LPI I

LPI Level I

GNU and Unix Commands
Devices, Linux File Systems, Filesystem Hierarchy Standard

Create partitions and filesystems

fdisk - create disk partitions
mkfs - create hard drive and other media filesystems
partitioning scheme

Maintain the integrity of filesystems

df -h - monitor free space
df . - determine partition of working dir
df -i - monitor inodes
du -ch disk utilization for directories with grand total
fsck - verify the integrity of filesystems

Control filesystem mounting and unmounting

/etc/fstab
mount and umount filesystems manually
configure filesystem mounting on bootup
configure user-mountable removable file systems

Set and view disk quota

quota - setup disk quota for a filesystem
quotaon
edquota - edit user quota
repquota - generate reports of user quota

Use file permissions to control access to files

chmod - set permissions on files, directories, and special files
requires understanding symbolic and numeric permissions
suid
sticky bit
umask
sgid (Set Group ID) - use the group field to grant file access to workgroups
change default file creation mode

Manage file ownership

chown - change the owner or group for a file
chgrp - control what group is assigned to new files created in a directory

Create and change hard and symbolic links

ln - hard links
ln -s - symbolic links
identify the hard links to a file
copy files by following or not following symbolic links
use hard and symbolic links for efficient system administration.

Find system files and place files in the correct location

Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
find files
locate files
updatedb
involves editing the file: /etc/updatedb.conf
which commands
whatis
apropos

Boot, Initialization, Shutdown, Run Levels

Boot the system

booting process
give options to the kernel at boot time
dmesg - check the events in the log files
/var/log/messages
/etc/lilo.conf
/etc/conf.modules
/etc/modules.conf

Change runlevels and shutdown or reboot system

securely change the runlevel of the system
specifically to single user mode
shutdown - halt or reboot
make sure to alert users beforehand
properly terminate processes
init
/etc/inittab - predefined runlevels

Documentation

Use and Manage Local System Documentation

use and administer the man facility
use the material in /usr/doc/
finding relevant man pages
searching man page sections
finding commands and manpages related to one
configuring access to man sources and the man system
using system documentation stored in /usr/doc/ and related places
determining what documentation to keep in /usr/doc/

Find Linux documentation on the Internet

Linux Documentation Project
vendor and third-party websites
newsgroups
newsgroup archives
mailing lists

Write System Documentation

write documentation
maintain logs for local conventions, procedures, configuration and configuration changes
file locations
applications
shell scripts

Provide User Support

provide technical assistance to users via telephone, email, and personal contact

Administrative Tasks

Manage users and group accounts and related system files

useradd - add user account
userdel - remove user account
suspend user account
groupadd - add group
remove group
change user/group info in passwd/group databases
create special purpose and limited accounts
gpasswd, passwd
passwd
shadow and gshadow

Tune the user environment and system environment variables

/etc/profile - modify global and user profiles to set environment variable
/etc/skel/ - maintain skel directories for new user accounts
place proper commands in path

Configure and use system log files to meet administrative and security needs

configure the type and level of information logged
manually scan log files for notable activity
arrange for automatic rotation and archiving of logs
track down problems noted in logs
/etc/syslog.conf

Automate system administration tasks by scheduling jobs to run in the future

cron to run jobs at regular intervals
at to run jobs at a specific time
configure user access to cron and at services

Maintain an effective data backup strategy

plan a backup strategy
backup filesystems automatically to various media
perform partial and manual backups
verify the integrity of backup files
partially or fully restore backups

Hardware & Architecture

Configure fundamental system hardware

BIOS settings
set the date and time
ensure IRQ's and I/O addresses are correct for all ports including serial and parallel
make a note of IRQ's and I/O's
issues associated with drives larger than 1024 cylinders

Setup SCSI and NIC Devices

manipulate the SCSI BIOS to detect used and available SCSI ID's
set the SCSI ID to the correct ID number for the boot device and any other devices required
format the SCSI drive - low level with manufacturer's installation tools - and properly partition and system format with Linux fdisk and mke2fs
set up NIC using manufacturer's setup tools setting the I/O and the IRQ as well as the DMA if required

Configure Modem, Sound cards

ensure devices meet compatibility requirements (particularly that the modem is NOT a win-modem)
verify that both the modem and sound card are using unique and correct IRQ's
I/O, and DMA addresses
if the sound card is PnP install and run sndconfig and isapnp
configure modem for outbound dial-up
configure modem for outbound PPP | SLIP | CSLIP connection
set serial port for 115.2 Kbps

Linux Installation and Package Management

Design hard-disk lay-out

design a partitioning scheme for a Linux system
depending on the hardware and system use (number of disks, partition sizes, mount points, kernel location on disk, swap space).

Install a boot manager

lilo - select, install and configure a boot loader
lilo.conf
appropriate disk location
provide alternative and backup boot options (like a boot floppy disk)

Make and install programs from source

gunzip and tar - manage (compressed) archives of files (unpack "tarballs")
install and configure these on your systems
do simple manual customization of the Makefile if necessary (like paths, extra include dirs) and make and install the executable
./configure, make, make install, and ./Makefile

Manage shared libraries

determine the dependencies of executable programs on shared libraries
install these when necessary
ldd, ldconfig
/etc/ld.so.conf

Use Debian package management
Use Red Hat Package Manager (rpm)

rpm from the command line
install a package
uninstall a package
determine the version of the package and the version of the software it contains
list the files in a package
list documentation files in a package
list configuration files or installation or uninstallation scripts in a package
find out for a certain file from which package it was installed
find out which packages have been installed on the system (all packages, or from a subset of packages)
find out in which package a certain program or file can be found
verify the integrity of a package, verify the PGP or GPG signature of a package
upgrade a package

Kernel

Manage kernel modules at runtime

Learn which functionality is available through loadable kernel modules, and manually load and unload the modules as appropriate. Involves using the commands: lsmod, insmod, rmmod, modinfo, modprobe. Involves reviewing the files: /etc/modules.conf | /etc/conf.modules (* depends on distribution *), /lib/modules/{kernel-version}/modules.dep.

Reconfigure, build and install a custom kernel and modules

Text editing, Processing, Printing

Perform basic file editing operations using vi

Edit text files using vi. Includes vi navigation, basic modes, inserting, editing and deleting text, finding text, and copying text.

Manage printers and print queues

Monitor and manage print queues and user print jobs, troubleshoot general printing problems. Includes the commands: lpc, lpq, lprm and lpr . Includes reviewing the file: /etc/printcap.

Print files

Submit jobs to print queues, convert text files to postscript for printing. Includes lpr command.

Install and configure local and remote printers

Install a printer daemon, install and configure a print filter (e.g.: apsfilter, magicfilter). Make local and remote printers accessible for a Linux system, including postscript, non-postscript, and Samba printers. Involves the daemon: lpd . Involves editing or reviewing the files and directories: /etc/printcap , /etc/apsfilterrc , /usr/lib/apsfilter/filter/*/ , /etc/magicfilter/*/ , /var/spool/lpd/*/

Shells, Scripting, Programming, Compiling

Customize and use the shell environment

Customize your shell environment: set environment variables (e.g. PATH) at login or when spawning a new shell; write bash functions for frequently used sequences of commands. Involves editing these files in your home directory: .bash_profile | .bash_login | .profile ; .bashrc ; .bash_logout ; .inputrc

Customize or write simple scripts

Customize existing scripts (like paths in scripts of any language), or write simple new (ba)sh scripts. Besides use of standard sh syntax (loops, tests), be able to do things like: command substitution and testing of command return values, test of file status, and conditional mailing to the superuser. Make sure the correct interpreter is called on the first (#!) line, and consider location, ownership, and execution- and suid-rights of the script.

Install & Configure XFree86

Verify that the video card and monitor are supported by an X server, install the correct X server, configure the X server, install an X font server, install required fonts for X (may require a manual edit of /etc/X11/XF86Config in the "Files" section), customize and tune X for videocard and monitor. Commands: XF86Setup, xf86config. Files: /etc/X11/XF86Config, .xresources.

Setup XDM

Turn xdm on and off, change the xdm greeting, change default bitplanes for xdm, set-up xdm for use by X-stations

Identify and terminate runaway X applications

identify and kill X applications that won't die after user ends an X-session. Example: netscape, tkrat, etc.

Install & Customize a Window Manager Environment

Select and customize a system-wide default window manager and/or desktop environment, demonstrate an understanding of customization procedures for window manager menus, configure menus for the window manager, select and configure the desired x-terminal (xterm, rxvt, aterm etc.), verify and resolve library dependency issues for X applications, export an X-display to a client workstation. Commands: Files: .xinitrc, .Xdefaults, various .rc files.

Networking Fundamentals

Fundamentals of TCP/IP

Linux Network Administrator's Guide
Demonstrate an understanding of network masks and what they mean (i.e. determine a network address for a host based on its subnet mask), understand basic TCP/IP protocols (TCP, UDP, ICMP) and also PPP, demonstrate an understanding of the purpose and use of the more common ports found in /etc/services (20, 21, 23, 25, 53, 80, 110, 119, 139, 143, 161), demonstrate an correct understanding of the function and application of a default route. Execute basic TCP/IP tasks: FTP, anonymous FTP, telnet, host, ping, dig, traceroute, whois.

TCP/IP Troubleshooting & Configuration

Demonstrate an understanding of the techniques required to list, configure and verify the operational status of network interfaces, change, view or configure the routing table, check the existing route table, correct an improperly set default route, manually add/start/stop/restart/delete/reconfigure network interfaces, and configure Linux as a DHCP client and a TCP/IP host and debugassociated problems. May involve reviewing or configuring the following files or directories: /etc/HOSTNAME | /etc/hostname, /etc/hosts, /etc/networks, /etc/host.conf, /etc/resolv.conf, and other network configuration files for your distribution. May involve the use of the following commands and programs: dhcpd, host, hostname (domainname, dnsdomainname), ifconfig, netstat, ping, route, traceroute, the network scripts run during system initialization.

Configure and use PPP

Define the chat sequence to connect (given a login example), setup commands to be run automatically when a PPP connection is made, initiate or terminate a PPP connection, initiate or terminate an ISDN connection, set PPP to automatically reconnect if disconnected.

Networking Services

Configure and manage inetd and related services

Configure which services are available through inetd, use tcpwrappers to allow or deny services on a host-by-host basis, manually start, stop, and restart internet services, configure basic network services including telnet and ftp. Includes managing inetd.conf, hosts.allow, and hosts.deny.

Operate and perform basic configuration of sendmail

Modify simple parameters in sendmail config files (modify the DS value for the "Smart Host" if necessary), create mail aliases, manage the mail queue, start and stop sendmail, configure mail forwarding (.forward), perform basic troubleshooting of sendmail. Does not include advanced custom configuration of sendmail. Includes commands mailq, sendmail, and newaliases. Includes aliases and mail/ config files.

Operate and perform basic configuration of apache

Modify simple parameters in apache config files, start, stop, and restart httpd, arrange for automatic restarting of httpd upon boot. Does not include advanced custom configuration of apache. Includes managing httpd conf files.

Properly manage the NFS, smb, and nmb daemons

Mount remote filesystems using NFS, configure NFS for exporting local filesystems, start, stop, and restart the NFS server. Install and configure Samba using the included GUI tools or direct edit of the /etc/smb.conf file (Note: this deliberately excludes advanced NT domain issues but includes simple sharing of home directories and printers, as well as correctly setting the nmbd as a WINS client).

Setup and configure basic DNS services

Configure hostname lookups by maintaining the /etc/hosts, /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/host.conf, and /etc/nsswitch.conf files, troubleshoot problems with local caching-only name server. Requires an understanding of the domain registration and DNS translation process. Requires understanding key differences in config files for bind 4 and bind 8. Includes commands nslookup, host. Files: named.boot (v.4) or named.conf (v.8)

Security

Perform security admin tasks

Configure and use TCP wrappers to lock down the system, list all files with SUID bit set, determine if any package (.rpm or .deb) has been corrupted, verify new packages prior to install, use setgid on dirs to keep group ownership consistent, change a user's password, set expiration dates on user's passwords, obtain, install and configure ssh

Setup host security

Implement shadowed passwords, turn off unnecessary network services in inetd, set the proper mailing alias for root and setup syslogd, monitor CERT and BUGTRAQ, update binaries immediately when security problems are found

Setup user level security

Set limits on user logins, processes, and memory usage.