Application administration requires more specific knowledge than system administration. Not only is the Sakai administrator responsible for understanding the flow of interactions between the end-user tools and the administrator's workspace, he or she is also responsible for tweaking the global configuration files and finding any low-level error messages in the logs.
Before day one of administration, it is useful to play as an instructor in a course with all the tools turned on, in a second browser and at the same time play the student or teaching assistant's role. Once a new administrator has a clear understanding of the basics, he or she can start to build a solid picture of any potential pain points. For example, when should you use web folders and not the web interface through the Resource tool? Where can the student or teaching assistant make mistakes? Looking proactively through the minds of others in different Sakai roles reduces the chances of a...