I was reading the submissions for LOPSA's SysAdminDay contest earlier this morning, and it got me to thinking. Each of the entries has a slightly different viewpoint on what being a systems administrator is. This might, in a nutshell, be a microcosm of LOPSA's biggest problem — I'm not sure we really know what a…
In the Fall a young sysadmin's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of LISA. (apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson) It's that time of year again, the time when a thousand-plus sysadmins make the trek to wherever the annual LISA conference is being held. This year, it is being held in Seattle, and most of the LOPSA Board…
Only a few hours ago, the LOPSA Board adjourned their annual face-to-face meeting. The LOPSA bylaws state that we must hold our annual directors meeting within 90 days of the elections, and this is where the newly elected board members take their seats. Since this is typically the only time in the year that the…
I appreciate the confidence the membership has shown in my abilities by electing me twice for the LOPSA Board of Directors. I hope they will continue to support my run for a third term. With nearly 25 years of experience as a systems administrator, network administrator, webmaster and sometimes developer, I feel I have a…
Tom Limoncelli has posted a pair of interesting questions on his blog, the same ones he asked the LOPSA Board candidates at one of the #lopsa-live sesssions last year. While I didn't get to answer them last year since I wasn't up for re-election, here is my take on them now. Question 1: I have…
LOPSA needs your help. As you probably already know, LOPSA is an entirely volunteer driven organization. We (the board) can't do everything ourselves, so we are looking for volunteers in all sorts of areas. If you're interested, e-mail volunteers@lopsa.org.
I have been a member of LOPSA since the very beginning and have been proud to serve on the board of directors for the past two years. In that time we have seen the creation of the mentorship program, an updated web site, a new membership system, and cost cutting measures to bring us well…