Starting as a Sysadmin for Game Devs: Any Tips?

You could also just Google your questions—plenty of resources out there. But if you're looking for real community feedback, consider taking a break and coming back with a clearer mind after grabbing a coffee. Forums like this one thrive on real discussion, so collaborating is encouraged!

It really depends on your situation—are you starting from scratch or taking over an existing setup? If you’re the only sysadmin, you really need to collaborate with the developers and management to understand what software and performance needs they have. For CI/CD, build farms and branching strategies are essential, especially since games involve more than just code, like audio and animations. Regarding hardware, it varies a lot based on the game type.

You might want to hold off on making any changes right away. If they’re already using something like Jenkins for CI/CD, don’t rush to switch to another tool just because. Keep improvements smaller and manageable like streamlining updates or cleaning up unused jobs. And definitely ensure that all non-ephemeral items are checked into their version control system, as dealing with large files can complicate backups!

First off, focus on backups and documentation. Get to know their workflows and adapt your backup strategies accordingly. Make sure you know how their version control system operates. If they don’t have one, set one up and document it thoroughly. Security is key, but don’t let it disrupt their work. Standardize their workstations to avoid any live data loss—using something like OneDrive or SharePoint can help here.