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Server Administrator L1 - Roles and Responsibilities


An L1 (Level 1) Server Administrator is responsible for basic troubleshooting, monitoring, and first-line support for server-related issues. Their role includes:


1. Monitoring & Maintenance


Monitoring server health, performance, and logs.


Ensuring servers are running optimally and reporting any abnormalities.


Performing routine maintenance tasks such as updates and patch installations.



2. Troubleshooting & Incident Management


Handling basic server issues like high CPU usage, memory spikes, or disk space issues.


Resolving common OS issues (Windows/Linux).


Escalating complex issues to L2 or L3 teams.



3. User Management & Access Control


Creating, modifying, and deleting user accounts.


Managing permissions and security groups.


Resetting passwords and handling access-related requests.



4. Backup & Recovery


Ensuring backup jobs are running successfully.


Assisting in data restoration when needed.



5. Security & Compliance


Applying security patches and updates.


Monitoring antivirus and firewall alerts.


Ensuring compliance with IT security policies.



6. Hardware & Software Support


Assisting with hardware troubleshooting (HDD failures, RAM issues, etc.).


Installing or uninstalling software and updates.



7. Documentation & Reporting


Maintaining server inventory and documentation.


Preparing incident reports and server performance logs.




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Interview Questions and Answers for L1 Server Admin


1. Basic Technical Questions


Q1: What is a server?

A: A server is a computer or system that provides resources, data, services, or programs to other devices, called clients, over a network.


Q2: What are the different types of servers?

A:


Web Server (e.g., Apache, IIS)


File Server (e.g., Windows File Server, NFS)


Database Server (e.g., MySQL, SQL Server)


Mail Server (e.g., Exchange, Postfix)


DNS Server (e.g., BIND, Windows DNS)



Q3: What are common server operating systems?

A: Windows Server (2019, 2022), Linux distributions (Ubuntu, CentOS, Red Hat).


Q4: What is Active Directory (AD)?

A: Active Directory is a directory service by Microsoft used for managing user accounts, permissions, and security policies in a Windows domain network.


Q5: What is DNS and why is it important?

A: DNS (Domain Name System) translates domain names (e.g., google.com) into IP addresses, allowing users to access websites and services easily.


2. Troubleshooting & Monitoring


Q6: How do you check server performance in Windows?

A: Using Task Manager, Performance Monitor, or Resource Monitor to check CPU, RAM, disk, and network usage.



Q7: How do you check running processes in Linux?

A: Using the top or ps aux command.


Q9: What would you do if a server is running slow?

A:


Check CPU and memory usage (top or Task Manager).


Identify high-resource-consuming processes.


Check disk space (df -h).


Restart unnecessary services.


Check logs for errors (/var/log in Linux, Event Viewer in Windows

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