GL250 - Enterprise Linux System Administration

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The GL250 is an in-depth course that explores installation, configuration and maintenance of Linux systems. The course focuses on issues universal to every workstation and server. Like all Guru Labs courses, the 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; configuring Netfilter firewalls with iptables; troubleshooting; and more.

Prerequisites:

Students should already be comfortable working in a Linux or Unix environment. Fundamentals such as the Linux filesystem, process management, and how to edit files will not be covered in class. An understanding of network concepts, and the TCP/IP protocol suite is helpful. These skills are taught in the GL120 "Linux Fundamental" course.

Supported Distributions:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
Fedora Core 6
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
SUSE Linux 10.1
Recommended Class Length:
5 days
Detailed Course Outline:
  1. Pre-Installation Considerations
    1. Pre-Installation Considerations
    2. Hardware Compatibility
    3. Multi-OS Booting
    4. Partition Considerations
    5. Partition Planning
    6. Filesystem Considerations
    7. Journaled Filesystems
  2. Installing RHEL5/FC6
    1. Installation Choices
    2. Starting Installations from CD/DVD or USB
    3. Installing From a Network Server
    4. Installing From a Local Hard Drive
    5. Install Program Interface
    6. Installation Diagnostics
    7. Language Selection
    8. Keyboard Configuration
    9. Automatic Partitioning
    10. Partitioning with Disk Druid
    11. Installing a Boot Loader
    12. Network Configuration
    13. Time Zone Configuration
    14. root Password Configuration
    15. Package Group Selection
    16. Installing Packages
    17. Install Finished
    18. Firstboot
    19. Firstboot Firewall Configuration
    20. Firstboot SELinux Configuration
    21. Firstboot Kernel Crash Dump Configuration
    22. Firstboot Date and Time Configuration
    23. Firstboot Authentication Configuration
    Lab Tasks
    1. Linux Installation [RHEL5 FC6]
  3. Installing SLES10/SL10.1
    1. Installation Choices
    2. CD-ROM/DVD Installation
    3. Network Installation
    4. SLP for SUSE Installation
    5. Local Hard Drive Installation
    6. The linuxrc Program
    7. Install Program Interface
    8. Installation Diagnostics
    9. Language Selection
    10. Installation Mode
    11. Clock and Time Zone
    12. Desktop Selection
    13. The YaST Installer Design
    14. Keyboard Configuration
    15. Disk Partitioning
    16. Software Package Selection
    17. Boot Loader Configuration
    18. Confirmation and File Installation
    19. Hostname and Domain Name
    20. Setting the Root Password
    21. Network Configuration
    22. SLES Services Configuration
    23. Adding a User Account
    24. Release Notes
    25. Final Installation Hub
    26. Installation Complete and AutoYaST "Cloning"
    Lab Tasks
    1. SUSE Installation [SLES SL10.1]
  4. PC Hardware & Linux
    1. Detecting New Hardware Manually
    2. Configuring New Hardware with Kudzu
    3. Configuring New Hardware with hwinfo
    4. PC System Hardware
    5. SCSI Devices
    6. Serial Ports
    7. USB Devices and Configuration
    8. Linux Device Files
    9. Configuring New Hardware
    10. Kernel Modules
    11. Handling Module Dependencies
    12. Configuring the Kernel via /proc/
    13. Kernel Hardware Info - /sys/
    14. /sys/ Structure
    Lab Tasks
    1. PC Hardware and Linux
  5. Post-Install System Configuration
    1. System Configuration Files
    2. Configuration Utilities
    3. SUSE Configuration Utilities
    4. Managing System Time
    5. Managing Network-Wide Time
    6. Continual Time Sync with NTP
    7. Configuring NTP Clients
    8. Managing Software
    9. RPM Features, Architecture, and Package Files
    10. Working With RPMs
    11. Querying and Verifying with RPM
    12. Updating the Kernel RPM
    13. Intro to Package Management
    14. Using the YUM command
    15. Uising the RUG command
    16. Configuring YUM
    17. RUG Services and Catalogs
    18. YUM Repositories
    19. Popular Yum Repositories
    20. Common UNIX Printing System
    21. Printing Subsystems
    22. Defining a Printer
    23. Kickstart
    24. AutoYaST
    25. Creating and Using Kickstart Files
    26. Creating and Using Auto YaST2 Files
    27. Using Kickstart files
    28. Using AutoYaST2 files
    29. linuxrc Automation
    Lab Tasks
    1. NTP Client Configuration
    2. Post-Install Configuration
    3. YUM
    4. RUG
    5. Creating a Custom RPM Repository
    6. Configuring Print Queues
    7. Printer Configuration with system-config-printer
    8. Printer Configuration with YaST
    9. Automating Installation with Kickstart
    10. Automating Installation with Auto YaST
  6. Boot Process and SYSV Init
    1. Booting Linux on PCs
    2. LILO Options
    3. GRUB Configuration
    4. Kernel Boot Parameters
    5. /sbin/init
    6. System Init Styles
    7. Linux Runlevels
    8. /etc/inittab
    9. /etc/rc.sysinit
    10. SUSE /etc/init.d/boot
    11. /etc/init.d/ and rc#.d/
    12. rc
    13. Typical SysV Init Script
    14. The /etc/rc.local File
    15. The /etc/init.d/*.local Files
    16. Managing Daemons
    17. Controlling Service Startup
    18. Shutdown and Reboot
    Lab Tasks
    1. Boot Process
    2. GRUB Command Line
    3. Basic GRUB Security
  7. User/Group Administration & NFS
    1. User / Group Concepts
    2. User Private Group Scheme
    3. User Administration
    4. Modifying Accounts
    5. Group Administration
    6. Password Aging
    7. Default User Files
    8. Controlling Logins
    9. PAM, PAM Services, and PAM Control Statements
    10. su and Wheel
    11. sudo
    12. Manual DS Client Configuration
    13. RHEL/FC Graphical DS Client Configuration
    14. SLES/SL Graphical DS Client Configuration
    15. File Sharing via NFS
    16. NFSv4
    17. NFS Server Configuration and Clients
    18. Implementing NFSv4
    19. Automounting Filesystems
    Lab Tasks
    1. User and Group Administration
    2. User Private Groups
    3. Using autofs
    4. Configure NIS Authentication
    5. Using autofs for Home Directories
    6. Using LDAP for Centralized User Accounts
    7. NFS Server Configuration
  8. Filesystem Administration
    1. Partition Tables
    2. File System Creation
    3. Mounting File Systems
    4. Filesystem Maintenance
    5. Persistent Block Devices
    6. udev
    7. Resizing Filesystems
    8. File Deletion and Undeletion
    9. Swap
    10. Disk Usage
    11. Configuring Disk Quotas
    12. Setting Quotas
    13. Viewing and Monitoring Quotas
    14. Filesystem Attributes
    15. File Access Control Lists
    16. Manipulating, Viewing, and Backing Up FACLs
    17. Backup Hardware
    18. Tape Libraries
    19. Backup Software and Examples
    Lab Tasks
    1. Hot Adding Swap
    2. Setting User Quotas
    3. Using tar and cpio for Backups
    4. Using rsync and ssh for Backups
    5. Using dump and restore for Backups
    6. Creating CD Images for Backups
    7. Using Filesystem ACLs
  9. LVM & RAID
    1. Logical Volume Management
    2. Implementing LVM
    3. Creating Logical Volumes
    4. Manipulating VGs & LVs
    5. Advanced LVM Concepts
    6. RHEL/FC Graphical LVM Admin Tool
    7. RAID Concepts
    8. The mdadm Command
    9. mdadm RAID Implementation
    10. RAID Monitoring/Control
    Lab Tasks
    1. Creating and Managing a RAID-5 Array
    2. Creating and Managing LVM Volumes
  10. Task Automation & Process Accounting
    1. Automating Tasks
    2. at/batch
    3. at Access Control
    4. cron
    5. crontab Format
    6. The crontab Command
    7. /etc/cron.*/ Directories
    8. anacron
    9. Viewing and Managing Processes
    10. Tuning Process Scheduling
    11. System Logging
    12. /etc/syslog.conf
    13. syslog-ng
    14. Log Management
    15. Log Anomaly Detector
    16. Process Accounting
    17. Enabling Process Accounting
    18. Setting Resource Limits via ulimit
    19. Resource Limits with pam_limits.so Module
    20. System Status - Memory, I/O, and CPU
    21. sar
    Lab Tasks
    1. Creating and Managing User Cron Jobs
    2. Adding System cron Jobs
    3. Using BSD Process Accounting
    4. Setting Limits with the pam_limits Modules
  11. Client Networking
    1. IPv4 Fundamentals
    2. TCP/IP Fundamentals
    3. Linux Network Interfaces
    4. Ethernet Hardware Tools
    5. Runtime configuration change
    6. Configuring Routing Tables
    7. ARP
    8. Advanced Configuration
    9. Starting and Stopping Interfaces
    10. Virtual Interfaces
    11. Enabling IPv6
    12. Interface Bonding
    13. 802.1q VLANS
    14. Network Profiles and ifup with
    15. IP Stack Configuration
    16. DNS Clients
    17. Network Services via DHCP
    18. DHCP Clients
    19. Configuring a DHCP server
    20. Configuration Tools
    21. YaST Configuration Tool
    22. Network Diagnostics
    Lab Tasks
    1. Basic Client Networking
    2. Virtual Interfaces
    3. Alias Addresses
    4. Configuring Ipv6
  12. The X Window System
    1. The X Window System
    2. X Modularity
    3. X.Org Drivers
    4. Configuring X Manually
    5. system-config-display
    6. sax2 and yast x11
    7. Xorg and Fonts
    8. The X Font Server
    9. Installing Fonts for Modern Applications and Legacy Applications
    10. The X11 Protocol and Display Names
    11. Display Managers and Graphical Login
    12. Starting X Apps Automatically
    13. X Access Control
    14. Remote X Access (historical/insecure and modern/secure approach)
    15. XDMCP
    16. Alternative Remote Graphical Protocols
    17. Specialized X Servers
    Lab Tasks
    1. Remote X with XDMCP
    2. Configure a VNC Server
    3. Launching X Apps Automatically
    4. Secure X
  13. Security Concepts
    1. Security Concepts
    2. Tightening Default Security
    3. SuSE Security Checker
    4. Staying Current
    5. Using YOU
    6. Security Advisories
    7. SELinux Security Framework
    8. Choosing an SELinux Policy
    9. SELinux Commands and Booleans
    10. Graphical SELinux Policy Tools
    11. Xinetd and Xinetd Features
    12. TCP Wrappers
    13. The /etc/hosts.allow & /etc/hosts.deny Files
    14. /etc/hosts.{allow,deny} Shortcuts
    15. Advanced TCP Wrappers
    16. Basic Firewall Activation
    17. Netfilter: Stateful Packet Filter Firewall
    18. Netfilter Concepts
    19. Using the iptables Command
    20. Netfilter Rule Syntax
    21. Targets
    22. Common match_specs
    23. Stateless Firewall Example
    24. Connection Tracking
    25. Stateful Firewall Example
    Lab Tasks
    1. Securing xinetd Services
    2. Enforcing Security Policy with xinetd
    3. Securing Services with TCP Wrappers
    4. Securing Services with SuSEfirewall 2
    5. Securing Services with Netfilter
  14. Linux Kernel Compilation
    1. Why Compile?
    2. Getting Kernel Source
    3. Preparing to Compile
    4. Configuring the Kernel
    5. Kernel Compile Options and Documentation
    6. Distribution Specific Kernel Extensions
    7. Compiling the Kernel
    8. Compile and Install Modules
    9. Installing the Kernel
    10. Tips and Tricks
    Lab Tasks
    1. Linux Kernel 2.6 Driver Compilation
    2. Linux Kernel 2.6 Compilation
  15. Xen Virtualization
    1. Virtualization?
    2. Virtualization Technologies
    3. What is Xen?
    4. Xen Architecture, Deployment Options and Considerations
    5. Workstation/Server Xen Deployment
    6. Xen Server Farms
    7. Storage Options for Xen Farms
    8. Xen Networking
    9. Live Migration of Xen Virtual Servers
    10. xend Configuration
    11. Guest Config Files
    12. The xm Command
    13. Common xm Usage
    14. SUSE Xen Tools
    15. Red Hat Xen Tools
    Lab Tasks
    1. Installing Xen
    2. Creating a Bootstrapped Xen Guest
  16. Troubleshooting
    1. Basic Troubleshooting
    2. Gathering Information
    3. Information from df, mount, and Log Files
    4. Information Regarding Network Settings
    5. Information from ps, chkconfig, dmesg, w, and netstat
    6. Useful Debugging Aids
    7. Common Problems
    8. Incorrect File Permissions
    9. Inability to Boot
    10. Corrupt Filesystems
    11. Typos in Configuration Files
    12. Disks Full?
    13. Runaway Processes
    14. Shared Libraries
    15. Rescue Environment
    16. SUSE Rescue Environment
    Lab Tasks
    1. Recovering Damaged MBR
    2. Troubleshooting Practice