BLOG INDEX

  • Interview Details, Experience & Result (to get comfortable with environment)

  • Takeaways From Interview Experience (to learn from experience)

  • Information Related to SysAdmin Position (know about your RA position)

  • My views on SysAdmin RA and TA

  • Why I have chosen SysAdmin RA (what is your reason for chosing)

----------------------------------Interview Details, Experience & Result

It was round 1 for top candidates applied and round 2 was after 5th round of COAP for remaining candidates (based on seats vacant in round 1 and does not accepted any offer)

Date: 22-June-2020 (online using Google meet) (due to COVID-19)

Position: CSE Sysadmin RA (6)

Duration of interview was 25-35 minutes. (after 1 pm)

There was a waiting lounge using another Google meet. I was waiting at position 8th in panel 1. (around 10-9 members in both panels)

There were about 4-5 panelists including one professor (Prof. Varsha Apte), Sysadmin head (Mr. Ranjith Kumar) and current sysadmin RA.

(I will try to frame questions as exactly as they said, and will give gist of answers I told, as thinking and presentation skills are different for different persons)

---------------------------------------------

I1(Varsha Apte): Say Your Name, Form Id, and Declaration that nobody is helping me in this interview, and haven’t selected any offer.

[Told]

I1: Let’s start with introducing yourself to your panel members. Start directly from your college experience.

[told college name, work done, competitions participated and other experience.]

       I1 transferred the command to I2 (Ranjith Kumar)

I2: What are the Operating Systems you used?

               [told about Windows and Linux in college]

I2: Any Linux operating System you used?

               [Ubuntu 14.1, Fedora 13]

I2: What are the commands you remember?

               [ told all commands I remember group wise right from starting terminal then other]

I2: How can you count number of files in a folder?

[I told I don’t actually remember the command but we can do using ‘ls command’ plus other. Or we can write script using if-else condition checking file]

(( we can do “ls | wc -l”  or using find with some parameter, or iterate every file and check if it is file or directory ))

I2: Difference between Ubuntu and Fedora?

               [told about apt-get and yum and then community response etc]

-------------------------------------------------

I3: What does ‘top’ command do?

               [ told it worked like task manager in windows, then told some details]

I3: How to see network status?

               (I actually didn’t get the question initially but then told what I know about some network commands)

I3: How to connect with different system?

               [ using ‘ssh command’ we can access another computer terminal]

I3: Since you have used ‘vi’ editor, how to go to last line in a file opened using ‘vi’ editor.

               [ I told I don’t remember, there are commands visible in ‘vi editor’ to use.]

----------------------------------------------

I4: How can we connect to different system? Explain.

               [explained about ssh command]

I4: How can we execute two commands simultaneously?

               [ using && or pipe command]

I4: How to write to a file without opening it.

               [ using >> right shift operator to echo output to file]

I4: What are the ways to find/search a file?

               [using find, locate, grep with name ]

I4: How to end a process when you see in output of ‘top’ command or when it gets hang?

               [ told about getting id from ‘ps’ command then and then using kill command]

-------------------------------------------------- 

I1: Do you know basic networking, subnetting etc?

               [ told yes and my experience of network handling in college using pfSense]

I1: What is the NAT? How does it work? How to distinguish two system with same port accessing same site?

               (( Initially started with NAT description and then using table, explaining private or public ip))

               (( things got stuck when she asked me about how NAT will distinguish between same request of different computer with same port. I told using table writing MAC address along with all details. But she confused me when request is served back from server to client and in Ip packet we will be writing MAC address of main router))

I1: What are the TCP Congestion Policies?

               [told about rwnd and cwnd, slow start exponential algo, AIMD and then detection. After detection back to slow or AIMD.]

I1: What are the difference between layer2 and layer3 ?

               [ told differences in terms of devices, mac and IP, etc.]

I1: What is the layer 2 protocols?

               (( I got confused, I was not remembering exactly what to told, she gave some hints but I was not able to say))

Result : declared on 7th July 2020. I was Selected.

Gate Score – 807, EWS

----------------------------------------------TAKEAWAYs
  1. After Gate, please revise basic Linux commands and basic scripting (search in Google for important commands), commands related to networking. Linux and windows differences, problems. It is good to refresh your Linux memories even you get selected or not.

  2. Revise ‘Computer Networking’ subject and watch videos for practical working of some basic protocol if you are not able to visualize. For other subject like OS depends on panel.

  3. If you do not remember exactly then at least say what is in your thinking in that concept, how you are visualizing. Accept your mistake.

  4. Although this year (2020) there was no programming test, but be prepared for that.

  5. Still having doubt, then read their requirements, understand important topic. Visit their head page, RA page. Mail them.

I have read “A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming” Book by Mark G. Sobell in college for Linux. I have googled out basic important commands to refresh my memories.

----------------------------------Information About Sysadmin (outsourced from RA)
  • This year 2020 there is new program MS by Res. But it is open for TA and RAP category people only. That means RA would not be allowed. (if you are thinking to join)

  • This is RA position (Institute RA) where you have to invest your time in CSE Lab under Sysadmin head.

  • Officially it is 20hrs per week. Less in first year. More in second year (more work). Third year you would be busy in MTP (Major Thesis Project). However, mostly it stays below that but can get over the limit in rare cases ( Load is variable). Therefore, until you do your seminar and presentation you will be doing RA duties.

  • Work is mostly systems related. Like maintaining CSE infrastructure like the Mail server, DNS server, L1/L2 networks, biometric system, LDAP, GIT and networking infrastructure. Deploying new services and ensuring security of such services.

  • This is different from IISc RA or MS in other institutes. First it is exactly of three years called MTECH – RA (not in 2-3 year range). Second no thesis advisors would be assigned from beginning (in RA). Institute RAs (CSE Sysads and CC sysads) are free to choose any faculty advisors in any field. Although there is limit on faculty for number of students they can take and there are criteria of CGPA also.

  • Stipend year wise is 13.4k, 14.4k, 15.4k

  • You will not be spoon-feed but seniors will be present to guide you (as they said) and you will never be given more than you can handle

  • Guidance, Meeting and all depends on guide.

---------------------------------------------------My views

It is still MTech but with 3 years. Just your friends will get the degree before you get.

So  

  1. if you don’t have any other options (like TA)

  2. you really wanted the IIT Bombay name

  3. doesn’t know your research area yet or wanted to explore. (applicable only for Institute RA)

  4. interested in Linux and programming

then you can prepare for it (Institute RA).

What TA have to do in first year you have to do in two year (+1 for Major MTech thesis). That means less workload or pressure, you can explore and learn in your pace. Enjoy Bombay life one more year (subject to coronavirus relaxation).

(well if you consider it as advantage then it can also be considered as disadvantage if your main goal is placement whether it is 2 years or 3 years, you have to spend one extra year. TA have 8 hrs. per week load. And they will learn to efficiently manage their time in this competitive world. And some have published the paper even in 2 years duration.)

-----------------------------------------Why I have chosen sysadmin RA?

Well, it was the closest which I can relate to my past experience. (next was CC sysadmin).

I have spent my last two and half years of BTech in computer lab of my private college. I have been developing projects for my college under HOD or Director (I wish I would have practiced competitive programming). From third year I have managed the entire networking of college using firewall pfSense (learning through documentation or videos) and then incorporating it using college management system we made (me and my friend) using radius database and captive portal.

Even I have installed windows 7 and Linux in each 100+ old poor computer system. I got to know some problems of dual booting, partition, correcting errors, sometimes exchanging RAM or Hard disk of system to get things done etc.

I even tried every Linux at that time (ubuntu 12, ubuntu 14, kali Linux, fedora 13, fedora workstation, centos, redhat developer version, linux mint). I even tried to boot MAC OS cracked version in one of the computer in Lab (well it didn’t workout but worked in virtual system)

That is why it was my first preference. Similarly, you should choose based on your work experience and interest.

Second was I wanted to be Bombay having dreams like other and at my score TA seems difficult. Moreover my EWS certificate was getting delayed as last date for application was approaching.

Thank You for Reading. Hope It helps.

posted Jul 18, 2020 recategorized Jul 18, 2020 by
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