Hello all. I am a pc tech for a hospital. However, I would like to eventually move on to be a SysAdmin preferably in a *nix evironment. I would appreciate any suggestions on this endeavor. Also, sadly I do not have a degree and do not see the possibility due to time and money. I am 26 and have a family w/ 2 kids(5 and 1). I do however have 4 years experience of communications and networking in the USAF and 2 years in my current position.

Well, on to a specific question. I am trying to decide on what flavor of Linux I should setup on a spare pc I currently have. I know alot of the jobs out there deal w/ Solaris, HPUX, and AIX. I was hoping to go w/ a Linux that will give me the best experience of working in these 3. I have alot of desire and have no fear of tackling a tough OS. I have done a decent amount of messing around w/ Linux but have never taken the time to really go deep and try some projects. Well, I'm ready. I currently have copies of Debian/GNU(slink?), RH 6.0, Slackware 8 and Mandrake 7.2. I'm leaning towards either Slack, Debian, or RH. I also own Linux Installation and Getting Started(Matt Welsh) and Learning Debian/GNU(Oreilly). I can download distros from work so all suggestions are welcome.

One other note is my department is looking to develop a intranet/internet site w/ functionality some time this year. One of my future projects would probably be to try and setup a web server that could host and store our trouble tickets using apache, Mysql, and php. If you made it through this lengthy post w/out falling asleep thank you for your time. Also, Thank you in advance to any feedback, DaveC.

The upcoming plan for your company to create develop a intranet/internet site is what you need to look at.
If you can convince your boss to let you build the web server with Linux and Apache (cutting cost which the company should love) and showing that Linux is the OS to go with (gee, didn't IBM just start shipping servers with it loaded?), then you can get them to foot the bill to train you.

As far as HPUX, AIX, and Solaris having anything in common with each other - not on the administration side of it. Each uses different tools for administration - some easier to use than others. But opinions are free!

Thank you for the feedback. Unfortunately, as far as training goes my company is not going to pay for it. The intranet plan is just within my department which is over desktop hardware/software support and installation. This is something I will have to do on my own time and if it works out and they are sold on the idea great. However all it would actually mean is I have a new server to administer along with my other responsibilities(and possibly a raise).

My main question though is still which Linux would be best to setup and mess with to learn as much about Unix as possible? I guess it is actually a 2 part question as I am also interested to hear what distro you would recommend using for my company project? Thanks again for any type of feedback to my original post. DaveC

To each his/her own...... I have used Slackware since 1993 and love it and have never found any distro I liked better. However, others might like something else........ it is really a matter of personal taste.

Neo, thank you for the feedback. However, I'm not trying to get into an issue of which free unix is the "best". I'm really just looking for some experienced users honest opinion of which free unix will give the best experience of working with a commercial unix.(ie: AIX, HPUX, Solaris,etc.) Also, any miscellaneous tips on working to become a future SysAdmin would be greatly appreciated.

I know going from green newbie to wizard is no easy task and I am humble and all ears. One thing I was wondering is are there any good books you can think of that cover a broad range of topics dealing w/ Unix? I know there are many great books listed in other threads, but they are usually specific to a certain subject or task. What are some good books to get started. I was looking at the newest edition of Unix Unleashed and it is massive. It also has pretty solid reviews on Amazon. Thanks again.

I think that you should think about RedHat. I 've noticed that alot of people are using it, because its less expensive the other, and has most if not all the software ready to be used (ssh,apache,vpn,firewall,etc...). As for books to get I think you should get UNIX SYSTEM administration handbook 3rd edition by Evi Nemeth,Garth Snyder...
ISBN 0-13-020601-6

This book cover the basic administration information for RedHat Solaris HP-UX and FreeBSD
I hope this help.

Since noone else has suggested it...I will.

Linux/*BSD will teach you about basic "unix" but if you want specific experience with a given OS you need to run that OS. The cheapest way is, surprisingly, to buy a computer and run the OS.

You can get a used workstation on ebay that will run the most modern version of a given unix for less than $300 sometimes as little as $50.

Sun is fairly dominant in the market so it might be a good idea to start with solaris. You can get solaris for X86 if you want. It used to be a free download, not sure if its still available that way. Otherwise, you can buy a sun4m machine for between "free to a good home" if youre lucky and $300. Sparcstation 20's are popular, as are SS 5's.

You can find similar hardware from IBM, HP, DEC/Compaq and SGI on ebay at similar prices. Keep in mind you arent getting a brand new screamer...more likely someones old klunky throw outs. But you dont need raw speed. All you want to do is learn to admin the OS.