GL615 - Linux for Unix Administrators

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The GL615 is an accelerated course combining the topics in the GL250 "Enterprise Linux Systems Administration", and the GL275 "Enterprise Linux Networking Services".

Prerequisites:

Students should already be experienced Unix administrators. Fundamentals such as the Unix command line and how to edit files will not be covered in class. A good understanding of network concepts, the TCP/IP protocol suite, and basic Unix security is also assumed. The accelerated pace of this class makes it more difficult for unprepared students to keep up.

Less experienced students are encouraged to instead take the GL120 "Linux Fundamentals", GL250 "Enterprise Linux Systems Administration" or GL275 "Enterprise Linux Networking Services".

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 Configuration
    9. Defining a Printer
    10. Tape Drives
    11. Tape Libraries
    12. Managing Linux Device Files
    13. Kernel Hardware Info - /sys/
    14. /sys/ Structure
    15. udev
    16. Kernel Modules
    17. Configuring Kernel Components and Modules
    18. Handling Module Dependencies
    19. Configuring the Kernel via /proc/
    20. System Tools
    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. /sbin/init
    5. /etc/inittab
    6. /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit
    7. SUSE /etc/init.d/boot
    8. Runlevel Implementation
    9. System Configuration Files
    10. Configuration Utilities
    11. Novell's Configuration Utilities
    12. Typical SysV Init Script
    13. The /etc/rc.local File
    14. The /etc/init.d/*.local Files
    15. Managing Daemons
    16. Controlling Service Startup
    17. Shutdown and Reboot
    18. Run Level and Kernel Information
    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. RPM Features
    2. RPM Architecture
    3. Working With RPMs
    4. Querying and Verifying with rpm
    5. Updating the Kernel RPM
    6. Using the YUM command
    7. YUM package groups
    8. Configuring YUM
    9. YUM Repositories
    10. Installing Source RPM Packages
    11. Software Tools Comparison Matrix
    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. Using YUM
    6. 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. Resizing Filesystems
    7. Swap
    8. Configuring Disk Quotas
    9. Setting Quotas
    10. Viewing and Monitoring Quotas
    11. Filesystem Attributes
    12. Backup Software
    13. Backup Examples
    14. Filesystem Creation and Management
    Lab Tasks
    1. Creating and Managing Filesystems
    2. Hot Adding Swap
    3. Setting User Quotas
    4. Using tar and cpio for Backups
    5. Using rsync and ssh for Backups
    6. Using dump and restore 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
    12. LVM and RAID: Unix Tool Comparison
    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. PAM Overview
    12. PAM Module Types
    13. PAM Order of Processing
    14. PAM Control Statements
    15. pam_wheel.so
    16. pam_limits.so
    17. User/Group Administration Comparison Matrix
    Lab Tasks
    1. User and Group Administration
    2. Using NIS for Centralized User Accounts
    3. Using LDAP for Centralized User Accounts
    4. Troubleshooting Practice: Account Management
    5. Restricting superuser access to wheel group membership
    6. Setting Limits with the pam_limits Modules
    7. Using pam_limits to Restrict Simultaneous Logins
  8. Security Administration
    1. Security Concepts
    2. Tightening Default Security
    3. Security Advisories
    4. File Access Control Lists
    5. Manipulating FACLs
    6. Viewing FACLs
    7. Backing Up FACLs
    8. File Creation Permissions with umask
    9. User Private Group Scheme
    10. Alternatives to UPG
    11. TCP Wrappers Concepts
    12. TCP Wrappers Concepts
    13. Xinetd
    14. Basic Firewall Activation
    15. Netfilter Concepts
    16. Using the iptables Command
    17. Common match_specs
    18. Connection Tracking
    19. AppArmor
    20. SELinux Security Framework
    21. SELinux Modes
    22. SELinux Commands
    23. Choosing an SELinux Policy
    24. SELinux Booleans
    25. Graphical SELinux Policy Tools
    26. (X)INETD and Firewalls
    Lab Tasks
    1. User Private Groups
    2. Using Filesystem ACLs
    3. Securing xinetd Services
    4. Enforcing Security Policy with xinetd
    5. Securing Services with TCP Wrappers
    6. Securing Services with SuSEfirewall2
    7. Securing Services with Netfilter
    8. Exploring SELinux Modes
    9. SELinux File Contexts
  9. Process Administration
    1. Automating Tasks
    2. at & cron Usage
    3. anacron
    4. Viewing Processes
    5. Managing Processes
    6. Tuning Process Scheduling
    7. Process Accounting
    8. Enabling Process Accounting
    9. Setting Resource Limits via ulimit
    Lab Tasks
    1. Creating and Managing User Cron Jobs
    2. Adding System cron Jobs
    3. Using BSD Process Accounting
  10. Networking
    1. Linux Network Interfaces
    2. Ethernet Hardware Tools
    3. Network Configuration with ip Command
    4. Configuring Routing Tables
    5. IP to MAC Address Mapping with ARP
    6. Starting and Stopping Interfaces
    7. NetworkManager
    8. DNS Clients
    9. DHCP Clients
    10. Network Diagnostics
    11. Information from netstat
    12. Managing Network-Wide Time
    13. Continual Time Sync with NTP
    14. Configuring NTP Clients
    15. Multiple IP Addresses
    16. Enabling IPv6
    17. Interface Bonding
    18. Interface Bridging
    19. 802.1q VLANS
    20. Tuning Kernel Network Settings
    21. Network Configuration Tools
    Lab Tasks
    1. Network Discovery
    2. NTP Client Configuration
    3. Multiple IP Addresses Per Network Interface
    4. Configuring IPv6
    5. Troubleshooting Practice: Networking
  11. The X Window System
    1. X Modularity
    2. X.Org Drivers
    3. Configuring X Manually
    4. Automatic X Configuration
    5. Automatic X Configuration - SLES
    6. The X11 Protocol and Display Names
    7. Display Managers and Graphical Login
    8. Starting X Apps Automatically
    9. X Access Control
    10. Remote X Access (historical/insecure approach)
    11. Remote X Access (modern/secure approach)
    12. XDMCP
    13. Remote Graphical Access With VNC and RDP
    14. Specialized X Servers
    15. Enabling the Graphical User Interface
    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
  12. BIND Concepts and Configuration
    1. The Domain Name Space
    2. Delegation and Zones
    3. Server Roles
    4. Resolving Names
    5. Resolving IP Addresses
    6. Basic BIND Administration
    7. Configuring the Resolver
    8. Testing Resolution
    9. rndc Key Configuration
    10. BIND Configuration Files
    11. named.conf Syntax
    12. named.conf Options Block
    13. Creating a Site-Wide Cache
    14. Zones In named.conf
    15. Zone Database File Syntax
    16. SOA - Start of Authority
    17. A & PTR - Address & Pointer Records
    18. NS - Name Server
    19. CNAME & MX - Alias & Mail Host
    20. Abbreviations and Gotchas
    21. $ORIGIN and $GENERATE
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring a Slave Name Server
    2. Use rndc to Control named
    3. Configuring BIND Zone Files
  13. OpenLDAP
    1. OpenLDAP: Server Architecture
    2. OpenLDAP: Backends
    3. OpenLDAP: Replication
    4. OpenLDAP: Configuration Options
    5. OpenLDAP: Configuration Sections
    6. OpenLDAP: Global Parameters
    7. OpenLDAP: Database Parameters
    8. OpenLDAP Server Tools
    9. OpenLDAP Client Tools
    10. LDIF: LDAP Data Interchange Format
    11. Enabling LDAP-based Login
    12. System Security Services Daemon (SSSD)
    Lab Tasks
    1. Building An OpenLDAP Server
    2. Enabling TLS For An OpenLDAP Server
    3. Enabling LDAP-based Logins
  14. Using vsFTPd and Apache
    1. vsftpd
    2. Configuring vsftpd
    3. Anonymous FTP with vsftpd
    4. HTTP Operation
    5. Apache Architecture
    6. Apache Configuration Files
    7. httpd.conf - Server Settings
    8. httpd.conf - Main Configuration
    9. httpd.conf - VirtualHost Configuration
    10. Virtual Hosting DNS Implications
    11. Dynamic Shared Objects
    12. Adding Modules to Apache
    13. Apache Logging
    14. Log Analysis
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring vsftpd
    2. Apache Architecture
    3. Apache Architecture
    4. Apache Content
    5. Apache Content
    6. Configuring Virtual Hosts
  15. Apache Security
    1. Delegating Administration
    2. Directory Protection
    3. Directory Protection with AllowOverride
    4. Common Uses for .htaccess
    5. Symmetric Encryption Algorithms
    6. Asymmetric Encryption Algorithms
    7. Digital Certificates
    8. SSL Using mod_ssl.so
    Lab Tasks
    1. Using .htaccess Files
    2. Using .htaccess Files
    3. Using SSL Certificates with Apache
  16. The SQUID Proxy Server
    1. Squid Overview
    2. Squid File Layout
    3. Squid Access Control Lists
    4. Applying Squid ACLs
    5. Tuning Squid & Configuring Cache Hierarchies
    6. Bandwidth Metering
    7. Monitoring Squid
    8. Proxy Client Configuration
    Lab Tasks
    1. Installing and Configuring Squid
    2. Squid Cache Manager CGI
    3. Proxy Auto Configuration
    4. Configure a Squid Proxy Cluster
  17. Samba Concepts and Configuration
    1. Introducing Samba
    2. Samba Daemons
    3. NetBIOS and NetBEUI
    4. Accessing Windows/Samba Shares from Linux
    5. Samba Utilities
    6. Samba Configuration Files
    7. The smb.conf File
    8. Mapping Permissions and ACLs
    9. Mapping Linux Concepts
    10. Mapping Case Sensitivity
    11. Sharing Home Directories
    12. Sharing Printers
    13. Share Authentication
    14. Share-Level Access
    15. User-Level Access
    16. Mapping Users
    17. SMB and Passwords
    18. Samba Account Database
    19. User Share Restrictions
    Lab Tasks
    1. Samba Share-Level Access
    2. Samba User-Level Access
    3. Samba Group Shares
    4. Configuring Samba
    5. Samba Home Directory Shares
  18. Postfix
    1. Postfix Features
    2. Postfix Components
    3. Postfix Configuration
    4. master.cf
    5. main.cf
    6. Postfix Map Types
    7. Postfix Pattern Matching
    8. Virtual Domains
    9. Postfix Mail Filtering
    10. Configuration Commands
    11. Management Commands
    12. Postfix Logging
    13. SMTP AUTH Server
    14. SMTP AUTH Clients
    15. TLS Server Configuration
    16. Postfix Client Configuration for TLS
    17. Ensuring TLS Security
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring Postfix
    2. Postfix Network Configuration
    3. Postfix Virtual Host Configuration
    4. Postfix SMTP AUTH Configuration
    5. Postfix STARTTLS Configuration
    6. SUSE Postfix Configuration Cleanup
  19. Mail Services and Retrieval
    1. Procmail
    2. SpamAssassin
    3. amavisd-new Mail Filtering
    4. Accessing Email
    5. The IMAP4 Protocol
    6. Cyrus IMAP/POP3 Server
    7. Cyrus IMAP MTA Integration
    8. Cyrus Mailbox Administration
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring Procmail & SpamAssassin
    2. Configuring Cyrus IMAP
  20. 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. System Logging
    8. Syslog-ng
    9. Rsyslog
    10. /etc/rsyslog.conf
    11. Log Management
    12. Log Anomaly Detector
    13. strace and ltrace
    14. Common Problems
    15. Incorrect File Permissions
    16. Inability to Boot
    17. Typos in Configuration Files
    18. Corrupt Filesystems
    19. Rescue Environment
    20. SUSE Rescue Environment
    21. Process Tools
    Lab Tasks
    1. Setting up a Full Debug Logfile
    2. Remote Syslog Configuration
    3. Recovering Damaged MBR
  21. Installing RHEL6
    1. Anaconda: An Overview
    2. Anaconda: Booting the System
    3. Anaconda: Common Boot Options
    4. Anaconda: Loading Anaconda and Packages
    5. Anaconda: Storage Options
    6. Anaconda: Troubleshooting
    7. FirstBoot
    8. Kickstart
    9. A Typical Install
    Lab Tasks
    1. Linux Installation
    2. Automating Installation with Kickstart
  22. Installing SLES11
    1. Installation Choices
    2. DVD-ROM Install Media
    3. Network Installation
    4. SLP for SUSE Linux Installation
    5. Local Hard Drive Installation
    6. The linuxrc Program
    7. Install Program Interface
    8. Installation Diagnostics
    9. Language/Keyboard Selection and EULA
    10. Installation Mode
    11. Clock and Time Zone
    12. Desktop Selection
    13. Server Base Scenario
    14. The YaST Installer Design
    15. Disk Partitioning
    16. Boot Loader Configuration
    17. Software Package Selection
    18. Kernel Crash Dump Configuration
    19. Confirmation and File Installation
    20. Setting the Root Password
    21. Hostname and Domain Name
    22. Network Configuration
    23. SLES Services Configuration
    24. Adding a User Account
    25. Release Notes
    26. Final Installation Hub
    27. Installation Complete and AutoYaST2 "Cloning"
    28. Using AutoYaST2 files
    29. Creating AutoYaST2 Files
    30. linuxrc Automation
    Lab Tasks
    1. SUSE Installation
    2. Automating Installation with AutoYaST