This book is dedicated to the VAX and Alpha AXP System Managers of
the world. I was a System Manager for many years and I know that
the System Manager is in the difficult position of being fully
responsible for much of an organization's most valuable, often
irreplaceable information. At the same time, he or she often has
relatively little authority to make the critical decisions that
must be made to preserve and even to utilize those records.
I also realize that the System Manager's job is often a thankless
one. While users and even management are quick to condemn a System
Manager for computer problems, it is a rare day indeed when someone
comes up to the System Manager and says, "Hey! The computer's
performing pretty well today. Nice work!" (I know, dream
on.)
I believe that System Managers are good people and well-intentioned.
I believe that they really want to provide great service to their
users and to management. I believe that they try their best to
do their job within the limitations of too little budget and too
little authority. And I believe that they really want to learn
everything they can about their systems and be the best System
Managers they can be. If they could dance their fingers over the
keyboard and make that machine do magic, you can be very sure
they would do so.
It is to these System Managers that this book is dedicated. I
hope you like it. I hope you learn something from it that helps
you achieve your goals.