Advanced Linux Administration

Product Description

Overview

Linux administration involves a fair amount of interaction with system hardware & the kernel, as well as using proliferation of front end tools. This class provides a hands-on approach to these & other advanced administrative tasks that are unique to Linux, concentrating on CLI-based methods.
With its distinctive design approach, this class is also suitable as a Unix to Linux conversion for existing Unix administrators. It is a fast-paced skills-building event, full of practical exercises & troubleshooting.
The class platform will be one of the Red Hat derivatives, such as Cent OS or Scientific Linux. However, the discussions & material address every major Linux str&, & wherever specific tool, technique or method is relevant, SUSE, Debian & Ubuntu specifics are covered. For example, we discuss the unique approach adopted by various systems in the areas such as system start-up & software management.
This class, together with the Essentials of Linux Administration, has been designed to meet objectives of the industry standard Linux certification from Linux Professional Institute, specifically playing part in preparation for LPIC-1 (LPI-101 & LPI 102) exams.
Target audience
All existing administrators, developers, analysts, indeed, all users who find themselves looking after a Linux box. Also, experienced Unix Administrators who need to port their skills to Linux.
Outline
Getting Started
Class pre-requisites; Introduction to flavours considered in this class (Red Hat, SUSE, Debian); A look at Linux administration; Interesting Linux directories; Making the best of the /proc filesystem; GUI front-end administrative tools: system-config* in RHEL; yast in SUSE; Generic administration tool: WEBMIN
Preparing For Installation
Understanding PC hard disks: PC hard disk drives: IDE & SCSI; Disk preparation: primary, extended & logical partitions; Understanding memory; Linux swapping & paging: planning swap area, adding swaps; Disk tools: fdisk, parted, hdparm
Installation Methods
Preparing for installation; Installation sources; Selecting system ?personality?; Gathering information; Installation planning & process; Installing Linux from CD-ROM; Post-installation steps; Repeatable installation with installer script
Software Management
Linux Software Package; Packaging in Red Hat & SUSE; Packaging in Debian & Ubuntu; Installing, checking status & removing packages; Installing software supplied as source code; Handling kernel patches; Automatic software updates; Using yum in Red Hat & SUSE; Using APT tools in Debian & Ubuntu
Boot Management
Bootstrap procedure; Master Boot Record (MBR)?; Using & configuring GRUB bootloader; Grub disk numbering; Grub configuration; Recovering from boot problems
Hardware & Architecture
Types of platforms Linux will run on; Minimum hardware requirements; Selected 2.6 features; Supported devices; Configuring sysfs devices with udev; Network interface considerations: configuration, bonding; Hardware troubleshooting tools
Kernel Configuration
Kernel numbering; Kernel interesting locations ? usr/src/linux, /boot, /lib/modules/$ (uname -r); Creating a customised Kernel ? Why rebuild? Prescriptive sequence of steps; Modifying kernel parameters
Start-up & Shutdown
Single & multi-user run levels; System start-up files (rc files) -/etc/rc.d/rc.* directories; Linux specific files
- /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit & /etc/rc.d/rc.local; Activating services on demand ? GUI or command line? Start-up specifics in SUSE, Debian & Ubuntu
Managing Logs
Auditing & logging; Basic Unix log files; Simple data tools for working with logs ? touch, tail, tail -f, grep; Syslog daemon; Rotating logs; Monitoring logs.
User Accounts
Quick recap of for user account requirements; Standard configuration files (group, passwd, shadow); User account specifics under Linux ? Private groups, /etc/gshadow file, Using chage for controlling password ageing; Listing account information; User"as ? Configuring aquota.user & aquota.group files.
PAM & user account security
User types & their accounts; Superuser (s), daemon users, ordinary users; Terminal & shell control files; Unknown & dormant accounts; Testing account usage & activity: lastlog, last, lastb; Authenticating with PAM: PAM structure, control flow & configuration; User login & security files: login.defs, securetty, messages
Managing Filesystems
Linux default filesystems ? ext 2, ext 3, ext 4; Filesystem features & constructs ? i-node tables, directories & links; Configuring filesystems ? Performance ? mkfs command ? Security ? mount command; Troubleshooting & diagnosing filesystems ? fsck, tune 2fs, debugfs, fuser; Restricting disk assignments with user/group"as
Storage Management with LVM
Physical partitions declared as physical volumes (PV); Physical volumes added to volume groups (VG); Volume groups split into logical volumes (LV)
Extended File Attributes
Recap of basic file & directory permissions: r/w/x, SUID, SGID & sticky bit; File Access Control List (ACL); Making use of individual user & group assignments; Understanding mask property; Using setfacl & getfacl of files & directories; Applying additional file attributes through chattr; Using chattr to set additional attributes; Applying privileged attributes; Using lsattr to explore extended attributes
Networking Infrastructure
Number crunching; Network related files & directories: interface configuration files, name resolving; All-in-one network interface tool ? the ip command: general syntax & usage; Network parameters in the kernel; Static routes; Interface parameters with ethtool; Interface bonding: modes & configuration
Network Services
Protocols & Services; Network super-daemons: inetd, xinetd ; TCP wrapper with tcpd; Network time protocol; Hardware vs. software clock; Daemons & configuration