Technical

Q1. A Windows XP user reports they do not have Internet access. How would you attempt to remedy the situation?
A1. ipconfig - DHCP lease. No lease? Check link light on PC. No link? Change network cable.



Q2. You get a ticket saying simply 'I can't open my emails' - what steps would you take to diagnose the fault?
A2. Ask the user for more information - what exactly do they mean? Outlook does not open, errors downloading email? An attachment in a foriegn format? Verify network access (google), check for OUTLOOK.EXE in task manager, hold CTRL to run Outlook in safe mode.



Q3. After adding a new DNS record on the master BIND server, users complain 10 minutes later that 'sometimes going to newsite.laterooms.com doesn't work' - why would this be so?
A3. Check the zone transfer was successful - verify SOA serial numbers on all listed NSs



Q4. A user complains their desktop PC is 'very slow'. What would you check?
A4. Download speed OK (i.e. network link is good)? Big virus scan? Background processes? Spyware? Defrag needed? New profile?



Q5: What is data mining?
A5: Sifting through extremely large amounts of data to find trends or relevant information.



Q6: Can you name any of the seven layers in the OSI Model?
A6: Appication, Presentation, Session, Transport, Network, Data Link, Physical



Q7: What is RAID 0+1? Why is it better than 0?
A7: 0 is not at all good in a sysadmin environment! Striping + mirroring i.e. speed /and/ redundancy.



Q8: Can you tell me the TCP port numbers for HTTP, SMTP, POP3 and IMAP.
A8: 80, 25, 110, 143.



Q9. What can you tell me about dynamic routing, and how it differs from static routing.
A9: Performs the same function. OSPF / RIP



Q10. Tell me about MS Active Directory. What is it, what is it used for?



Q11. How would you go about monitoring a large number of mixed Windows/Linux servers?



Management

Q1. Could you deliver a training class if necessary?



Q2. How did you manage your time (across projects) at your last company?



Q3. What sort of ramp-up time do you think you need to be fully productive?



Q4. How many hours per week do you expect to work?



Q5. What are you expecting from this job?



Q6. Where do you see yourself being in 2 years?



Q7. Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor? How did you
resolve the conflict?



Q8. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills
to influence someone's opinion.



Q9. Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).



Q10. How much money do you need to make to be happy? 



Q11. Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and
developed preventative measures.



Culture
Q1. What was the last cool thing you saw or heard about?



Q2. Ubuntu or Debian? 



Q3. What blogs / authors do you read? failblog/idiot toys



Q4. What webcomics do you read? xkcd/toothpaste/cyanide



Q5. What winds you up?



Q6. What do you think of Vista?



Q7. What sort of things do you use your home PC for?



Q8. Computer heritage - 8-bit / 16-bit