My overall approach to Linux Administration can be divided roughly into two main methods of approach, separated by one key environmental difference: lab or production.
When I am operating in a production environment I tend to be very cautious, very “measure thrice cut once”. And when Customer Information is involved that modifies to “measure 23 times, document procedure, organize a review board, measure again, check with vendors, measure again, cut very… very slowly.”
When I am operating in a lab environment I tend to… get things done. And I mean “measuring none, cut whatever, square pegs fit in round holes if you push hard enough” getting things done.
Having said that, naturally if the goal of the lab environment is to as closely as possible replicate the production environment then a higher degree of care and precision is required in lab. Likewise if quick, decisive action is the only thing separating us from catastrophic failure or loss of customer services / data / information then one must do what one must do in a production environment. The key is balance and a good understanding of priorities. For myself, my priorities are pretty consistently in this order:
- Customer Safety
- Employee (Team) Safety
- Company Revenue
- Reputation
- Direct income
- Maintenance
- Etc.
- Everything Else
So in short, the above represent the guiding principles for my approach to administration. What follows will be various posts on how I have executed various functions based on these principles.