English for system administrators

Светлана Алексеевна Губарева

Данный самоучитель предназначен для начинающих и практикующих системных администраторов, инженеров облачных сервисов и девопс-инженеров с языковым уровнем А2. С ним вы повторите необходимые грамматические конструкции и устойчивые выражения для ведения делового разговора, написания резюме и прохождения интервью, а также основные технические термины, которые используются каждый день.

Unit 5. Software

1. Look at the picture and answer the questions:

1) Which software do you see in the picture?

2) What types of software do you know?

3) Name software that you use every day.

4) Make up a «Top-10 list» of software that is essential at your work. Explain why.

2. Read the statements and say if you agree or disagree with them:

Branko: «Software makes my life easier because a lot of things are done automatically.»

Eden: «Software can be risky! I’ve heard stories of hackers stealing personal information through applications.»

Sofya: «I hate everything that is connected with software. Due to it, people became lazier and they rely only on software.»

3. Read the post and tick the ideas which are mentioned:

Greg

Every system administrator needs to have special software to close tasks faster. Today there’s an enormous quantity of such software and each company uses its own programs. I decided to write my personal list of must-have tools for better understanding of what you need to do at work.

To begin with, I’d like to start with Helpdesk — service for organising support activities for their customers. To have access to this software you (or your company) must be their client. In this case, if you have some basic questions but you’re short of time, you can write them in HelpDesk to receive an answer to help you with resolving an issue.

Secondly, one of the most popular open-sources is Ansible. It is used for configuration and is based on Python language. It’s very simple in using. Moreover, if you have a lack of knowledge of program languages, it’ll be easier for you to write a code in it than using some other software e.g. in Saltstack. Also, you can use it for a configuration of different types of systems and an integration with such tools as Kubernetes, Terraform, and Jenkins.

Next one in my list is Zabbix. It’s a nice tool for monitoring systems. Zabbix is quite complicated but at the same time flexible enough. For example, you can customize your own sensors for monitoring with the help of this software. But I strongly recommend you to read manuals before utilising it.

Fourthly, if you need a simple tool to manage all corporate devices, you can download cloud-based solution called Microsoft Intune. Especially Microsoft Intune comes in handy if you have a subscription in Microsoft Azure. It provides easy control and installation of updates.

Then, one of the tasks of sysadmins is an organisation of a secure «space» for keeping passwords. For this purpose, I like using KeePass. It generates passwords and temporary links for having an access to the passwords. Thus, it keeps passwords in safety.

Another important tool is Acronis. This software is vital to have secure operation systems backups. This one is more expensive than some of its analogues but it’s quite easy to configure and use it. Also, you can integrate it in different systems.

Finally, one of the best tools for remote connectivity in my opinion — Teamviewer. You can assist and control any kind of working process remotely from your device with this program.

I hope this information will be useful for creating your necessary toolkit for leveraging automation and optimizing your workload.

Greg mentioned software for:

4. Read the text once again and complete the summary:

There are ____ important software tools for a system administrator in Greg’s list:________. System administrators need them to ______close tasks faster. But each company uses ______because____.

5. Match the explanations with the words:

6. Choose the suitable words to complete the sentences:

1.How can we ______ this issue as soon as possible?

a. integrate b. monitor c. resolve

2.We don’t _____ to the Internet because of repair works.

a. have an access b. give an access c. take an access

3.I’ll ______ you in finding a good software for international calls.

a. assist b. leverage c. configure

4.Our department use some ______ software to create the website.

a. pay-source b. open-source c. close-source

5.You can _____ your phone by changing the theme and the size of shrifts.

a. resolve b. assist c. customize

6.We can _______ our resources to meet the deadline.

a. have an access b. leverage c. come in handy

7.I always ______ all important files.

a. backup b. configure c. customize

8.This is a useful ______ for managing tasks.

a. lacks b. open-source c. tool

9.I prefer reading ______ before using new programs.

a. issues b. manuals c. backups

7. Answer the questions:

— Which software do you know for generating passwords?

— How do you usually backup important data?

— How can software assist users?

— What challenges have you faced due to lack of resources when working with software?

8. Read the sentences from the text and complete the table:

— Every system administrator needs to have special software to close tasks faster.

— It’ll be easier for you

— This one is more expensive than some of its analogues.

— One of the most popular open-sources is Ansible.

— I decided to write my personal list of must-have tools for better understanding

— Finally, one of the best tools for remote connectivity in my opinion — Teamviewer.

9.Study the rules:

Degrees of comparison

Pay attention:

— If a short adjective ends with — y → we change y into i: happy — happier — the happiest

— If a short adjective has consonant-vowel-consonant (согласный-гласный-согласный), we need to double one consonant: big — bigger — the biggest

Irregular adjectives:

— good — better — the best

— bad — worse — the worst

— far — farther (usually about distance) /further (usually about abstract things) — the farthest/furthest

Note:

old — elder — the eldest (if we are talking about age: the eldest brother — самый старший брат)

old — older — the oldest (in the meaning of «старый»: the oldest bag — самая старая сумка)

10. Write the correct comparative and superlative forms:

late — > _____-> _____

complicating — > _____-> _____

good — > _____-> _____

near — > _____-> _____

old — > _____-> _____

exciting — > _____-> _____

bad — > _____-> _____

comfortable — > _____-> _____

hot — > _____-> _____

far — > _____-> _____

dirty — > _____-> _____

patient — > _____-> _____

11. Open the brackets with the correct form of adjective:

SaltStack and Ansible are nice tools for automating IT infrastructure. Before making a choice between them, it’s important to consider your specific needs and choose the tool that will be the ____ (good) for meeting these needs.

SaltStack is _____ (powerful) tool than Ansible, because it allows you to manage complex infrastructure. One of the _____ (big) advantages of SaltStack is its speed. SaltStack uses a master-slave architecture, which means that changes can be made quickly. Thus, with this software your infrastructure will remain secure. Another advantage of SaltStack is its scalability. SaltStack can easily manage thousands of servers, making it ideal for large-scale deployments.

In comparison with Saltstack, Ansible is ___ (simple) and ____ (easy) to use for small or medium-sized deployments. Ansible uses a push-based architecture, which means that changes are made on the client-side. This makes Ansible _____ (lightweight) than SaltStack. Another advantage of Ansible is its simplicity, so beginners and non-coders don’t have any problems while using it.

So, which one is _____ (good)? If you need to manage a large-scale deployment with complex infrastructure, then Ansible is a ____ (bad) choice than Saltstack. For that purpose, you should use Saltstack. If you have a ____ (small) deployment and want a tool that is easy to use and set up, then Ansible is _____ (suitable) for you.

12. Look at the information, compare the tools and choose the best one in your opinion:

Wireshark:

Price — free

Complexity — complex

Flexibility — very flexible

Monitoring — designed for packet capture and analysis, not for real-time

Features — packet analysis, real-time monitoring, historical data analysis, troubleshooting tools

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor:

Price — commercial

Complexity — easy to use for basic monitoring

Flexibility — flexible

Monitoring — real-time and historical network performance

Features — real-time monitoring, historical data analysis, troubleshooting tools, traffic shaping, QoS monitoring, and more

13. Read the situation and do the task:

Your colleague Helen is an HR manager. She needs to choose a new program for making notes during job interviews instead of Notepad. Helen decided to ask you for help. You need to recommend her the other tool with the same function. Don’t forget to use comparative forms of adjectives.

If you don’t have any ideas, you can use the following information about OneNote: OneNote is compatible with Windows OS, IOS, and Android. There are some drawing tools, voice notes, and image embedding. Also, you can share your notes with others.

Helen: Hi, how are you?

Your line:___________

Helen: Well, I’m trying to decide which software I want to use for note-taking.

Your line:___________

Helen: I’ve been using Notepad recently, but sometimes it’s so irritating for me. Can you please recommend any other options?

Your line:___________

Helen: Do you think this one is harder to use?

Your line:___________

Helen: Can I also edit in it my text? For example, use different shrifts and colours?

Your line:___________

Helen: What about voice notes or drawing?

Your line:___________

Helen: And is it compatible with other OS? Or is it only for Windows?

Your line:___________

Helen: Thanks a lot! I think I’ll try that one and see how it goes.

Your line:___________

Now you know:

— how to talk about software in English;

— how to compare things with the use of adjectives;

— how to agree, disagree and express your doubts.

Vocabulary: