Enterprise Linux Systems Administration
Private Training

Course Summary

This is a five day, in-depth course that explores installation, configuration and maintenance of Linux systems. The course focuses on issues universal to every workstation and server. This course material is designed to provide extensive hands-on experience. Topics include: installation and configuration; the boot process; user and group administration; filesystem administration, including quotas, FACLs, RAID and LVM, task automation, client networking, SELinux, software management, log files and troubleshooting.

Audience
Students should already be comfortable working in a Linux or Unix environment
Course Length
5 Days
Prerequisites
An understanding of network concepts, and the TCP/IP protocol suite is helpful.

Objectives

Understand network configuration and be able to troubleshoot.

Manage file systems and logical volumes.

Learn how to control user and file access.

Install and manage services and processes.

Learn essential command line operations

Detailed Outline

  1. Linux Hardware Discovery, Interaction, & Control
    • Hardware Discovery Tools
    • Configuring New Hardware with hwinfo
    • Hardware and System Clock
    • Virtual Terminals
    • Serial Ports
    • SCSI Devices
    • USB Devices
    • USB Configuration
    • Common UNIX Printing System
    • Defining a Printer
    • Managing Optical Media
    • Tape Libraries
    • Managing Linux Device Files
    • Kernel Hardware Info – /sys/
    • /sys/ Structure
    • udev
    • Kernel Modules
    • Configuring Kernel Components and Modules
    • Handling Module Dependencies
    • Configuring the Kernel via /proc/
  2. Boot Process and SYSV INIT
    • Booting Linux on PCs
    • GRUB Configuration
    • Boot Parameters
    • Initial ramdisk
    • System Init Styles
    • /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit
    • SUSE /etc/init.d/boot
    • Runlevel Implementation
    • System Configuration Files
    • RHEL6 Configuration Utilities
    • SLES11 Configuration Utilities
    • Typical SysV Init Script
    • The /etc/rc.local File
    • The /etc/init.d/*.local Files
    • Managing Daemons
    • Controlling Service Startup
    • Shutdown and Reboot
  3. Software Maintenance
    • Managing Software
    • RPM Features
    • RPM Architecture
    • RPM Package Files
    • Working with RPMs
    • Querying and Verifying with rpm
    • Updating the Kernel RPM
    • Dealing With RPM & YUM Digest Changes
    • YUM Plugins
    • YUM Repositories
    • Compiling/Installing from Source
    • Manually Installed Shared Libraries
    • Installing Source RPM Packages
  4. FileSystem Administration
    • Partitioning Disks with fdisk
    • Partitioning Disks with parted
    • Filesystem Creation
    • Mounting Filesystems
    • Filesystem Maintenance
    • Persistent Block Devices
    • Resizing Filesystems
    • Swap
    • Filesystem Structures
    • Determining Disk Usage With df and du
    • Configuring Disk Quotas
    • Setting Quotas
    • Viewing and Monitoring Quotas
    • Filesystem Attributes
    • Backup Software
  5. LVM & RAID
    • Logical Volume Management
    • Implementing LVM
    • Creating Logical Volumes
    • Manipulating VGs & LVs
    • Advanced LVM Concepts
    • system-config-lvm
    • SLES Graphical Disk Tool
    • RAID Concepts
    • Array Creation with mdadm
    • Software RAID Monitoring
    • Software RAID Control and Display
  6. Remote Storage Administration
    • Remote Storage Overview
    • Remote Filesystem Protocols
    • Remote Block Device Protocols
    • File Sharing via NFS
    • NFSv4
    • NFS Clients
    • NFS Server Configuration
    • Implementing NFSv4
    • AutoFS
    • AutoFS Configuration
    • Accessing Windows/Samba Shares from Linux
    • SAN Multipathing
    • Multipath Configuration
    • Multipathing Best Practices
    • iSCSI Architecture
    • Open-iSCSI Initiator Implementation
    • iSCSI Initiator Discovery
    • iSCSI Initiator Node Administration
    • Mounting iSCSI Targets at Boot
  7. User/Group Administration
    • User and Group Concepts
    • User Administration
    • Modifying Accounts
    • Group Administration
    • Password Aging
    • Default User Files
    • Controlling Logins
    • Manual DS Client Configuration
    • system-config-authentication
    • SLES Graphical DS Client Configuration
    • System Security Services Daemon (SSSD)
  8. Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)
    • PAM Overview
    • PAM Module Types
    • PAM Order of Processing
    • PAM Control Statements
    • PAM Modules
    • pam_unix
    • pam_nologin.so
    • pam_limits.so
    • pam_wheel.so
    • pam_xauth.so
  9. Security Administration
    • Security Concepts
    • Tightening Default Security
    • SuSE Security Checker
    • Security Advisories
    • File Access Control Lists
    • Manipulating FACLs
    • Viewing FACLs
    • Backing Up FACLs
    • File Creation Permissions with umask
    • User Private Group Scheme
    • Alternatives to UPG
    • AppArmor
    • SELinux Security Framework
    • SELinux Modes
    • SELinux Commands
    • Choosing an SELinux Policy
    • SELinux Booleans
    • Permissive Domains
    • SELinux Policy Tools
    • Basic Firewall Activation
  10. Basic Networking
    • IPv4 Fundamentals
    • TCP/UDP Fundamentals
    • Linux Network Interfaces
    • Ethernet Hardware Tools
    • Network Configuration with ip Command
    • Configuring Routing Tables
    • IP to MAC Address Mapping with ARP
    • Starting and Stopping Interfaces
    • NetworkManager
    • DNS Clients
    • DHCP Clients
    • system-config-network{tui,cmd}
    • SUSE YaST Network Configuration Tool
    • Network Diagnostics
    • Information from netstat and ss
    • Managing Network-Wide Time
    • Continual Time Sync with NTP
    • Configuring NTP Clients
    • Useful NTP Commands
  11. Advanced Networking
    • Multiple IP Addresses
    • Configuring a DHCP server
    • Enabling IPv6
    • Interface Bonding
    • Interface Bridging
    • 802.1q VLANS
    • Tuning Kernel Network Settings
  12. Log File Administration
    • System Logging
    • Syslog-ng
    • Rsyslog
    • /etc/rsyslog.conf
    • Log Management
    • Log Anomaly Detector
  13. Monitoring & Troubleshooting
    • System Status – Memory
    • System Status – I/O
    • System Status – CPU
    • Performance Trending with sar
    • Troubleshooting Basics: The Process
    • Troubleshooting Basics: The Tools
    • strace and ltrace
    • Common Problems
    • Troubleshooting Incorrect File Permissions
    • Inability to Boot
    • Typos in Configuration Files
    • Corrupt Filesystems
    • RHEL6 Rescue Environment
    • SUSE Rescue Environment
  14. Appendix A: Pre-Installation Considerations
    • Pre-Installation Considerations
    • Hardware Compatibility
    • Multi-OS Booting
    • Partition Considerations
    • Filesystem Planning
    • Selecting a Filesystem
  15. Appendix B: Installing RHEL6
    • Anaconda: An Overview
    • Anaconda: Booting the System
    • Anaconda: Common Boot Options
    • Anaconda: Loading Anaconda and Packages
    • Anaconda: Storage Options
    • Anaconda: Troubleshooting
    • FirstBoot
    • Kickstart
    • A Typical Install
  16. Appendix C: Installing SLES11
    • YaST Install Program Interface
    • Network Installation
    • SLP for SUSE Linux Installation
    • Installation Choices
    • Kernel Crash Dump Configuration
    • Creating AutoYaST2 Files
    • Using AutoYaST2 files
    • Installation Diagnostics
    • After The First Reboot
    • A Typical Install
  17. Appendix D: ISCSI Target Configuration
    • iSCSI Target Implementations
    • iSCSI Target Configuration (tgt)
    • iSCSI Target LUN Configuration (tgt)