We do dedicated/virtulal hosting, so we're not 'typical' sysadmins .
I still don't understand what makes it necessary for you to rack servers? If it's sheer quantity, then you should have enough cash to employ more staff. If it's very occasionally, then why can't the sysadmin handle that?
The only time our devs touch a server is when go to the datacentre to see how everything works.
Like the other guy said, it's easier with two people since they're pretty heavy. We only have about 10 of them, so it's not a constant activity for us.
I have to say though, your attitude towards developers is pretty condescending. As a developer and former homebuilt PC enthusiast I actually enjoy learning about the IT side of things. Likewise, our sysadmin keeps up a good conversation now and then about software development, and scripting languages in particular. The best development shops are those where the devs and admins work as a team and trust each other.
Most servers are easier to put in a rack with two persons. And if you do it only very occasionally, hiring a second admin just for that might be slightly wasteful.
I still don't understand what makes it necessary for you to rack servers? If it's sheer quantity, then you should have enough cash to employ more staff. If it's very occasionally, then why can't the sysadmin handle that?
The only time our devs touch a server is when go to the datacentre to see how everything works.