WYNTK: UNIX System Admininistrator

Put yourself in your administrator’s shoes.

When I was a system administrator, I knew that there was no substitute to sitting down with users and watching over their shoulders while the problem was recreated. By putting myself in their shoes, I could see firsthand what their goal was and what was going wrong. I could see unusual output or errors, and I could try things slightly differently. Unfortunately, I didn’t always have the luxury of spending a lot of time this way.

So if your administrator can’t put herself in your shoes, you can try to meet her halfway — put yourself in her shoes. What would she do? What would she ask?

Also, remember the “do unto others” adage. You don’t particularly like it when people rudely barge into your office, demanding that you drop everything for them. Remember that administrators are people too, and are often under a lot of stress. Try to be patient and polite. And be considerate in how you phrase your requests — just because it’s the administrator’s role to fix a problem doesn’t mean it was her fault the problem occurred.