USENIX System Administrators Guild — SAGE

• Code 4: The continuance of professional education is critical to maintaining currency as a system administrator — Since technology in computing continues to make significant strides, a system administrator must take an appropriate level of action to update and enhance personal technical knowledge. Reading, study, acquiring training, and sharing knowledge and experience are requirements to maintaining currency and ensuring the customer base of the advantages and security of advances in the field. • Code 5: A system administrator must maintain an exemplary work ethic — System administrators must be tireless in their effort to maintain high levels of quality in their work. Day to day operation in the field of system administration requires significant energy and resiliency. The system administrator is placed in a position of such significant impact upon the business of the organization that the required level of trust can only be maintained by exemplary behavior. • Code 6: At all times system administrators must display professionalism in the performance of their duties — All manner of behavior must reflect highly upon the profession as a whole. Dealing with recalcitrant users, upper management, vendors, or other system administrators calls for the utmost patience and care to ensure that mutual respect is never at risk. •

1.4.3.3 Organizations

There are several UNIX and system administration related organizations, support groups, and conferences. Following are just a few words about the best known ones.

1.4.3.3.1 USENIX

USENIX is the advanced computing systems association. This was originally a nonprofit membership organization for those individuals with an interest in UNIX, UNIX−related, and other modern operating systems. Since 1975 the USENIX association has brought together the community of engineers, system engineers, system administers, scientists, and technicians. All of these people have been working on the cutting edge of the computing world. The USENIX conferences have become the meeting grounds for presenting and discussing new and advanced information on developments from the computing systems. USENIX is dedicated to sharing ideas and experiences of those working with UNIX and other advanced computing systems. USENIX members are dedicated to solving problems with a practical bias, fostering research that works, communicating with both research and innovation, and providing critical thought. USENIX supports its members professional and technical development through a variety of ongoing activities, including: Member benefits • Annual technical and system administration conferences, as well as informal, specific−topic conferences • 24 Student programs that include stipends to attend conferences, low student membership fees, best paper awards, scholarships, and research grants • Online library with proceedings from each USENIX conference • Participation in various IEEE and Open Group standards efforts • International programs • Cosponsorship of conferences by foreign technical groups • Prestigious annual awards which recognize public service and technical excellence • Membership in the Computing Research Association and the Open Group • SAGE, a Special Technical Group STG for system administrators •

1.4.3.3.2 System Administrators Guild — SAGE

At the moment the System Administrators Guild, known by its acronym SAGE, is a Special Technical Group STG of the USENIX Association. It is organized to help advance computer systems administration as a profession, establish standards of professional excellence and recognize those who attain them, develop guidelines for improving technical capabilities, and promote activities that advance the state of the art of the community. SAGE members are also members of USENIX. Since its inception in 1992, SAGE has grown immensely and has matured into a stable community of system administration professionals. Organization management has been codified and stabilized. As an USENIX STG, reviews by USENIX are scheduled periodically, principally for assessing continued viability. SAGEs viability has not been an issue for some time — quite the opposite, the growth of SAGE has exceeded reasonable expectations and those of USENIX as a whole. At this point in SAGEs development, it is prudent for both SAGE and USENIX to review organizational structures, their relationships, and future developments. To that end, the SAGE executive committee reviewed the existing mission statement, its relevance for the present and the future, and the future interests and projects as they relate to that mission. While the existing SAGE Charter and Mission Statement are still relevant, the following text was adopted as a working draft that better expresses its current nature and future: The System Administrators Guild is an international professional organization for people involved in the practice, study, and teaching of computer and network system administration. Its principal roles are: To always understand and satisfy the needs of system administrators so as to provide them with products and services that will help them be better system administrators ♦ To empower system administrators through information, education, relationships, and resources that will enrich their professional development and careers ♦ To advance the thought, application, and ethical practice of system administration ♦ As SAGE grows, the majority of its members will be professionals who are not currently involved with SAGE. This will come as a result of the growing awareness of SAGE, different certification programs, and other future projects. The SAGE executive committee, the USENIX board of directors, and USENIX staffs have discussed how to meet the growing needs of SAGE. At this time, there are ideas that these needs may be better met by changing SAGE from a USENIX internal STG to a sister organization established as an independent nonprofit entity. If this process continues as expected, this transition could be implemented soon. The 25 In this plan, SAGE will continue to serve its members with the benefits with which they have become accustomed. SAGE member services and information will move to a more electronic community model. SAGE will publish its own newsletter while SAGE news will continue to be available as before. LISA will continue to be cosponsored by USENIX and SAGE. SAGE will also sponsor new conferences and programs to reach out to the broader system and network administration community. All the assets of USENIX used exclusively by SAGE will be transferred to the independent SAGE organization, including intellectual property, inventory, and current operating funds. SAGE will then operate independently from USENIX. The LISA conference will continue without change, being operated by USENIX and cosponsored by SAGE. The responsibility for all current and pending SAGE projects will also be transferred. Membership in USENIX and SAGE will be decoupled such that a person can become a member of SAGE without having to become a USENIX member. However, SAGE and USENIX will continue to provide close cooperation and mutual benefits to their members.

1.4.3.3.3 Conferences