How to Become a Network Engineer

Guide for a new network administrator 

Hi, students would you like to become a network administrator, following skills must you should know

·         How to change the administrator password (there's more involved than changing a user's password). Pick a "strong" password (combination of letters, numbers, characters, etc.) and go through the steps to change the administrator password while your network technicians are still there (I did this step on my own and learned a lot but I don't recommend you do it that way if don't have to).

·         How to add users to and remove users from the network

·         How to adjust user rights on the network

·         How to change user passwords

·         How to perform a network backup (you should run a backup every night)

·         How to check (every morning) to make sure last night's backup ran, and that all necessary files (folders/drives) were backed up successfully

·         How to restore from a network backup tape. Make sure you know not only how to restore files to their original location, but also how to redirect the restore to a different location (especially helpful if you're just restoring something to verify that your backup tapes are good, which you should do periodically).

·         Where the server's error logs are (you should check them regularly, even more regularly while you're learning what kinds of messages to expect to find in there; the idea is not so much to understand every message you find, but to be able to recognize when something unusual is going on)

·         How to update antivirus protection (Ideally you would get a network/corporate version of antivirus software so that it can be installed and updated on the network, and the workstations can be updated and managed from the server. The server can be set to automatically check for updates as many times per day as you like, install the updates automatically to the network, and push the updates out to all workstations, so that your antivirus definitions on server and workstations are always up to date. However, if you have a small network and want to update everything manually you can do that, just be sure you update the servers as well as the workstations.)

·         What the name(s) of your server(s) is/are (I don't mean the make and model, I mean what unique names they have been assigned to them in the software)

·         What the IP address(es) of your server(s) is/are

·         What the basic specs of your server(s) is/are (make and model, chip, hard drive, RAM, etc. - some of this will sound the same as when buying a regular computer, some of it will probably be different)

·         The serial number of your server, the date purchased, and if you have a maintenance contract, the terms of the contract, who you should call if you need work performed under the contract, what information you will need to give them (e.g. a contract number), and how quickly they are supposed to respond

·         Where various data and programs are located on your server (the file paths)

·         What mapped drives there are (the drive letters, and where they point to)

·         If there is regular maintenance you should be doing

·         The proper procedure for rebooting your server (sometimes it's best to shut down certain programs first - that issue is dependent on what programs you're running on your server - or if you have multiple servers it may be advisable to reboot in a particular order).

·         When the server's UPS battery should be replaced - the server should be plugged into a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), and the battery should be replaced on a regular schedule, don't wait for it to die!

·         Follow the antivirus updated till date