LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell

LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell
Publisher: O'Reilly Media | ISBN: 0596005288 | edition 2006 | CHM | 961 pages | 2,28 mb

You may not have heard of the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) or its professional certifications, but they're becoming an important part of proving professional competence in the Linux operating system. That aside, LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell is a fantastic introductory Linux book, well suited to introducing a curious newcomer to the environment and bringing an intermediate user up to expert status.

The book is organized around the LPI's published standards for two Level 1 exams (exams 101, which deals with key commands and file-system concepts, and 102, which places more emphasis on hardware, networking, and shell scripting). The organization works well even if you're not specifically preparing for either exam.

LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell assumes nothing in early chapters, going so far--to cite one example--as to walk readers through the concept of commands with parameters separately from the concept of commands alone. Later, the pace picks up, and strategic advice is substituted (such as how to partition a disk for maximum speed and reliability) for "type-this" instructions.

Throughout, the book makes effective use of O'Reilly's time-tested and remarkably clear format for presenting Unix commands and configuration files. Each chapter concludes with a series of exercises designed to help you discover behaviors on your own, and includes the practice questions you expect in a test-prep aid. --David Wall

Topics covered: The knowledge that's tested on the Linux Professional Institute's exams 101 and 102, which includes everything from basic Linux commands and concepts to installation of the operating system, essential network configuration, and kernel recompilation.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I: General Linux Exam 101

Chapter 1. LPI Exams
Section 1.1. Exam 101 Overview

Chapter 2. Exam 101 Study Guide
Section 2.1. Exam Preparation

Chapter 3. Hardware and Architecture (Topic 1.101)
Section 3.1. Objective 1: Configure Fundamental BIOS Settings
Section 3.2. Objective 3: Configure Modems and Sound Cards
Section 3.3. Objective 4: Set Up Non-IDE Devices
Section 3.4. Objective 5: Set Up Different PC Expansion Cards
Section 3.5. Objective 6: Configure Communications Devices
Section 3.6. Objective 7: Configure USB Devices

Chapter 4. Linux Installation and Package Management (Topic 1.102)
Section 4.1. Objective 1: Design a Hard Disk Layout
Section 4.2. Objective 2: Install a Boot Manager
Section 4.3. Objective 3: Make and Install Programs from Source
Section 4.4. Objective 4: Manage Shared Libraries
Section 4.5. Objective 5: Use Debian Package Management
Section 4.6. Objective 6: Use Red Hat Package Manager (RPM)

Chapter 5. GNU and Unix Commands (Topic 1.103)
Section 5.1. Objective 1: Work on the Command Line
Section 5.2. Objective 2: Process Text Streams Using Filters
Section 5.4. Objective 3: Perform Basic File Management
Section 5.5. Objective 4: Use Streams, Pipes, and Redirects
Section 5.6. Objective 5: Create, Monitor, and Kill Processes
Section 5.7. Objective 6: Modify Process Execution Priorities
Section 5.8. Objective 7: Search Text Files Using Regular Expressions
Section 5.9. Objective 8: Perform Basic File Editing Operations Using vi

Chapter 6. Devices, Linux Filesystems, and the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (Topic 1.104)
Section 6.1. Objective 1: Create Partitions and Filesystems
Section 6.2. Objective 2: Maintain the Integrity of Filesystems
Section 6.3. Objective 3: Control Filesystem Mounting and Unmounting
Section 6.4. Objective 4: Set and View Disk Quotas
Section 6.5. Objective 5: Use File Permissions to Control Access to Files
Section 6.6. Setting Up a Workgroup Directory
Section 6.7. Objective 6: Manage File Ownership
Section 6.8. Objective 7: Create and Change Hard and Symbolic Links
Section 6.9. Objective 8: Find System Files and Place Files in the Correct Location

Chapter 7. The X Window System (Topic 1.1.10)
Section 7.1. An Overview of X
Section 7.2. Objective 1: Install and Configure X11
Section 7.3. Objective 2: Set Up a Display Manager
Section 7.4. Objective 4: Install and Customize a Window Manager Environment

Chapter 8. Exam 101 Review Questions and Exercises
Section 8.1. Hardware and Architecture (Topic 1.101)
Section 8.2. Linux Installation and Package Management (Topic 1.102)
Section 8.3. GNU and Unix Commands (Topic 1.103)
Section 8.4. Devices, Linux Filesystems, and the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (Topic 1.104)
Section 8.5. The X Window System (Topic 1.110)

Chapter 9. Exam 101 Practice Test
Section 9.1. Questions
Section 9.2. Answers

Chapter 10. Exam 101 Highlighter's Index
Section 10.1. Hardware and Architecture
Section 10.2. Linux Installation and Package Management
Section 10.3. GNU and Unix Commands
Section 10.4. Devices, Linux Filesystems, and the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
Section 10.5. The X Window System

Part II: General Linux Exam 102

Chapter 11. Exam 102 Overview

Chapter 12. Exam 102 Study Guide
Section 12.1. Exam Preparation

Chapter 13. Kernel (Topic 1.105)
Section 13.1. Objective 1: Manage/Query Kernel and Kernel Modules at Runtime
Section 13.2. Objective 2: Reconfigure, Build, and Install a Custom Kernel and Kernel Modules

Chapter 14. Boot, Initialization, Shutdown, and Runlevels (Topic 1.106)
Section 14.1. Objective 1: Boot the System
Section 14.2. Objective 2: Change Runlevels and Shut Down or Reboot System

Chapter 15. Printing (Topic 1.107)
Section 15.1. An Overview of Printing
Section 15.2. Objective 2: Manage Printers and Print Queues
Section 15.3. Objective 3: Print Files
Section 15.4. Objective 4: Install and Configure Local and Remote Printers

Chapter 16. Documentation (Topic 1.108)
Section 16.1. Objective 1: Use and Manage Local System Documentation
Section 16.2. Objective 2: Find Linux Documentation on the Internet
Section 16.3. Objective 5: Notify Users on System-related Issues

Chapter 17. Shells, Scripting, Programming, and Compiling (Topic 1.109)
Section 17.1. Objective 1: Customize and Use the Shell Environment
Section 17.2. Objective 2: Customize or Write Simple Scripts

Chapter 18. Administrative Tasks (Topic 1.111)
Section 18.1. Objective 1: Manage Users and Group Accounts and Related System Files
Section 18.2. Objective 2: Tune the User Environment and System Environment Variables
Section 18.3. Objective 3: Configure and Use System Log Files to Meet Administrative and Security Needs
Section 18.4. Objective 4: Automate System Administration Tasks by Scheduling Jobs to Run in the Future
Section 18.5. Objective 5: Maintain an Effective Data Backup Strategy
Section 18.6. Objective 6: Maintain System Time

Chapter 19. Networking Fundamentals (Topic 1.112)
Section 19.1. Objective 1: Fundamentals of TCP/IP
Section 19.2. Objective 3: TCP/IP Configuration and Troubleshooting
Section 19.3. Objective 4: Configure Linux as a PPP Client

Chapter 20. Networking Services (Topic 1.113)
Section 20.1. Objective 1: Configure and Manage inetd, xinetd, and Related Services
Section 20.2. Objective 2: Operate and Perform Basic Configuration of Mail Transfer Agent (MTA)
Section 20.3. Objective 3: Operate and Perform Basic Configuration of Apache
Section 20.4. Objective 4: Properly Manage the NFS and Samba Daemons
Section 20.5. Objective 5: Set Up and Configure Basic DNS Services
Section 20.6. Objective 7: Set Up Secure Shell (OpenSSH)

Chapter 21. Security (Topic 1.114)
Section 21.1. Objective 1: Perform Security Administration Tasks
Section 21.2. Objective 2: Set Up Host Security
Section 21.3. Objective 3: Set Up User-level Security

Chapter 22. Exam 102 Review Questions and Exercises
Section 22.1. Kernel (Topic 1.105)
Section 22.2. Boot, Initialization, Shutdown, and Runlevels (Topic 1.106)
Section 22.3. Printing (Topic 1.107)
Section 22.4. Documentation (Topic 1.108)
Section 22.5. Shells, Scripting, Programming, and Compiling (Topic 1.109)
Section 22.6. Administrative Tasks (Topic 1.111)
Section 22.7. Networking Fundamentals (Topic 1.112)
Section 22.8. Networking Services (Topic 1.113)
Section 22.9. Security (Topic 1.114)

Chapter 23. Exam 102 Practice Test
Section 23.1. Questions
Section 23.2. Answers

Chapter 24. Exam 102 Highlighter's Index
Section 24.1. Kernel (Topic 1.105)
Section 24.2. Boot, Initialization, Shutdown, and Runlevels (Topic 1.106)
Section 24.3. Printing (Topic 1.107)
Section 24.4. Documentation (Topic 1.108)
Section 24.5. Shells, Scripting, Programming, and Compiling
Section 24.6. Administrative Tasks (Topic 1.111)
Section 24.7. Networking Fundamentals (Topic 1.112)
Section 24.8. Networking Services (Topic 1.113)
Section 24.9. Security (Topic 1.114)

Part III: General Linux Exam 201

Chapter 25. Linux Kernel
Section 25.1. Objective 1: Kernel Components
Section 25.2. Objective 2: Compiling a Kernel
Section 25.3. Objective 3: Patching a Kernel
Section 25.4. Objective 4: Customizing a Kernel

Chapter 26. System Startup
Section 26.1. Objective 1: Customizing System Startup and Boot Processes
Section 26.2. Objective 2: System Recovery

Chapter 27. Filesystem
Section 27.1. Objective 1: Operating the Linux Filesystem
Section 27.2. Objective 2: Maintaining a Linux Filesystem
Section 27.3. Objective 3: Creating and Configuring Filesystem Options

Chapter 28. Hardware (Topic 2.204)
Section 28.1. Objective 1: Configuring RAID
Section 28.2. Objective 2: Adding New Hardware
Section 28.3. Objective 3: Software and Kernel Configuration
Section 28.4. Objective 4: Configuring PCMCIA Devices

Chapter 29. File and Service Sharing (Topic 2.209)
Section 29.1. Objective 1: Configuring a Samba Server
Section 29.2. Objective 2: Configuring an NFS Server

Chapter 30. System Maintenance (Topic 2.211)
Section 30.1. Objective 1: System Logging
Section 30.2. Objective 2: Packaging Software
Section 30.3. Objective 3: Backup Operations

Chapter 31. System Customization and Automation (Topic 2.213)
Section 31.1. Objective 1: Automating Tasks Using Scripts

Chapter 32. Troubleshooting (Topic 2.214)
Section 32.1. Objective 1: Creating Recovery Disks
Section 32.2. Objective 2: Identifying Boot Stages
Section 32.3. Objective 3: Troubleshooting Boot Loaders
Section 32.4. Objective 4: General Troubleshooting
Section 32.5. Objective 5: Troubleshooting System Resources
Section 32.6. Objective 6: Troubleshooting Environment Configurations

Chapter 33. LPI Exam 201 Review Questions and Exercises
Section 33.1. Linux Kernel (Topic 2.201)
Section 33.2. System Startup (Topic 2.202)
Section 33.3. Filesystem (Topic 2.203)
Section 33.4. Hardware (Topic 2.204)
Section 33.5. File and Service Sharing (Topic 2.209)
Section 33.6. System Maintenance (Topic 2.211)
Section 33.7. System Customization and Automation (Topic 2.213)
Section 33.8. Troubleshooting (Topic 2.214)

Chapter 34. Exam 201 Practice Test
Section 34.1. Questions
Section 34.2. Answers

Part IV: General Linux Exam 202

Chapter 35. Networking Configuration (Topic 2.205)
Section 35.1. Objective 1: Basic Networking Configuration
Section 35.2. Objective 2: Advanced Network Configuration and Troubleshooting

Chapter 36. Mail and News (Topic 2.206)
Section 36.1. Objective 2: Using Sendmail
Section 36.2. Objective 3: Managing Mail Traffic
Section 36.3. Objective 1: Configuring Mailing Lists
Section 36.4. Objective 4: Serving News
Section 36.5. Conclusion

Chapter 37. DNS (Topic 2.207)
Section 37.1. Objective 1: Basic DNS Server Configuration
Section 37.2. Objective 2: Create and Maintain DNS Zones
Section 37.3. Objective 3: Securing a DNS Server

Chapter 38. Web Services (Apache and Squid, Topic 2.208)
Section 38.1. Installing Apache
Section 38.2. Configuring Apache
Section 38.3. Squid: History and Overview
Section 38.4. Squid Authentication
Section 38.5. Squid as Web Accelerator

Chapter 39. Network Client Management (Topic 2.210)
Section 39.1. Objective 1: DHCP Configuration
Section 39.2. Objective 2: NIS Configuration
Section 39.3. Objective 3: LDAP Configuration
Section 39.4. Objective 4: PAM Authentication

Chapter 40. System Security (Topic 2.212)
Section 40.1. Objective 2: Configuring a Router
Section 40.2. Objective 3: Securing FTP Servers
Section 40.3. Objective 4: Secure Shell (SSH)
Section 40.4. Objective 5: TCP Wrappers
Section 40.5. Objective 6: Security Tasks

Chapter 41. Network Troubleshooting (Topic 214)
Section 41.1. Network Troubleshooting Essentials
Section 41.2. Common Troubleshooting Commands
Section 41.3. Hardware Problems
Section 41.4. Network Device Configuration Files
Section 41.5. DNS Errors
Section 41.6. Determining the Cause of Inaccessible Services
Section 41.7. Conclusion

Chapter 42. Exam 202 Review Questions and Exercises
Section 42.1. Networking Configuration (Topic 2.205)
Section 42.2. Mail and News (Topic 2.206)
Section 42.3. DNS (Topic 2.207)
Section 42.4. Web Services (Topic 2.208)
Section 42.5. Answers
Section 42.6. Network Client Management (Topic 2.210)
Section 42.7. System Security (Topic 2.212)
Section 42.8. Network Troubleshooting (Topic 2.214)

Chapter 43. Exam 202 Practice Test
Section 43.1. Questions
Section 43.2. Answers

About the Authors
Colophon
Index

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