Network Basics

On a small to mid size network there may be little, if any, distinction between a Systems Administrator and a Network Administrator, and the tasks may all be the responsibility of a single post. As the size of the network grows, the distinction between the areas will become more well defined.

In larger organizations the administrator level technology personnel typically are not the first line of support that works with end users, but rather only work on break and fix issues that could not be resolved at the lower levels.

Network administrators are responsible for making sure computer hardware and the network infrastructure itself is maintained properly. The term network monitoring describes the use of a system that constantly monitors a computer network for slow or failing components and that notifies the network administrator in case of outages via email, pager or other alarms.

The typical Systems Administrator, or sysadmin, leans towards the software and NOS (Network Operating System) side of things. Systems Administrators install software releases, upgrades, and patches, resolve software related problems and performs system backups and recovery.

In our companion website Smart Technology we discuss Managing technology from the perspective of a business owner or department manager. 

Check out our section on Managing Technology and specifically the article on The System Administrator and the Power User.

This section on computer networking is focused on someone learning the role of the Network Administrator or the System Administrator.