range ones aren't expensive at all

Here is your bible: http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bashref.html

For some things to practice on:

http://adriann.github.io/programming_problems.html
/r/dailyprogrammer

And I find that once you get the 'fundamentals' down, taking similar complexity things from other languages and converting them to the one you are trying to learn is quite helpful.

If you were looking for a physical book, these two books cover quite a bit while being fairly cheap (20ish a piece):

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Shell-Scripting-Arnold-Robbins/dp/0596005954/ref=cm_cr_dp_asin_lnk
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-bash-Shell-Programming-Nutshell/dp/0596009658

Also, for the one thing that made me go from 'how the fuck do I do that?!?' to 'I got this!' was running man test (man pages for test). I saw the syntax in tons of scripts, but didn't know how to google for it to figure out what it was doing.

EDIT: Forgot to add that if you type just plain help from the command line, you should get a dump of a lot of common commands. Helps if you forget syntax or forget the name of a function or are trying to discover new commands.