I’m a pastor, Jim, not a sysadmin!

If you’re going to be a pastor, it helps to be something of a jack-of-all-trades. The more diverse your abilities, the better you’ll do in most parishes. Got some skill fixing pipes? There are probably some leaky ones that could use your attention. Know how to balance the books? The treasurer sure wouldn’t mind a hand. Have a good eye for design, interior or graphic? There are decorating or publishing tasks waiting for you, young padawan.

Me, I happen to be a geek, and a former worker drone in the seminary Network Services office. So by default I’m essentially the sysadmin at St. John’s!

Jeff was the one who pointed it out to me this week – I’m actually managing a fairly impressive little network. Here’s what we’ve got:

• A computer in every major (non-server) flavor of Windows from the past nine years – one running Windows 2000, two running Windows XP, three running Windows Vista, and (when I connect my personal laptop) one more running Windows 7 Beta
• A network MFD (Multi-Function Device – that’d be our copier)
• A color network printer
• A 1TB wireless network storage device for backups

I spent my afternoon installing our new StorCenter, which will let me configure automagic backups of each of our three primary machines on a daily and weekly basis. Since it’s wireless, I’m able to sequester it away in our vault, which, with its concrete walls and big steel door, is the safest, sturdiest place in the church.

I also enjoyed installing a VNC program on our network to let me remote control computers – it let me install a boatload of updates to one of our neglected XP boxes without leaving my desk.

We’ve come a long way with our office technology since I arrived two years ago – I hope I’ve made things straightforward enough that whoever inherits this network after me can make it all continue to work… and doesn’t find herself constantly muttering, “What idiot set this all up, anyhow???” ;)