UNIX Systems Control Politics?

pariahdecss asks: "I have just been hired as the webmaster for local college. The website for which I am responsible is hosted 'in-house' and controlled by the college. The server box does not have any other production systems on it besides my website. The website that I have inherited is driven by an amalgam of Embedded Perl and PostgreSQL. Now to the politics...the UNIX Administrator does not want to give me root access to this box. What have others done when faced with this type of systems politics? Is it even possible to function as a full scale webmaster without root access to the box you serve from?"

Why do you need root?

[mjpaci]

Please, let us know why you need root and we'll then tell you 1) how to attain it using politics or 2) that you're being a baby.

--Mike

No.

[epsalon]

Diebold systems control politics.

Oh, you meant politics of UNIX system control? Never mind.

How-To do Politics . . .

[Dausha]

First, get politics for dummies. Also, you don't need root, as has been said ad nausium. The fact that you are asking if you need root to be a full fledged web master demonstrates that you don't know what you're in for politically or technically. Odds are your admin is reading this thread and will know its you.

However, I'll give you the loaded gun. Go ye therefore . . .

1. Don't rock any boats for 90 days. You need this time to assess the political landscape and get to know who is really in control. You may find that the man in charge is not the man in control. If you start rocking your boat early, the man behind the curtain will be wise to you. IF that man is the sys admin you're trying to sweep the legs out from under, then clean up your resume.

2. Get to know the system you're wanting to control. You need to know why you need root to ask for it. Needing to install software is usually the best excuse since routine permissions will fix any routine need for root. This also requires some major server overall that you *need* to get the website to some grand plan you have. You do have a grand plan, right?

3. After the requisite time period (see 1), start making a lot of important installation requests staggared. Make sure you ask for it when he's swamped. That way he will seem unsupportive/inept. Don't forget to explain to man in control that you're not being supported.

4. Explain to the man in control that if sysadmin would only give you root, you could take care of this on your own. Don't forget to wave your hand in front of the man in control or the jedi mind trick will fail. Hope that man in control and sysadmin are not friends.

5. Hope that sysadmin is not politically savvy. If he is, prepare your resume. You have about a 25 percent chance of winning if you know what you're doing, and a 100 percent chance of pissing off your sysadmin.

If he's worth his salt, once you have effectively stolen root from him, the server will have mysterious problems arise that can *only* have been because he was forced to give you root. Root will be taken from you and you will have a) made a serious enemy and b) "proven" your incompetence.

The net result is that you will have weakened the organization as a whole.

Alternatively, you can work your ass off for several months to impress the hell out of all involved and show that you can be trusted with root. No politics required.

Re:How-To do Politics . . .

[sjames]

However, I'll give you the loaded gun. Go ye therefore . . .

Meanwhile, for the rest of his days there, he should be on the lookout for dark rooms with floor tiles lifted, electrified doorknobs, wires attached to his chair, etc. Also avoid using the elevator (if any).

Re:Fscking Unter-grads

[harikiri]

You forgot:

"You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake..."

Re:Yes, Yes YES!

[Anonymous Coward]

And when the understudy has thoroughly finished polishing the mighty admin's scepter, and it is glistening with saliva, then, the understudy gets their just reward.