ask hn: what makes a good sysadmin?

What qualities do you look for in a good system administrator?

How important are programming skills? (and at what level? mere scripting? ability/experience building internal tools?

What types of questions / scenarios would you pose to a potential candidate for a <10 person startup?

A sysadmin knows and loves the OS. Can script to craft utilities for repetitive tasks. Can field strip and installation down to device drives. Can provision identical systems in his/her sleep. Can solve critical problems under pressure. Is not afraid of doing it live. Will argue for a test lab endlessly. Has read the Bash man page. Favors practicality over aesthetics. Uses the right tool.

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