My current work
My name is Michael Pietroforte. I’ve been working as a system administrator for about 16 years now. For several years, I’ve been heading the IT department at the University Library of the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. With about 46,000 students, it is the biggest German university and according to a recent contest of the German government, it is also the best. There are about 600 desktops and 30 servers in the library. We are mostly a Windows shop, but some of our Web applications are running on Linux boxes. At the moment, there are eight other administrators and more than 20 student workers in my department. We manage the library catalog, have an Open Access server, offer scientific databases, eBooks, and eJournals for university members. About half of our desktop computers are for students.

Where it started
The first computer I ever touched was a Commodore PET 2001. This must have been around 1978. They had one in the local mall and it was usually the first place I would go to after school. It didn’t take too long and I had one at home, too. Actually, it was the successor, the CBM 3016. It had 16 KB RAM and since I had to invest all my savings for the computer, there was no more money left for a mass storage device. So whenever I turned the machine off, the program I typed in will be erased.

About 4sysops
On this blog, I am focusing on Windows system administration. You’ll find me discussing Windows technology, sharing my experiences with regard to useful management tools, and commenting on news relevant for Windows administrators. Sometimes I also publish articles in German computer journals. Even though my articles there are also based on the experiences from work, they are quite different compared to my blog posts.

About my blogging
One reason is that the readers of this blog are mostly system administrators. So they should have more IT experience than the average reader of a computer journal. If you are a newbie or my writing is not clear enough, feel free to post a comment. I am trying to reply to all your comments. Another difference is that my writing here is more subjective and spontaneous because I often blog immediately after a new experience. If it was negative, you’ll find me in a grumpy mood and if it was positive, I don’t hide my enthusiasm. I am always interested in views of other IT pros and I enjoy controversial discussions. So don’t be shy and let me know what you think.

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Note
Please note that English is my second language. I am trying my best here, but just in case you read an odd sounding sentence every now and then, I hope you will pardon me.