WYNTK: UNIX System Admininistrator

Look at the error message.

A UNIX error message often scares users off. But a lot of the time, it makes sense if you read it carefully. Like a legal document, an error message is written in English; it just uses different words than we do in conversation.

How administrators prioritize problems

	When I’m trying to prioritize what problem to work on first, I sort by the number of people affected. For example, fixing the phone system would be more important than helping someone install some new software. Or fixing company-wide email would be more important than helping someone change their default printer.
	--Eric Pearce administrator

If you can’t interpret an error message yourself, then the next best thing is to copy it down for the system administrator. When you send the system administrator email, you should tell her what directory you were in, showing exactly what you typed and what error message(s) you saw.