Linux System Administration Course

Lesson 1 • Working with Files and Directories

Teaches creation, copying, moving, and deletion of files and directories. Connects directly to daily administrative file management tasks.

Lesson 2 • Navigating the Shell and Filesystem

Introduces the Bash shell, command syntax, and the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. Enables confident navigation and basic file operations.

Lesson 3 • Linux History and Architecture Overview

Covers the kernel, shell, and user-space relationship in Linux. Establishes conceptual grounding for all subsequent administration work.

Lesson 4 • Text Editing in the Terminal

Covers vi/vim and nano editors for creating and modifying configuration files. Essential for editing system files without a graphical interface.

Lesson 1 • User Account Management

Explains /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, and tools for creating and modifying accounts. Directly supports multi-user system administration.

Lesson 2 • Group Management and Membership

Covers group creation, membership assignment, and the role of primary vs. supplementary groups. Enables role-based access control on the filesystem.

Lesson 3 • Special Permissions and Access Control Lists

Introduces SUID, SGID, sticky bit, and POSIX ACLs for fine-grained access control. Extends standard permissions for complex multi-user scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Standard File Permissions

Teaches read, write, and execute bits for owner, group, and others using chmod and chown. Builds the foundation for secure file access control.

Lesson 1 • RPM-Based Package Management

Covers rpm, yum, and dnf for installing, updating, and removing packages on Red Hat-family systems. Builds competency for enterprise Linux environments.

Lesson 2 • Compiling Software from Source

Explains the configure, make, and make install workflow for source-based installation. Handles software unavailable in standard repositories.

Lesson 3 • Debian-Based Package Management

Teaches dpkg, apt, and apt-get for Debian and Ubuntu systems. Provides equivalent skills for the other major Linux distribution family.

Lesson 1 • Job Control and Background Execution

Covers fg, bg, jobs, nohup, and disown for managing shell jobs. Allows long-running tasks to continue independently of the terminal session.

Lesson 2 • Scheduling Tasks with cron and systemd Timers

Configures crontab entries and systemd timer units for recurring task automation. Replaces manual intervention with reliable scheduled execution.

Lesson 3 • Controlling Processes with Signals

Teaches kill, killall, pkill, and signal types for terminating or pausing processes. Provides precise control over misbehaving or unneeded processes.

Lesson 4 • Understanding Linux Processes

Explains process lifecycle, states, PID hierarchy, and parent-child relationships. Provides the conceptual model needed for all process control tasks.

Lesson 1 • Disk Partitioning with fdisk and parted

Covers MBR and GPT partition table creation using fdisk and parted. Prepares raw disks for filesystem creation and mounting.

Lesson 2 • Mounting and the /etc/fstab File

Explains mount, umount, and persistent mount configuration via /etc/fstab. Ensures storage is accessible at boot and across reboots.

Lesson 3 • Software RAID Configuration

Configures RAID 0, 1, and 5 arrays using mdadm for redundancy and performance. Protects data against disk failure in production environments.

Lesson 4 • Logical Volume Management

Implements LVM physical volumes, volume groups, and logical volumes for flexible storage. Enables online resizing and snapshot capabilities.

Lesson 1 • Understanding systemd Unit Files

Explains unit file structure, directives, and dependency declarations. Enables creation and customization of service, socket, and mount units.

Lesson 2 • Configuring GRUB2 and Boot Parameters

Modifies GRUB2 configuration and kernel boot parameters for customization and recovery. Resolves boot failures and tunes kernel behavior at startup.

Lesson 3 • systemd Targets and Runlevels

Maps legacy runlevels to systemd targets and explains target switching. Controls the system's operational mode for maintenance and production use.

Lesson 4 • Managing Services with systemctl

Covers starting, stopping, enabling, and masking systemd service units. Gives administrators direct control over all running system services.

Lesson 1 • Firewall Management with firewalld and iptables

Implements host-based firewalls using firewalld zones and iptables rules. Restricts unauthorized network access to system services.

Lesson 2 • Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting

Uses ping, traceroute, ss, tcpdump, and netstat to isolate connectivity problems. Builds a systematic approach to network fault resolution.

Lesson 3 • Network Interface Configuration

Covers ip, nmcli, and configuration files for assigning static and dynamic addresses. Establishes reliable network connectivity for managed hosts.

Lesson 4 • DNS Resolution and /etc/hosts

Configures /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/hosts, and systemd-resolved for name resolution. Ensures reliable hostname-to-IP mapping for services and clients.

Lesson 1 • Mandatory Access Control with SELinux

Configures SELinux modes, contexts, and policies to confine processes and files. Adds a kernel-enforced security layer beyond standard DAC permissions.

Lesson 2 • Centralized Logging with rsyslog and journald

Configures rsyslog facilities, priorities, and remote log forwarding alongside journald. Ensures log retention, searchability, and centralization for all system events.

Lesson 3 • System Hardening Best Practices

Applies kernel parameter tuning via sysctl, disables unused services, and enforces password policies. Reduces the attack surface of production Linux systems.

Lesson 4 • System Auditing with auditd

Configures auditd rules to track file access, privilege use, and system calls. Provides forensic-quality logs for compliance and incident response.