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; software management; log files; troubleshooting; and more.

Current Version: H00

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 Fundamentals" course.

Supported Distributions:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
SUSE Linux Enterprise 11
Recommended Class Length:
5 days
Detailed Course Outline:
  1. Linux Hardware Discovery, Interaction, and Control
    1. Hardware Discovery Tools
    2. Configuring New Hardware with hwinfo
    3. Hardware and System Clock
    4. Console
    5. Virtual Terminals
    6. Serial Ports
    7. SCSI Devices
    8. USB Devices
    9. USB Configuration
    10. Common UNIX Printing System
    11. Defining a Printer
    12. Managing Optical Media
    13. Tape Drives
    14. Tape Libraries
    15. Managing Linux Device Files
    16. Kernel Hardware Info - /sys/
    17. /sys/ Structure
    18. udev
    19. Kernel Modules
    20. Configuring Kernel Components and Modules
    21. Handling Module Dependencies
    22. Configuring the Kernel via /proc/
    Lab Tasks
    1. Adjusting Kernel Options
    2. Configuring Print Queues
    3. Introduction to Troubleshooting Labs
    4. Troubleshooting Practice: Kernel Modules
  2. Boot Process and SysV Init
    1. Booting Linux on PCs
    2. GRUB Configuration
    3. Boot Parameters
    4. Initial ramdisk
    5. /sbin/init
    6. System Init Styles
    7. Linux Runlevels
    8. /etc/inittab
    9. /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit
    10. SUSE /etc/init.d/boot
    11. Runlevel Implementation
    12. System Configuration Files
    13. RHEL6 Configuration Utilities
    14. SLES11 Configuration Utilities
    15. Typical SysV Init Script
    16. The /etc/rc.local File
    17. The /etc/init.d/*.local Files
    18. Managing Daemons
    19. Controlling Service Startup
    20. Shutdown and Reboot
    Lab Tasks
    1. Boot Process
    2. GRUB Command Line
    3. Basic GRUB Security
    4. Managing Services With chkconfig
    5. Troubleshooting Practice: Boot Process
  3. Software Maintenance
    1. Managing Software
    2. RPM Features
    3. RPM Architecture
    4. RPM Package Files
    5. Working With RPMs
    6. Querying and Verifying with rpm
    7. Updating the Kernel RPM
    8. Managing Software Dependencies
    9. Using the YUM command
    10. Using the Zypper command
    11. YUM package groups
    12. Zypper Services and Catalogs
    13. Dealing With RPM & YUM Digest Changes
    14. Configuring YUM
    15. Yum Plugins
    16. YUM Repositories
    17. Compiling/Installing from Source
    18. Manually Installed Shared Libraries
    19. Installing Source RPM Packages
    Lab Tasks
    1. Managing Software with RPM
    2. Creating a Custom RPM Repository
    3. Querying the RPM Database
    4. Installing Software via RPM & Source and Rebuilding SRPMs
    5. Managing YUM Repositories
    6. Managing Zypper Repositories
    7. Using YUM
    8. Using Zypper
  4. Filesystem Administration
    1. Partitioning Disks with fdisk
    2. Partitioning Disks with parted
    3. Filesystem Creation
    4. Mounting Filesystems
    5. Filesystem Maintenance
    6. Persistent Block Devices
    7. Resizing Filesystems
    8. Swap
    9. Filesystem Structures
    10. Determining Disk Usage With df and du
    11. Configuring Disk Quotas
    12. Setting Quotas
    13. Viewing and Monitoring Quotas
    14. Filesystem Attributes
    15. Backup Software
    16. Backup Examples
    Lab Tasks
    1. Creating and Managing Filesystems
    2. Hot Adding Swap
    3. Setting User Quotas
    4. Using rsync and ssh for Backups
    5. Using tar and cpio for Backups
    6. Using dump and restore for Backups
    7. Creating ISO Images for Backups
  5. LVM & RAID
    1. Logical Volume Management
    2. Implementing LVM
    3. Creating Logical Volumes
    4. Manipulating VGs & LVs
    5. Advanced LVM Concepts
    6. system-config-lvm
    7. SLES Graphical Disk Tool
    8. RAID Concepts
    9. Array Creation with mdadm
    10. Software RAID Monitoring
    11. Software RAID Control and Display
    Lab Tasks
    1. Creating and Managing LVM Volumes
    2. Creating and Managing a RAID-5 Array
  6. Remote Storage Administration
    1. Remote Storage Overview
    2. Remote Filesystem Protocols
    3. Remote Block Device Protocols
    4. File Sharing via NFS
    5. NFSv4
    6. NFS Clients
    7. NFS Server Configuration
    8. Implementing NFSv4
    9. AutoFS
    10. AutoFS Configuration
    11. Accessing Windows/Samba Shares from Linux
    12. SAN Multipathing
    13. Multipath Configuration
    14. Multipathing Best Practices
    15. iSCSI Architecture
    16. Open-iSCSI Initiator Implementation
    17. iSCSI Initiator Discovery
    18. iSCSI Initiator Node Administration
    19. Mounting iSCSI Targets at Boot
    20. iSCSI Multipathing Considerations
    Lab Tasks
    1. Using autofs
    2. NFS Server Configuration
    3. iSCSI Initiator Configuration
  7. User/Group Administration
    1. User and Group Concepts
    2. User Administration
    3. Modifying Accounts
    4. Group Administration
    5. Password Aging
    6. Default User Files
    7. Controlling Logins
    8. Manual DS Client Configuration
    9. system-config-authentication
    10. SLES Graphical DS Client Configuration
    11. System Security Services Daemon (SSSD)
    Lab Tasks
    1. User and Group Administration
    2. Using LDAP for Centralized User Accounts
    3. Troubleshooting Practice: Account Management
    4. Using NIS for Centralized User Accounts
  8. Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)
    1. PAM Overview
    2. PAM Module Types
    3. PAM Order of Processing
    4. PAM Control Statements
    5. PAM Modules
    6. pam_unix
    7. pam_nologin.so
    8. pam_limits.so
    9. pam_wheel.so
    10. pam_xauth.so
    Lab Tasks
    1. Restricting superuser access to wheel group membership
    2. Using pam_nologin to Restrict Logins
    3. Setting Limits with the pam_limits Modules
    4. Using pam_limits to Restrict Simultaneous Logins
  9. Security Administration
    1. Security Concepts
    2. Tightening Default Security
    3. SuSE Security Checker
    4. Security Advisories
    5. File Access Control Lists
    6. Manipulating FACLs
    7. Viewing FACLs
    8. Backing Up FACLs
    9. File Creation Permissions with umask
    10. User Private Group Scheme
    11. Alternatives to UPG
    12. AppArmor
    13. SELinux Security Framework
    14. SELinux Modes
    15. SELinux Commands
    16. Choosing an SELinux Policy
    17. SELinux Booleans
    18. Permissive Domains
    19. Graphical SELinux Policy Tools
    20. Basic Firewall Activation
    Lab Tasks
    1. User Private Groups
    2. Using Filesystem ACLs
    3. Exploring SELinux Modes
    4. SELinux File Contexts
  10. Process Administration
    1. Automating Tasks
    2. at/batch
    3. cron
    4. The crontab Command
    5. crontab Format
    6. /etc/cron.*/ Directories
    7. Anacron
    8. Viewing Processes
    9. Managing Processes
    10. Tuning Process Scheduling
    11. Process Accounting
    12. Enabling Process Accounting
    13. Setting Resource Limits via ulimit
    Lab Tasks
    1. Creating and Managing User Cron Jobs
    2. Adding System cron Jobs
    3. Using BSD Process Accounting
  11. Basic Networking
    1. IPv4 Fundamentals
    2. TCP/UDP Fundamentals
    3. Linux Network Interfaces
    4. Ethernet Hardware Tools
    5. Network Configuration with ip Command
    6. Configuring Routing Tables
    7. IP to MAC Address Mapping with ARP
    8. Starting and Stopping Interfaces
    9. NetworkManager
    10. DNS Clients
    11. DHCP Clients
    12. system-config-network{tui,cmd}
    13. SUSE YaST Network Configuration Tool
    14. Network Diagnostics
    15. Information from netstat and ss
    16. Managing Network-Wide Time
    17. Continual Time Sync with NTP
    18. Configuring NTP Clients
    19. Useful NTP Commands
    Lab Tasks
    1. Network Discovery
    2. Basic Client Networking
    3. NTP Client Configuration
  12. Advanced Networking
    1. Multiple IP Addresses
    2. Configuring a DHCP server
    3. Enabling IPv6
    4. Interface Bonding
    5. Interface Bridging
    6. 802.1q VLANS
    7. Tuning Kernel Network Settings
    Lab Tasks
    1. Multiple IP Addresses Per Network Interface
    2. Configuring IPv6
    3. Troubleshooting Practice: Networking
  13. The X Window System
    1. The X Window System
    2. X Modularity
    3. X.Org Drivers
    4. Configuring X Manually
    5. Automatic X Configuration
    6. Automatic X Configuration - SLES
    7. Xorg and Fonts
    8. The X Font Server
    9. Installing Fonts for Modern Applications
    10. Installing Fonts for Legacy Applications
    11. The X11 Protocol and Display Names
    12. Display Managers and Graphical Login
    13. Starting X Apps Automatically
    14. X Access Control
    15. Remote X Access (historical/insecure approach)
    16. Remote X Access (modern/secure approach)
    17. XDMCP
    18. Remote Graphical Access With VNC and RDP
    19. Specialized X Servers
    Lab Tasks
    1. Remote X with XDMCP
    2. Configure X Security
    3. Configure a VNC Server
    4. Configure a VNC Server
    5. Launching X Apps Automatically
    6. Secure X
    7. Troubleshooting Practice: X11
  14. Log File Administration
    1. System Logging
    2. Syslog-ng
    3. Rsyslog
    4. /etc/rsyslog.conf
    5. Log Management
    6. Log Anomaly Detector
    Lab Tasks
    1. Setting up a Full Debug Logfile
    2. Remote Syslog Configuration
  15. Monitoring & Troubleshooting
    1. System Status - Memory
    2. System Status - I/O
    3. System Status - CPU
    4. Performance Trending with sar
    5. Troubleshooting Basics: The Process
    6. Troubleshooting Basics: The Tools
    7. strace and ltrace
    8. Common Problems
    9. Troubleshooting Incorrect File Permissions
    10. Inability to Boot
    11. Typos in Configuration Files
    12. Corrupt Filesystems
    13. Rescue Environment
    14. SUSE Rescue Environment
    Lab Tasks
    1. Recovering Damaged MBR
  1. Automating Installations
    1. Kickstart
    2. Using AutoYaST2 files
    3. Creating AutoYaST2 Files
    4. linuxrc Automation
    Lab Tasks
    1. Automating Installation with Kickstart
    2. Automating Installation with AutoYaST
  2. Xen Virtualization
    1. Virtualization: What and Why?
    2. What is Xen?
    3. Xen Architecture
    4. Xen Deployment Options and Considerations
    5. Xen Networking
    6. Live Migration of Xen Virtual Servers
    7. xend Configuration
    8. Guest Config Files
    9. The xm Command
    10. Common xm Usage
    11. Xen Configuration Tools
    Lab Tasks
    1. Installing a Xen VM
    2. Creating a Bootstrapped Xen Guest