SysAdmin Talk

So, welcome back, fellow field agents. From being a fledging SysAdmin in Episode 1 of this series, you’ve come to be a Legendary SysAdmin with the tools described in the second episode. Now, in this third episode, I will help you to become Mythical in proportion.

With the invention of USB came the development of some amazing peripherals. We can now have things like simple external hard drives, rotating disco balls and miniature guitar amps hooked up to the simple USB interface on our computers. How we survived without USB is a miracle of the human survival instinct.

A word to the wise, though; it’s worth noting that, for all of these delightful USB devices that you use, you must also make sure that you keep their drivers on a USB flash-drive (or some other form of storage). If not, you will be a very sad SysAdmin when you attempt to use them on a machine that doesn’t have built-in drivers that can talk to the device. I recommend keeping a USB flash-drive that contains all of the drivers for all of your USB devices for each of the Operating Systems that the devices support. It never hurts to be prepared.

Are you ready to become a SysAdmin of mythical proportions? If so, gird your loins, because here is a list of USB devices that every SysAdmin should consider carrying in their bag of tricks:

1. A portable 3.25 inch floppy drive. Yes, it’s 2010 at the time of this writing and yes, 3.25 inch disk drives are still needed in the server room and elsewhere. BIOS updates and RAID drivers still make me get all nostalgic for my 286 when I have to reach for my little USB 3.25 inch disk drive.
2. A portable DVD/CD RW drive. Considering that server manufacturers highway rob you to add an optical device, and that they are often neglected past the initial installation of the operating system and applications, some people opt to not get the built-in optical drive and to instead rely on portable ones. Keep a few handy, and preferably one in your satchel. Especially if you’re in a smaller organization that also requires you to do desktop support at times. Having an optical drive that you know works can be an integral part of the troubleshooting process.
3. 8P8C Network Adapter. I demand a high-five for not using the term “RJ-45″. Moving on… having at least one of these will help while troubleshooting network issues, but also sometimes you temporarily need to add another physical interface  on a different network. Be careful when selecting one, because some have quality problems with the jack.



4. Wireless a/b/g/n NIC. You might not need all of the wireless standards on one NIC, but it’s good to be prepared. Once again, this can be a great help in troubleshooting, but it can also come in handy when working with a device that needs temporary network access but is incapable of receiving a physical network connection.
5. Keyboard and mouse. Mice are easy enough to carry with you, but I’m not suggesting lugging a full sized keyboard around in your backpack. Instead, consider a portable keyboard that either folds together or that rolls up, such as the GrandTec FLX-2000 109-key “Virtually Indestructible Keyboard”. I have seen keyboards that were so grimy I feared for my life as I touched them (think: warehouses and workshops), and wished that I could have substituted them temporarily with my own. It also comes in handy if you deal with touchscreen kiosks, POS machines or other systems that don’t have a keyboard and mouse.



6. RS-232 DB9 adapter. Take a walk through the server room and see how many devices have serial ports for out-of-band management. In some instances, certain features on an appliance can only be accessed via the serial port. At one place I worked, the USB/DB9 dongle was an often used peripheral when managing our switches. However, make absolutely sure that you have the drivers for it with you. I speak from unfortunate experiences.
7. USB to SATA / IDE adapter. This is quite possibly the most useful invention since wide-mouths on soda cans. With one of these babies, you can connect a 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch IDE drive or a SATA drive as an external USB drive. Perfect for salvaging information from a drive when a PC’s mainboard dies, or performing an offline virus scan, or… any of a number of other bizarre scenarios that you will find yourself in as a SysAdmin.
8. Powered USB hub. There will come a time when you will plug in a USB device that needs more power than a PC can offer. It will be especially frustrating when you’re on the go and away from your 14-megaton workstation, which is powered by the energy of dark matter and potato chips. In cases like these, keep a small powered USB hub with you so you won’t hear the PC howl a bad Scotty impression: “I’m givin’ her all she’s got, Captain! If I push it any harder the whole thing will blow!“
9. USB extension cable. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s so simple that you’ll probably overlook it in your inventory until you really, really need one. And, trust me, you’ll need one. However, the maximum length for USB is about ten feet? What happens if you need a longer cable than that? I’m glad you asked! You’ll need to get a…
10. USB range booster. They come in pure USB cable form or in the form of a USB device that plugs into your PC and then sends USB signals up to 150 feet using CAT5 cable to a receiving station that is plugged into the other device’s USB port. You might say that any design which requires a 150 foot USB connection is intrinsically flawed. I would say that you are very correct. However, we’re SysAdmins. Does a flawed need for a 150 foot USB connection really surprise us? I didn’t think so.

At this point, your users are chiseling your image in stone and speaking your name in hushed tones mixed with fear and reverence. By now your backpack is also nicely plumped with all of your amazing gear. However, you might want to consider buying a companion for your backpack because we’re still not done yet…