tgiles's recent activity
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Comment on What do you think is one thing every sysadmin should know how to do? in ~comp
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Comment on Does anyone here work in infosec? If so, which laptops are you allowed to use? in ~comp
tgiles LinkI use a MacBook Pro 2005 as my main workstation. If there are things I need Windows for, I use Parallels 14 for Windows emulation. I also have a Thinkpad X1 Carbon as a "forensics workstation", in...I use a MacBook Pro 2005 as my main workstation. If there are things I need Windows for, I use Parallels 14 for Windows emulation. I also have a Thinkpad X1 Carbon as a "forensics workstation", in special cases.
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Comment on Any interest in helping me create tutorials for understanding the source code of Tildes? in ~tildes
tgiles LinkHi New to Tildes, but an old hand at both Python (Since 2000) and Technical Writing (written many technical articles, a couple of company operations manuals, more policies and procedures than I'd...Hi
New to Tildes, but an old hand at both Python (Since 2000) and Technical Writing (written many technical articles, a couple of company operations manuals, more policies and procedures than I'd like to think about). Hit me up if you need some firepower and I'd be happy to assist.
Cheers!
This is a pretty opened ended one. I'll give you some thoughts after my 20 years in sysadmin and computer security...
Every sysadmin should know (and be comfortable with!) the command line of every OS they may come across. Not everything is readily accessable by GUI. And there will be times where you must make changes across dozens (if not hundreds!) of systems at once. "Being comfortable with" means you must learn Bash and Powershell at a bare minimum.
I'll amplify Emerald_Knight's comment. Automate, automate, automate. Child, you have to automate. You have to be comfortable putting together commands and run them on a reoccuring basis. Learn glue code like Python or invest time into an orchestration system (like Saltstack) and automate your workflow.
Keep Security In Mind. Too often security is something considered far, far after the fact. We get so busy putting out fires that we neglect those temporary accounts, or the firewall ports "that should have been taken care of". Be responsible. Set reminders. Try to engineer the solution instead of slapping a bandaid on it and walking away. I can guarantee you that the bad guys are always scanning and they're waiting for you to slip up.
The only thing you should do more than Automate is Document. Put up a wiki. Use whatever documentation facilities your company has. Document your code. Document your scripts. Hell, document it and email everyone who could possibly care. Just get it out there.
And best for last assume everyone is an idiot. I know idiot is a strong word, but it's a placeholder. People are tired, busy, had an argument with their spouse, suck at time management, or plainly forget things. It's your job to keep track of everything that falls under your purview and take ownership when it makes sense. That means being the bad guy sometimes, yeah. But if you don't see it to the end, then it can fall between the cracks and disappear.