How can I prepare for a Job requiring Database Management experience as a Linux Sysadmin?

Posted by kavishgr@reddit | linuxadmin | View on Reddit | 16 comments

Hey everyone! I came across a job description that lists the following as desirable experience: Oracle Database Server, MS SQL Server (Always On Availability Groups, etc.), MongoDB, or MySQL. As someone with no experience in these technologies, what should I focus on learning to be a strong candidate for this position as a Linux sysadmin?

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s1lv3rbug@reddit

Dude, If u r a Linux admin, it should take u no more an hour to get hands on experience with any relational DB. There are many types of DBs now. For example, there are YouTube tutorials for setting up MySQL or Postgres. Just watch and practice. You should know what’s the default port they run on, make sure firewall is open for that port, etc etc.

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Anticept@reddit

Learning how to monitor it, optimize it, deploy it on infrastructure in ways that its designed to be deployed so that its features can be fully utilized, HA if needed, how to understand the data coming in and how it could be normalized so that queries don't cause difficult to detect inconsistencies...

Maybe that job really wants a small time database experience on the side. But don't downplay the difference between "an hour of experience" and someone with even a months worth.

But you are right, it's not difficult to spin up some homelab tech and get started on learning!

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virtualpotato@reddit

I've had to ask places if they want a LINUX ADMIN and a dba or a linux admin and a DBA.

I interviewed for a place, the whole thing was about being an admin on the job req. Get to the interview, they wanted a full rewrite of the application and database structure used in dozens of vehicles.

If you don't have any of those things, but it is really just a "desirable" you can take some quick things online for mongo/mysql to get a flavor of what that world is. But if they seriously need you to know it, this probably isn't tje job for you.

And something you might eventually learn if you get into a shop with Oracle, is that many Oracle DBAs are nuts and don't live in the same reality you do. Don't take it personally. And sometimes they bite.

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inbetween-genders@reddit

When there’s a serial killer in my county, I always suspect Oracle DBAs. The ones that will downvote this are Oracle DBAs.

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dogturd21@reddit

Downvoting !

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dogturd21@reddit

As an Oracle DBA with decades of Nix experience , I agree we can bite. But it’s usually in response to somebody dropping the ball on network or storage . I am tight with my Linux / hypervisor team :)

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decodemx@reddit

Which hypervisor you running bro?

I used to work with Oracle VM, and migrated to OLVM (based con oVirt). Of course, I was the Linux admin, DBA and everything else haha

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dogturd21@reddit

Same ! OVM 3.x , OLVM , ESX a bit . But primarily Oracle RAC , Exadata .

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decodemx@reddit

Oh man, I remember those days modifying prod RAC environments from previous admin multipathing to /dev/sdX erroneously, instead of correctly using /dev/mapper paths for actual redundancy.

I had to make sure to explain to the top ones, why the RACs were not working at all. They were terrified of storage increments. Started using oracleasm library, and even used Udev rules once on the last Rhel server I deployed.

I haven't touched Oracle environments since 2021. I took 3 years off from IT.

Now I started back up, recently got hired, but now only as Linux Admin role.

Kudos bro, keep it going!

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dogturd21@reddit

Oh man , that’s a bad trip . Did you get into a situation where one node worked but the others were down ? That would be the best outcome /s. I had a situation where a Linux team accidentally wiped the OCR and voting disks on a production cluster . I spent Xmas eve and day getting it fixed , only for the same team to screw up another customers prod cluster on New Year’s Eve. Same exact error .

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StatementOwn4896@reddit

God you’re so right on this. A lot of my systems have MySQL or Postgres and there is usually someone in charge of those that I can work together with in order to figure things out. If it was just me I’d be struggling.

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No_Strawberry_5685@reddit

You can do it see how you feel about it then drop it if it’s not for you 🤷

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stufforstuff@reddit

You're looking at 2-3 years just to get entry level DBA skills. Build a homelab, take several DBA courses, practise what those courses are teaching on your homelab, and maybe, after a few years, you might know enough to qualify for a job that wants someone knowledgable in DBA (and knowing MS Sq

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