Who Should Attend

This Linux System Administration for UNIX System Administrators course is intended for experienced UNIX users and administrators. The emphasis of this workshop is on key differences between Linux and other members of the UNIX family of operating systems.

Prerequisites

This course assumes students are power users and/or have system administration experience on another UNIX-family operating system. Knowledge of the vi editor and standard commands is expected.

What you will learn

• Install Linux successfully
• Install X Window System (Linux graphical interface)
• Manage disks and directory space
• Set up and configure a Linux network
• Compile and install a custom Linux kernel
• Recover when disaster strikes

Course Outline

1. Introduction to Linux
• Linux relationship to other UNIX versions
• What you get when you download Linux over the net
• What you get in addition when you buy a ‘distribution’
• Difference between major vendors Linux distributions
2. Key differences between Linux and other UNIX versions
• Linux File System
• Mounting and unmounting PC removable media
• Differences in standard command-line commands
• Configuration Utilities
• Plug-and-Play Issues
• What you need to know about your hardware before you install Linux
• Performance monitoring and tuning tools
3. Linux Installation
• Review of PC Disk Partitions
• Dual Boot Considerations
• Partitions Relationship to Subdirectories
• The basic directory structure - what Linux stores where
• Installation methods and options
• Installation Logs
4. Installing and configuring X Window System
• Why X Window System installations frequently fail - if you don’t prepare
• Starting and stopping X Window System
• Configuring the graphical desktop
• Changing window managers - KDE, Sawmill, AfterStep, and others
• Integrating desktop environments with the window manager - KDE and GNOME
• Location and content of key configuration files
5. Linux Boot Process and System Configuration
• Boot Initialization Files
• System Initialization and Runlevels
• Key init directories and files
• System configuration utilities - chkconfig, neat, ntvsys
6. Software Installation and Management
• RPM software packages
• Managing package dependencies
• Installing, upgrading, verifying, querying, erasing packages
• Automated update services
7. Compiling Linux Kernels
• Kernel essentials
• Acquiring and installing the kernel source
• Configuring a new kernel
• Compiling the kernel
• Installing and booting the new kernel
8. Networking Linux
• What you need to know to connect a Linux machine to a network
• TCP/IP fundamentals - address, netmask, private and public addresses
• Selecting and configuring a working driver for a network card.
• Linux networking configuration files
• Troubleshooting physical connections
• Sharing and protecting files and peripherals on a network
9. Troubleshooting
• Protecting systems from tinkering users
• A three-step approach to distinguishing between hardware and software
• Recovering from corrupted system files
• What an Emergency Boot Floppy should contain
• Troubleshooting the start-up sequence
• How to use Linux start-up options
• Configuration and troubleshooting tools

Course Duration

Two (2) days

Course Schedule

Go to Epcom Course Schedule

Course Materials

• Comprehensive course workbook/summary
• Course certificate of completion