Administering Unix systems like your mom taught you

By Sandra Henry-Stocker Computerworld Contributor
May 9, 2016
2 min read

Granted, your mom wasn’t likely a Unix systems administrator, but she probably taught you a lot of things that have strongly influenced how you work and how you manage your Unix systems today. It's easy to see why. Mothers dream of their sons' and daughters' success and long-term happiness and generally want to give them pointers that are going to help them do well in their jobs and in their personal lives, even when some of that advice comes across as nagging or sarcastic. So, in honor of Mother's Day, let's look at some of the things our mothers have taught us and trace how some of those lessons have come to apply to the way we manage our Unix servers.

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Do it right or don't do it at all

Many moms, mine included, stressed that doing something the wrong way (think "shortcut") was generally a waste of time. Even if doing it right seems to take more time (and it generally does), doing it wrong often means having to redo it or make some accommodations later. For example, taking extra steps to ensure that a process is set up to run properly, that you'll know if and when it breaks, that you'll be able to explain it to someone else, and that it is documented well enough that someone (maybe even you) a couple years from now will be able to maintain it will almost always pay off in the long run.

Don't put off what needs to be done

Postponing necessary tasks means that you have to keep track of what needs to be done as well as do the work. You'll save yourself time and a few brain cells if you take care of small tasks as soon as you think of them. And somehow this seems to be even more true as the years go by. Mom used to say “Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today”. I now understand this is a quote from Benjamin Franklin, but it's also still a quote from Mom.

Clean up after yourself

Don't leave messes for other people to clean up -- not in the data center, not in the shared kitchen, not on your desk, not on the disks you manage, and not even in your scripts. Be considerate of the people who work with and around you as well as the people who will follow in your footsteps.

Don't waste other people's time

Respond to email in a timely manner. Never be so impressed with yourself that a dozen people have to wait for you to show up at a meeting; be a couple minutes early. Remind yourself that other people's time is as valuable as your own.

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