Practical Linux System Administration
by Kenneth Hess
Copyright 2023 Hess Media and Consulting, LLC. All rights reserved.
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- April 2023: First Edition
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978-1-098-10903-5
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Preface
I love to teach. Some of my earliest memories are of teaching other kids to do somethingplay chess, paint, or build forts for action figures. I taught other students in high school and college. Teaching is something I do naturally. When I write articles, whitepapers, or books, I adopt the role of a teacher. I place the reader in a classroom and teach them tasks or concepts, such as changing permissions on a file or adding a new user to a system. This is how my mind works. This book, like almost everything I write, is a manifestation of that almost innate desire to teach, pass on some knowledge, and plant a seed of curiosity that grows, blossoms, and spreads to others. I hope you find inspiration in this book that leads you to do the same.
Who Should Read This Book
This book is for anyone who wants to explore Linux for the first time as a system administrator or for someone who wants to transition to such a role for work or as a serious hobby. Its also meant for those preparing to take certification exams requiring some Linux knowledge.
Why I Wrote This Book
I wrote this book to fill existing knowledge gaps for system administrators. I would have purchased this book for myself early in my career and kept it at my desk for reference. Sure, theres plenty of technical information in the book, as you might expect, but theres also career guidance and some coverage of the nontechnical aspects of being a system administrator.
Navigating This Book
This book is organized as follows:
introduces you to Linux via installation and initial setup.
explores the command-line interface, essential to working with Linux as a system administrator.
demonstrates how to customize the user experience and introduces you to the global system configuration files.
focuses on user management.
is an overview of Linux networking.
is a how-to for software management.
deals with storage concepts.
is a discussion of maintaining system health.
provides you with some tools for monitoring your system.
explores scripting and automation.
covers Windows interoperability using the Samba suite.
teaches some practical troubleshooting techniques.
helps you secure your system.
summarizes educational opportunities you should explore to keep yourself up-to-date and sharpen your skills.
is advice to help you keep your career moving forward.
Conventions Used in This Book
The following typographical conventions are used in this book:
ItalicIndicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, and file extensions.
Constant width
Used for program listings, as well as within paragraphs to refer to program elements such as variable or function names, databases, data types, environment variables, statements, and keywords.
Constant width italic
Shows text that should be replaced with user-supplied values or by values determined by context.
Tip
This element signifies a tip or suggestion.
Note
This element signifies a general note.
Warning
This element indicates a warning or caution.
Using Code Examples
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