Ghori - RHCSA & RHCE Red Hat enterprise Linux 7: training and exam preparation guide, exams EX200 and EX300

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Copyright 2015 Asghar Ghori

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any form, including but not limited to photocopying or other recording, without the express written consent of the author.

Printed in the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia.

ISBN: 978-1-4951-4820-0

ISBN: 9781483553009

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015903831

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Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.

RHCSA and RHCE are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the U.S. and other countries.

Microsoft and Windows are US registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Intel is the trademark or registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries.

All other trademarks, registered trademarks, or logos are the property of their respective owners.

The author has made his best efforts to prepare this book. The contents are based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 7. The author makes no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accepts no liability whatsoever including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or allegedly caused directly or indirectly from this material.

This book is not a replacement for the official RHCSA/RHCE training courses offered by Red Hat, Inc. However, it may be used to prepare for the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) and the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) exams, EX200 and EX300, based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 7. Neither author nor publisher warrants that use of this publication will ensure passing the relevant exams or that the information contained herein is endorsed by Red Hat, Inc.

Preface

Red Hat had revised their EX200 and EX300 exams for RHCSA and RHCE certifications soon after the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 7 in June, 2014. These exams are performance-based and present scenarios that are to be accomplished on live systems within a stipulated time. This book is written to provide you with necessary coverage of theoretical and practical information to help you pass both exams. Furthermore, this book may be used for classroom training and as a deskside reference.

Keeping in view the hands-on nature of the exams, I have included a number of step-by-step procedures to implement tasks. I recommend that you get a 64-bit computer with a minimum of one dual-core processor and built-in support for hardware virtualization to practice the exercises and labs presented in this book. I have explained the hardware, virtualization, and networking requirements in detail in the first chapter for your convenience. I also advise you to either purchase a subscription for RHEL7 or download and use either CentOS or Scientific Linux, which are 100% compatible free non-commercial versions of RHEL.

I suggest you study the material presented in each chapter thoroughly before proceeding to the hands-on stuff. I have provided several review questions with answers at the end of each chapter. Take the quiz and then attempt the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) challenge labs offered thereafter. I have not furnished solutions to these labs intentionally, as I am confident that the knowledge and skills you would have gained by that time will be sufficient to accomplish the labs on your own. And in essence, this is what I want you to eventually get at. Once an entire section is finishedmaterial read and understood, exercises performed, review questions completed, and DIY challenge labs accomplishedreview the entire section quickly and then attempt the respective sample exams provided in the appendices.

While performing exercises and labs, if a command does not produce the published result, I ask that you check the message the command has generated and consult relevant log files. Minor issues, such as a wrong path, prevent commands from being executed correctly. Sometimes, there are syntax errors in the command construct. You might have to make appropriate modifications to your settings in order to make the command work. RHEL manual pages prove helpful and useful in comprehending commands and their syntaxes.

There are four areas I suggest you focus in order to develop expertise with RHEL (CentOS or Scientific Linux for that matter), as well as to prepare yourselves for the exams: 1) grasping concepts; 2) mastering implementation procedures, exercises, and labs; 3) learning commands, understanding configuration files, and knowing service daemons; and 4) being able to troubleshoot and resolve problems. An excellent understanding of which command involves which options and updates which files, which daemon provides what services, etc. should also be developed. This way you will have a better overall understanding of what exactly happens in the background when a command is executed. This book attempts to provide that knowledge too. Troubleshooting becomes easier when concepts are clear and working knowledge is solid.

I am maintaining www.getitcertify.com where I add errata, additional exam information, and links to useful resources. I encourage you to visit this website.

At the end, I would like to request for your feedback sent to my personal email about anything good or bad in the book, including any grammatical or technical errors or mistakes. Try to be as specific as possible in your description. Improvement is a continuous process and I am sure your feedback will help me write a better and improved next edition.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to God who enabled me to write this book successfully.

I would like to acknowledge the valuable feedback my students and friends provided on the previous edition of this book. I am thankful to them for making this edition more error-free.

I recognize the constructive and positive feedback I had received from the readers of my previous books. I have used their comments toward the improvement of this edition.

I would like to express my special thanks to my wife, two daughters, and two sons, who tolerated my mental absence while sitting right in front of them working on this project. I could not have consummated this project without their support.

Lastly, I would like to offer my very special tributes to my mother and my deceased father.

Asghar Ghori

About the Author

Asghar Ghori is a seasoned UNIX/Linux consultant, trainer, and author. As a consultant, his experience ranges from deployment, support, and administration to solution architecture, design, and consulting; as a trainer, he has designed and delivered numerous training programs; and as a published author, he has five books on HP-UX and Red Hat Enterprise Linux to his credit.